How to Enable or Disable Autofill Passwords and Passkeys in Microsoft Edge on Windows 11

Why This Matters

Microsoft Edge can save your passwords for you, filling them in automatically when you visit websites to save you time.

What You Should Know

Microsoft Edge keeps your passwords safe by storing them in an encrypted way on your computer, and they can sync across your devices if you’re signed in with your Microsoft account.

You can also manually add passwords to the password manager in Microsoft Edge.

Edge gives you three ways to protect your saved passwords:

• Fill in passwords automatically (easiest, but less secure)
• Ask for your device password before filling passwords (medium security)
• Use a custom primary password (highest security)

Reference: Additional privacy for your saved passwords – Microsoft Support

Option 1For Your Account Only

Turn On or Off Autofill Passwords in Microsoft Edge

1. Open Microsoft Edge.
2. Click the three dots menu (Settings and more) at the top right. Click Settings.
3. Click Passwords and autofill in the left sidebar. Click Microsoft Password Manager on the right side.
   

   To turn edge autofill passwords on or off, first open Microsoft Edge and click the three dots menu in the top right corner to ⚙️ open Settings.

4. Click More settings.

Option A: Fill Passwords Automatically (Default)

Choosing to fill passwords automatically in Microsoft Edge is the quickest way to log into websites, as Edge will enter your username and password for you without any extra steps.

What happens? Edge will fill in your username and password automatically when you visit a website.

1. Select Fill website password and sign in automatically, or suggest available passkeys.
2. If Windows Security asks for your device password, enter it.
3. Close ⚙️ the Settings tab when done.

Option B: Ask for Device Sign-In Before Filling

Asking for your device sign-in before filling passwords adds an extra layer of security, meaning someone can’t use your saved passwords without entering your Windows password or using your fingerprint first.

What happens? Before Edge fills in a password, it asks you to enter your Windows password or use your fingerprint.

1. Select Prompt for the device sign-in options before viewing or filling website password.
2. If Windows Security asks for your device password, enter it.
3. Choose from the dropdown menu:

   • Always ask permission (asks every time)
   • Ask permission once per browsing session (default — asks once per session)
4. Close ⚙️ the Settings tab when done.

Option C: Use a Custom Primary Password

Using a custom primary password offers the strongest protection for your saved passwords in Microsoft Edge, as you must enter this special password before Edge will fill in any login details.

What happens? Edge asks you to create a custom password. You must enter this password before Edge will fill in any saved passwords.

1. Select Prompt for the custom primary password before viewing or filling website password.
2. If Windows Security asks for your device password, enter it.
3. Type in a new primary password and click Create.
4. Choose from the dropdown menu:

   • Always ask permission (asks every time)
   • Ask permission once per browsing session (default — asks once per session)
5. Close ⚙️ the Settings tab when done.
   

Turn Off Autofill Passwords using Registry

Why turn this off? You might want to type in passwords manually for extra security.

What happens? Edge will not save or fill in passwords anymore.

1. Turn off the toggle for Autofill passwords and passkeys.
2. Close ⚙️ the Settings tab when done.

Option 2For All Users on Your Computer

Admin privileges required.

This section requires administrator privileges. It uses the Group Policy for Microsoft Edge, so you’ll need to be signed in as an administrator to proceed.

Always Enable With Automatic Fill

What happens? All users must have autofill turned on. Passwords fill in automatically. Users cannot turn this off.

Open Windows Terminal as an administrator and run this command:

reg add "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge" /v PrimaryPasswordSetting /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

Always Enable With Device Sign-In Prompt

What happens? All users must have autofill turned on. Edge asks for device sign-in before filling passwords. Users cannot turn this off but can choose how often to be asked.

reg add "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge" /v PrimaryPasswordSetting /t REG_DWORD /d 1 /f

Always Enable With Custom Primary Password

When you always enable the custom primary password setting, all users on the computer must use autofill, and Edge will always ask for the primary password before filling any passwords, preventing users from turning it off.

Click the Download button below to ⬇️ download the registry file, then follow the steps at step 7.

reg add "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge" /v PrimaryPasswordSetting /t REG_DWORD /d 2 /f

Disable Autofill for All Users

What happens? All users cannot use autofill. Passwords will not be saved or filled in automatically. Users cannot turn this on.

Open Windows Terminal as an administrator and run this command:

reg add "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge" /v PrimaryPasswordSetting /t REG_DWORD /d 3 /f

Allow User Choice (Default)

What happens? This is the standard setting. Each user can turn autofill on or off in their own settings.

reg delete "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge" /v PrimaryPasswordSetting /f

Summary

Microsoft Edge offers easy ways to save and fill passwords, giving you choices between the fastest automatic fill, medium security with device sign-in, or the highest security with a custom primary password.