Got a new password manager? How to clean up the password mess you left in the cloud

Every modern web browser has tools for tracking the passwords you use with secure online services. Those features are often turned on by default, which means you probably have a random collection of passwords saved in the cloud along with your bookmarks and settings for your default browser.

Also: The best VPN services (and how to choose the right one for you)

Those built-in utilities might have been good enough for an earlier era, but they aren’t good enough for our complex, multi-platform world. (For more on the pros and cons of those built-in tools, see “Apple, Google, and Microsoft offer free password managers – but should you use them?”) 

For most people, the correct option is to switch to a third-party password manager and shut down all those built-in password features in the browsers and mobile devices you use. Why? Third-party password managers are built to work everywhere, with a full set of features that are the same (or nearly so) across every device. 

After you make that switch, the passwords you saved previously are left behind in a cloud service you no longer use. If you regularly switch between browsers (Chrome on your Mac or Windows PC, Safari on your iPhone), you might even have multiple sets of saved passwords scattered across multiple clouds.

It’s time to clean up that mess.

Also: The best password managers: Expert tested 

If you’re no longer using a password manager, it’s prudent to track down those outdated saved passwords and delete them from the cloud. I’ve studied each of the four leading browsers: Google Chrome, Apple’s Safari, Microsoft Edge, and Mozilla Firefox. Here’s how to find the password management settings for each one, export any saved passwords to a safe place, and then turn off the feature. As a final step, I explain how to purge saved passwords and stop syncing.

Google Password Manager

Chrome used to have a built-in feature to save and fill passwords. That feature has now evolved into Google Password Manager, which syncs passwords and passkeys across devices using your Google account. Those synced credentials are available in Chrome on your PC or Mac, on Android devices, and on iPhones and iPads. This feature does not work with any browser other than Chrome.

Also: The best VPN services for iPhone and iPad (yes, you need to use one)

You can adjust settings for Google Password Manager from the Chrome browser on any device, but you’ll have the most options if you start from Chrome on a Windows PC or Mac. Ensure you’ve signed in using your Google account, and then go to the Google Password Manager page at chrome://password-manager/passwords. (You can also get there from Settings > Autofill and passwords.) The screen below shows options on a PC running Windows 11 with Windows Hello enabled:

You can find a much more limited selection of settings from your online Google account. Go to https://passwords.google.com/options using Chrome, Edge, or Firefox (sorry, Safari won’t work), where you’ll find the necessary options for enabling or disabling the feature and exporting saved passwords.

Back up your saved passwords: If you have any saved passwords, I recommend exporting a copy before you adjust any settings. Look for the button to the right of the Export passwords option to save a file in CSV format, which you can use to import passwords into your third-party password manager. You can also open the file in Excel or Google Sheets for quick editing and printing. (Some free security advice: save that file in a secure location and delete it after you’ve done whatever you need to do with it.)

Turn off password saving: Turn off the “Offer to save passwords” and “Auto sign-in” options. (The wording is a bit different depending on where you started.) That step will stop Chrome from saving any additional passwords and stop the browser from trying to fill in passwords that are already saved.

Turn off password syncing: To avoid having a password you accidentally save on another device sync back to the current one, go to chrome://settings/syncSetup/advanced, choose Customize Sync, and turn the “Passwords and passkeys” switch to the Off position.  

Purge saved passwords: From the main Google Password Manager page in Chrome, you can view, edit, or delete individual saved credentials. Click any entry to open it and then click Remove. That action deletes the saved item from your Google account and from every other device where you’re signed in using that account and have sync turned on. 

If you just have a few saved passwords, deleting them individually is not such a big deal. If you have dozens of passwords (or more), it’s easier on a mobile device, where you can select multiple items for deletion. To delete all saved passwords from your Google account, open the Google Password Manager page in Chrome settings on a PC or Mac and use the option at the bottom of the page: Delete all Google Password Manager data. 

Also: Apple, Google, and Microsoft offer free password managers – but should you use them?

Finally, open Settings on your mobile device, find the AutoFill option, and ensure that the Google and Chrome options are turned off.

Apple Passwords and iCloud Keychain

Apple’s Safari browser is based on WebKit, which makes it a first cousin to the Chromium-based alternatives. But unlike Chrome or Edge, Apple doesn’t allow its flagship browser to manage passwords independently of the operating system. 

Also: Rebooting your phone daily is your best defense against zero-click attacks – here’s why

Your credentials are saved in Apple’s iCloud Keychain and can sync between Macs, iPhones, iPads, and — with the help of the iCloud for Windows app and a browser extension — on Windows PCs as well. This approach doesn’t work with Android devices at all. 

Working directly with the iCloud Keychain is nearly impossible. Fortunately, Apple now offers a standalone Passwords app that works on iOS 18 and iPadOS 18 or later, as well as MacOS Sequoia or later.  

