Microsoft Authenticator App to Drop Password Support Starting June 1
Passwords tied to Microsoft accounts are at increasing risk, with reports of old, expired credentials being used to access Windows accounts. Attackers are exploiting this loophole using password-spraying techniques to compromise Microsoft accounts. Now, Microsoft has announced significant changes to its Authenticator app that will further affect how users manage their credentials.
What’s Changing in Microsoft Authenticator?
Microsoft Authenticator has evolved far beyond its original function as a simple two-factor authentication (2FA) app. Over time, it has acted as a default password manager for many users, offering password saving and autofill capabilities across both Android and iOS. However, starting June 1, users will no longer be able to save new passwords in the app.
This marks the beginning of a phased transition:
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June: Saving new passwords in Authenticator will be disabled.
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July: Password autofill functionality will be removed from the app.
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August: Any previously saved passwords will no longer be accessible within Authenticator.
Despite this, the app will continue to support passkeys, which are positioned as a more secure and passwordless authentication method. Microsoft has emphasized that users who rely on passkeys should keep the Authenticator app enabled, as disabling it will also disable passkey access.
A Push Toward Microsoft Edge
Microsoft is steering users toward its Edge browser for password management. The company states that passwords and addresses saved in Edge are securely synced to users’ Microsoft accounts and remain accessible with autofill features enabled. While Edge is now being promoted as the preferred solution, users can still turn to other password managers that support 2FA, passkeys, and secure autofill.
In Summary: If you use Microsoft Authenticator to store or autofill passwords, you’ll need to transition to a new system before August to avoid losing access to your saved credentials.
