Edge picks up password management improvements

Microsoft Edge

The Microsoft Edge team is busy refining the web browser, and this time around the focus seems to be on improvements to password management. There are a couple of features of note here.

In the latest releases, that is.

First up, we have the arrival of Dev channel branch build 91.0.845.2, a small release that comes with the usual splattering of bug and reliability fixes. Slotted among them are a few enhancements for the password manager.

New is the ability to select and deselect multiple passwords at the same time from the Settings panel.

Also new is the option to quickly toggle between two tabs on Mac via a keyboard shortcut. Capping out the additions is a Certificate Management Settings page on Linux, and also a message to explain that Vertical Tabs can’t be collapsed when IE mode tabs are open.

There are a bunch of other reliability improvements and changed behaviors, details of which you can gather from the link above.

On the Canary side of things, we have version 91.0.849.0 that appears to be available for select Insiders.

This update lets users automatically enter passwords into forms more securely. Microsoft is currently testing the ability to lock auto-fills for passwords behind user authentication.

Edge Password Authentication

With the new feature, the browser will now require on the spot user authentication before auto-filling passwords to sign into a website.

This is a change that should have been available since day one, as it adds an extra layer of security to the management side of the browser. The idea being to make it harder for unauthorized people to use saved passwords to log into websites.

The feature is still under testing, and may not be available for everyone yet due to a controlled rollout. But it should not be too long before it shows up for everyone.

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