Microsoft Removes Passwords from Authenticator as an Advertisement for Edge

Microsoft is ending support for passwords in its Authenticator. The Autofill feature will disappear this month, and stored passwords will be completely removed starting in August.

Those who rely on Microsoft Authenticator as a password manager don’t have much time left to find an alternative. As previously announced, Microsoft is phasing out support for passwords. Adding new passwords is no longer possible. Starting this month, the Autofill option will also stop working. Users can still manually retrieve their passwords.

But in Edge

However, that will also come to an end. Starting in August, stored passwords will no longer be accessible via the Authenticator. In true Microsoft style, this doesn’t mean you can’t access your passwords anymore. They will still synchronize with Microsoft Edge. In fact, Microsoft is transferring the functionality from the widely available Authenticator to its own browser, in a move that contradicts user flexibility.

Microsoft frames the end of password support in the Authenticator itself as a precursor to making so-called Passkeys more popular. A Passkey is an alternative method to verify your identity, relying on two cryptographic keys. One key is with the service, the other on your device behind an extra authentication layer like Windows Hello.

A Passkey is more secure than a password because the key cannot be easily exposed, and also because verification occurs on both sides: the website you want to log into also needs the correct key. This makes phishing much more difficult.

No Breakthrough

Yet Passkeys don’t quickly break through. The setup is more complex than a password, and synchronization between different devices remains an issue. In practice, it’s already a good thing that an average user without technical interest takes the step towards a password manager. That makes Microsoft’s decision to remove passwords from the Authenticator somewhat unfortunate.

Those who have embraced this application must now find an alternative or be forced to switch to Microsoft Edge. That Passkeys are safer than passwords does not detract from the fact that a password manager (in combination with MFA) is also a good option. It’s doubtful that Microsoft contributes to internet security by removing passwords from its application and simultaneously promoting Edge.