Another reason not to use the Edge Password Manager

Marcus Vinicus · May 5, 2026

A security researcher Tom Jøran Sønstebyseter Rønning found that passwords are being saved within the Edge browser in plain text.

Microsoft say it's a feature not a flaw.

"David Shipley, CEO of Beauceron Security, is not impressed with Microsoft’s response. “No, it’s not a feature. That’s an easy way to cop out of responsibility. It’s almost as bad as when firms say ‘working as designed.’ The point here, as with similar shortcomings, is convenience, speed, and avoiding investing more effort into something that they feel isn’t worth mitigating,” he said."

Edge browser leaves passwords exposed in plain text, says researcher

‘It’s a feature, not a flaw,’ Microsoft claims; experts disagree.

www.computerworld.com

Mark K · May 5, 2026

Marcus Vinicus said:
A security researcher Tom Jøran Sønstebyseter Rønning found that passwords are being saved within the Edge browser in plain text.

Microsoft say it's a feature not a flaw.

"David Shipley, CEO of Beauceron Security, is not impressed with Microsoft’s response. “No, it’s not a feature. That’s an easy way to cop out of responsibility. It’s almost as bad as when firms say ‘working as designed.’ The point here, as with similar shortcomings, is convenience, speed, and avoiding investing more effort into something that they feel isn’t worth mitigating,” he said."

Edge browser leaves passwords exposed in plain text, says researcher

‘It’s a feature, not a flaw,’ Microsoft claims; experts disagree.

www.computerworld.com

Web browser password managers, Cloud password managers, and local password managers all send credentials decrypted.

Out of all the password managers, web browser password manager, and local password managers I researched, Microsoft Edge is the only one where Microsoft keeps all password information loaded in memory in plain text (decrypted) while NOT being used at all. This "work as design" stupidity from Microsoft shows their carelessness of handling sensitive data.

Google Chrome and many other browsers, based on what I have read so far, only decrypts the password information when used and encrypts it back afterwards. I did not see anything whether other browsers retain this information in memory encrypted or decrypted.

Microsoft Edge worldwide market share is around 11.5% where this should not be to big a problem.

Google Chrome worldwide market share is near 72%.

Ghot · May 5, 2026

Microsoft Edge loads all your saved passwords into memory in cleartext — even when you’re not using them.

https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/microsoft-edge-saves-passwords-in-cleartext-by-design-and-researchers-argue-this-turns-into-a-credential-harvest-on-shared-pcs/ What makes this more frustrating is that edge automatically pulls your passwords and history into it sometimes from other browsers...

www.elevenforum.com

Marcus Vinicus · May 5, 2026

Ghot said:
Microsoft Edge loads all your saved passwords into memory in cleartext — even when you’re not using them.

https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/microsoft-edge-saves-passwords-in-cleartext-by-design-and-researchers-argue-this-turns-into-a-credential-harvest-on-shared-pcs/ What makes this more frustrating is that edge automatically pulls your passwords and history into it sometimes from other browsers...

www.elevenforum.com

Thanks for the heads up. The Mods can delete this thread if they like.

Ghot · May 5, 2026

Marcus Vinicus said:
Thanks for the heads up. The Mods can delete this thread if they like.

Two sources is better than one.

Marcus Vinicus · May 5, 2026

Ghot said:
Two sources is better than one.

Can never draw too much attention to MS when they drop a clanger like this one!

cheaterslick · May 5, 2026

Marcus Vinicus said:
Can never draw too much attention to MS when they drop a clanger like this one!

If anything, it needs even more attention. What they're doing (or in this case, not doing) is pretty sloppy.

Ghot · May 5, 2026

I look at it as another reason not to use Edge.

Marcus Vinicus · May 5, 2026

When Windows Central reached out for comment from Microsoft all they got back was a classic meaningless word salad.

"Safety and security are foundational to Microsoft Edge. Access to browser data as described in the reported scenario would require the device to already be compromised. Design choices in this area involve balancing performance, usability, and security, and we continue to review it against evolving threats. Browsers access password data in memory to help users sign in quickly and securely - this is an expected feature of the application. We recommend users install the latest security updates and antivirus software to help protect against security threats."
From MS.

Microsoft Edge loads your passwords into memory in plaintext, but Microsoft says not to worry

A security researcher has discovered that Microsoft Edge will load all your stored passwords into memory in plaintext at startup, making it easy for malware to scrape those passwords.

www.windowscentral.com

hsehestedt · May 5, 2026

Ghot said:
I look at it as another reason not to use Edge.

... or simply disable password management in Edge and supplement it with a third party password manager.

cheaterslick · May 5, 2026

hsehestedt said:
... or simply disable password management in Edge and supplement it with a third party password manager.

... or use Revo and eliminate Edge, entirely.

TraderGary · May 5, 2026

I've used Edge (Chromium) for the past six years. I turn Edge password management OFF and use 1Password to manage my passwords.

Another reason not to use the Edge Password Manager

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