How to set up Microsoft Authenticator password manager on Android

Microsoft Authenticator is an app available for Android as well as iOS devices that allows you to store apps and sites credentials to make two-factor authentication (2FA) easy and secure using your phone, not complex passwords, and now, the app has a password manager built in (as preview).

The password manager built into the Authenticator app connects with your Microsoft account to sync and let you manage your passwords on your phone, and when you set the app as the default autofill provider, it can offer to save and automatically fill credentials as you sign into apps or websites.

Since the feature connects with your Microsoft account, the saved passwords will also sync to your desktop computer connected with the same account on Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome with the Microsoft Autofill extension. 

In this guide, you will learn the steps to start using the Microsoft Authenticator as your default password manager on Android.

How to enable and configure password manager on Microsoft Authenticator

There are two parts to get started managing passwords with the Microsoft Authenticator app. You have to enable the feature and you need to make the Authenticator the default autofill on Android.

Enable password manager

To enable the password manager feature in Authenticator, use these steps:

1. Open Microsoft Authenticator on Android.

2. Click the menu (ellipsis) button from the top-right corner.

3. Select the Settings option.

4. Turn on the Autofill toggle switch.

   Quick tip: This feature is currently available as a preview, and it is not available to everyone. If you do not see it, you will need to wait a little longer to get it or join the beta program.

5. Click the new Passwords tab at the bottom of the screen.

6. Sign in with a Microsoft account or sync your passwords with an account already in the Microsoft Authenticator app.

   

Once you complete the steps, you will need to configure the app as the new default autofill provider on your Android device.

Change autofill provider

To make the Microsoft Authenticator app your default autofill provider on Android, use these steps:

1. Open Settings.

2. Click on System.

3. Click on Language & input.

4. Click on Advanced.

5. Under the “Tools” section, click the Autofill service option.

   

6. Click the current autofill service.

7. Select the Authenticator app.

   

8. Click the OK button to confirm.

Once you complete the steps, the app will offer to save passwords, and it will offer to autofill credentials when signing into websites and apps. 

If you want to test this feature before it becomes available, you will need to join beta program, and then the app will receive an update to access the new feature. If you do not have the app on your Android phone, you can download it from the Google Play Store.

We are focusing this guide on Android, but the feature is also available on iPhone. Also, the autofill functionality is only available for the consumer of the app, and it is currently disabled for the enterprise users.