Microsoft to abandon password-based authentication tomorrow: Edge browser will switch to Windows Hello access

Microsoft removes Edge master password feature
Passwords and biometrics replace legacy authentication
Users can use external administrators.

Microsoft is removing the master password feature in Edge and adopting newer, more secure solutions.

Edge is Microsoft’s Internet browser, based on Chromium. Among other things, it has a built-in password manager that allows users to store not only passwords, but also other secrets, such as usernames, payment information or, in some cases, addresses.

Until now, users who wanted to log into the tool and manage their secrets could do so using a password, but Microsoft has been pushing to replace the old authentication method with passkeys. In a press release shared with TechRadar Pro, NordVPN said that starting June 4, the master password feature in Edge will finally be retired, to be replaced by device-based authentication methods like Windows Hello (PIN, fingerprint, or facial recognition).

A step in the right direction

For Ignas Valancius, vice president of engineering at NordPass, this is a logical step forward, since biometrics and access keys “are considered more convenient and secure than passwords.”

“When people manage too many passwords, they tend to reuse them or create simple variations, such as changing a single letter or number,” Valancius emphasized. “This practice creates significant vulnerabilities: if one of these accounts is compromised, all other accounts that share the same or similar password are compromised.”

Still, expect at least a small reaction, because humans are “creatures of habit” and old habits die hard. These people may find comfort in alternative third-party password managers, which still allow users to log in using a master password. “But I personally think a push toward passwordless authentication is a positive development,” he emphasized.

Passwords have long been considered one of the weakest links in the cybersecurity chain, mainly because people don’t bother to create and store strong passwords. Instead, they end up using simple, easy-to-guess passwords across a wide range of services, risking losing access to numerous services at once.