MS Edge sign in does not use passkey in password manager?

In the Microsoft account I have a Passkey saved in Microsoft Edge 148.0.3967.54 and it seems to work for now. When I sign in to the Outlook.com account on the web site, I select the account entry showing passkey and it logs in to Outlook.com without any problems.



The Microsoft account got signed out in Microsoft Edge. When I try to sign in again, there is no option to sign in using the passkey from the Microsoft Edge password manager. Windows Security prompts me for Security Key or a device to sign in. I find this rather strange after Microsoft is wanting everyone to use a passkey in the Microsoft Edge Password Manager, but I cannot use it to sign in to Microsoft Edge.

I know the account is signed out in Microsoft Edge, but the passwords are still in Password Manager. Figured Microsoft Edge would use the passwords or passkeys in memory or in the account itself. Because the password should be accessible in non-Microsoft account login too.

I could not get an answer out of Copilot and once I posted the message, Copilot provided me an answer. The answer explains what I partially forgot about passkeys and Microsoft accounts. YubiKeys provides local verification options:


The short answer: because Microsoft Edge and Microsoft Account sign‑in use different security architectures, and the passkey you save for your Microsoft account is not the same type of credential Edge itself requires to unlock your browser profile.

Even though both live “in your Microsoft account,” they serve different purposes and are intentionally separated for security and platform‑design reasons.

Why Edge can’t use your Microsoft‑account passkey to sign you into Edge

1. Microsoft Account passkeys authenticate your online identity, not your local Edge profile

Passkeys you create for your Microsoft account are stored and managed through your account’s security dashboard and can be used to sign in on the web or supported apps.
Microsoft’s documentation shows these passkeys are tied to your Microsoft identity and managed separately from device‑bound or password‑manager‑bound passkeys. Microsoft Support

Edge profile sign‑in, however, is a local browser authentication flow that unlocks sync, passwords, and settings. It is not the same as signing into your Microsoft account on the web.

2. Edge’s password manager stores passkeys for websites, not for Edge itself

Microsoft Password Manager in Edge stores passkeys for third‑party websites and apps. It does not store or use a passkey to authenticate Edge itself.
Microsoft explicitly states that passkeys saved in Microsoft Password Manager are for websites you log into, not for signing into Edge. Microsoft Support

3. Passkeys are scoped to a “relying party” — and Edge is not one

Passkeys follow the WebAuthn/FIDO2 model:

• A passkey is only valid for the specific service (the “relying party”) it was created for.
• Your Microsoft‑account passkey is scoped to login.microsoft.com.
• Edge’s profile sign‑in is not a WebAuthn relying party and therefore cannot reuse that credential.

This is a design constraint of the passkey standard, not just Microsoft’s implementation.

4. Security separation is intentional

Microsoft separates:

• Account authentication (Microsoft Account passkeys)
• Local profile unlocking (Edge sign‑in)
• Website credential storage (Microsoft Password Manager)

This prevents a compromise in one area (e.g., browser profile access) from automatically granting access to your entire Microsoft identity.

5. Windows passkey storage and Edge passkey storage are also separate

Windows Settings manages device‑bound passkeys and passkey services. Edge uses its own synced password manager. These systems are not unified, and Microsoft notes that passkeys may live in different providers depending on where they were created. Microsoft Support

What this means in practice

• Your Microsoft Account passkey can sign you into Microsoft websites and services.
• Your Edge profile still requires its own sign‑in method (password, Windows Hello, etc.).
• Your Edge password manager can store passkeys for websites, but not for Edge itself.

This is normal and expected given how passkeys are designed.

If you want, I can walk you through:

• how to set up Windows Hello as your Edge sign‑in method
• how to manage your Microsoft Account passkeys
• how Edge stores and uses passkeys

Which one would you like to explore?