Microsoft removes administration from a central app

Microsoft goes the next step when saying goodbye to the password as a safety factor for log-ins: from August 2025, password management will be removed from the authenticator app. The company announced this now.

Alternative in the Edge

Users who have so far saved their passwords via the app and filled in automatically must adapt to corresponding changes and find alternatives. Like Microsoft in one current support document explained, the changeover takes place in several steps. Since June it has no longer been possible to save or import new passwords in the app.

The AutoFill function will also be deactivated from July. And from August, all passwords stored so far will no longer be accessible in the app. The authenticator app does not completely disappear. It remains for its original purpose-creating one-off codes for two-factor authentication. However, the additional function as a password manager is completely set.

Microsoft advises affected users to continue using stored passwords using the Microsoft account with the in-house browser Edge. These passwords can be filled in EDGE automatically if they have been synchronized beforehand. At the same time, the company recommends checking the stored data and deleting entries that are no longer required.

Everything on Passkeys

In the long term, however, Microsoft pursues a completely different goal: the complete switch to so -called Passkeys. From the company’s point of view, these represent a modern and safer alternative to classic passwords. Instead of noticing string sequences, authentication takes place via biometric features such as face recognition, fingerprint or a PIN – similar to unlocking a smartphone.

Passkeys are considered more robust and more user -friendly than passwords, even if the synchronization between several devices can currently bring challenges. Nevertheless, the changeover – especially in view of the impending loss of the password function in authenticator – is worth considering.