Back up your saved passwords: On your Mac, open the Passwords app and choose File > Export All Passwords to File. Save that file in a secure place. (Because that file is unencrypted, it represents a security risk. Be sure to delete it after you complete any necessary tasks, like importing the saved credentials into your third-party password manager.)

Turn off password saving: To turn off password saving on a Mac, go to System Settings > General > AutoFill & Passwords, and turn the AutoFill Passwords and Passkeys switch to the Off position. If you use a third-party password manager, you can turn on the Universal AutoFill feature to allow that app to take over these responsibilities. (Instructions for 1Password are here: “Use Universal Autofill in apps and browsers on your Mac.”) On a mobile device running iOS, go to Settings > General > AutoFill & Passwords, and make sure the Passwords switch is set to the Off position.

Purge saved passwords: To delete the saved passwords from a Mac, open the Passwords app and select any item from the list; then press Command+A to select the full contents of the list, and then press Delete. Note that Passwords keeps a copy of the passwords and passkeys you removed in the Deleted folder, then automatically purges them after 30 days.

Microsoft Edge

If you’re a loyal Edge user and you’ve committed to the company’s built-in password management strategy, I have some bad news for you: they’re changing it completely, starting right now. Instead of using the Authenticator app to automatically save and fill passwords and other info, that data is moving back to Edge. It turns out that running a simple task through the Authenticator app was more complicated and confusing than most people wanted to deal with.

Also: The best VPNs for streaming your favorite shows and sports

That transition is underway now and will be complete by August 2025. Moving forward, you can store, sync, fill, and manage passwords in Edge by using the Wallet feature. In the Edge browser on a PC or Mac, sign in with your Microsoft account, then go to Profiles, scroll down to the Microsoft Wallet section, and click Passwords. That opens a Passwords page that lists all your saved credentials for sites and apps. Click Settings to open the management page shown next.

Back up your saved passwords: On the Passwords page, click the menu button (three horizontal dots) in the upper right and then click “Export passwords.” The resulting file is in CSV format, which you can save or open in Excel for printing. And once again, I remind you that this file is unencrypted; you should store it in a secure location (a password-protected USB drive in a locked file cabinet is a good start) and delete it when you have completed any necessary tasks.

Turn off password saving: Turn off the top two options on the Passwords page in Microsoft Wallet: “Offer to save passwords” and “View and autofill passwords and passkeys.” That will stop Edge from saving any additional passwords and will also prevent the browser from trying to fill in passwords that are already saved.

Purge saved passwords: From the Passwords page, you can delete individual saved credentials. That action deletes the saved item from your Microsoft account and from every other device where you’re signed in using that account and have sync turned on. To remove all your saved passwords from the cloud, go to Settings > Privacy, Search, and Services > Clear Browsing Data. Then click “Choose what to clear,” which opens a box like the one shown next:

Turn off password syncing: To avoid having a password you accidentally save on another device sync back to the current one, go to edge://settings/profiles/sync and turn the Passwords switch to the Off position.

Firefox

Firefox has been in decline for a long time, and for the past few years, the Mozilla Foundation has been actively culling feature development to save resources. One of the projects that ended up on the chopping block was Firefox Lockwise, which was introduced in 2019. It allowed Firefox to save passwords in the browser and manage those saved credentials via apps for the two dominant mobile platforms.

Also: Your password manager is under attack: How to defend yourself against a new threat

In 2024, Mozilla threw in the towel on Lockwise, and Firefox now manages passwords from the browser just like in olden days. If you choose to use the feature, your passwords and form-filling information are stored in the cloud and can be synced to other devices where you sign in using the same Firefox account. If you install the mobile version of Firefox on an iOS or Android device, you can set it as the AutoFill provider for those devices.

To view, edit, and remove saved passwords, open Firefox (signing in to your Firefox account, if necessary), click the app menu at the far right of the address bar, and then click Passwords. (You can also get there by going to Settings > Privacy and Security, then scroll down to the Passwords heading and click the Saved Passwords button.) That action opens the Passwords page, which displays a list of saved passwords that you can view, edit, or delete, individually or in bulk. That page is your starting point for any of the following management tasks:

Back up your saved passwords: To save a backup copy of your stored passwords, click the three dots to the right of your profile name on the Passwords page, and then click Export Passwords. (This is an unencrypted file that contains detailed login information, so store it in a safe place and delete it when you no longer need it.) 

Turn off password saving: After signing in to your Firefox account, go to about:preferences#privacy and clear the “Ask to save passwords” box. You might also want to turn off the other AutoFill options if you plan to use a third-party app for those tasks.

Purge saved passwords: From the Passwords page, click the three dots to the right of your profile name, and then click Remove All Passwords.

Turn off password syncing: To stop syncing passwords to your Firefox cloud account, go to about:preferences#sync, click Manage Sync, and clear the Passwords box. You might also want to stop saving addresses, payment information, and other AutoFill details. Note that this doesn’t remove your previously saved passwords; it just prevents Firefox from backing up your changes to the cloud.