The Silent Credential Vault
Windows 11 utilizes a built-in feature called the Credential Manager, which works closely with Microsoft Edge and your Microsoft account to store login information. Whenever you log into a website or a network drive, Windows often automatically saves your username and password, storing them so you don’t have to type them again next time. While convenient for personal computers, this behavior is a massive security risk on shared laptops, kiosk machines, or if you simply prefer to use a dedicated, encrypted third-party password manager instead of relying on the operating system’s built-in vault.
Disabling the Password Prompts
To secure your accounts and stop Windows 11 (and its integrated browser, Edge) from automatically saving passwords, you must adjust the browser’s autofill settings.
Open Microsoft Edge. Click the three horizontal dots in the top right corner and select Settings. In the left-hand navigation pane, ensure you are on the Profiles tab. In the main window under your profile, click on Passwords. Look at the very top of this menu for the toggle switch labelled Offer to save passwords. Click this switch to turn it Off. Additionally, you should turn off the toggle immediately below it, labelled Autofill passwords and passkeys. By disabling both of these options, Windows and Edge will stop intercepting your login attempts, forcing you (or anyone else using the computer) to manually enter credentials every single time.