Stop Edge Password Export in 6 Steps

This guide shows you how to prevent users from exporting passwords saved in Microsoft Edge, a common concern for IT admins and family computer managers. By editing a single policy setting, you can disable the export option in the browser’s password manager, ensuring that saved credentials cannot be copied or moved to another browser. You’ll need access to the Windows Registry or Local Group Policy Editor, depending on your Windows edition.

What You’ll Need

A Windows PC with Microsoft Edge installed (current version)
Administrator rights on the computer
For Windows Pro, Enterprise, or Education: access to the Local Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc)
For Windows Home: access to the Registry Editor (regedit.exe)
Know whether Edge is managed by an organization (if so, group policy from your company may override local settings)

Step-by-Step

Close Microsoft Edge completely. Make sure no Edge processes are running in the background. Check the system tray for any Edge icons and close them.
Open the appropriate tool:
- For Windows Pro/Enterprise/Education: Press Win + R, type gpedit.msc, and press Enter.
- For Windows Home: Press Win + R, type regedit.exe, and press Enter.
Navigate to the Edge policy location:
- In Group Policy Editor: Go to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Microsoft Edge > Password manager and protection.
- In Registry Editor: Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge. If the Edge key does not exist, right-click on Microsoft, select New > Key, and name it Edge.
Enable the policy that disables password export:
- In Group Policy: Double-click Enable saving passwords to the password manager. Set it to Enabled, then click OK. Then double-click Allow users to export passwords and set it to Disabled. Click OK.
- In Registry: Right-click on the Edge key, select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value. Name it PasswordManagerEnabled and set its value to 1. Then create another DWORD named PasswordManagerAllowExport and set its value to 0.
Restart Microsoft Edge. Close all Edge windows and reopen it. The export option should now be grayed out or missing from the password settings page.
Verify the change: Go to Edge settings (three dots > Settings > Profiles > Passwords). Look for the export option. If it’s disabled or not present, the policy is working.

Common Mistakes

Setting the policy on the wrong path: Ensure you’re using the correct registry path. A common error is putting the key under HKEY_CURRENT_USER instead of HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE. The machine-wide setting affects all users.
Not disabling the export policy specifically: Simply enabling password saving doesn’t block export. You must explicitly set PasswordManagerAllowExport to 0.
Forgetting to restart Edge: Policy changes often require a full browser restart. Simply closing the window may not apply the change.
Using the wrong policy name: In Group Policy, the display name is “Allow users to export passwords” – make sure you disable that, not the “Enable saving passwords” policy.

Tips

If you are managing multiple computers, consider using Microsoft’s Edge policy templates with your organization’s management tools (like Intune or Group Policy Management) to push the setting centrally.
This policy only affects the export feature. Users can still view passwords if they have the Windows account credentials. For stronger protection, consider using Windows Hello or a separate password manager.
Test the policy on a single machine first before rolling it out to ensure it works as expected.
If you need to re-enable export later, simply set the DWORD value back to 1 or set the Group Policy to “Not Configured”.

Troubleshooting

The export option is still available after applying the policy. Check if Edge is being managed by an organization. If you see a message like “Your browser is managed by your organization,” then an external policy is overriding your local setting. In that case, contact your IT administrator. Also, ensure you are editing the correct registry hive (HKLM vs HKCU). If you used HKCU, the policy only applies to that user.

Edge does not show the policy at all. If you are using Group Policy, the Edge administrative templates may not be loaded. You can download the latest Edge policy templates from Microsoft’s website and add them to your central store. Alternatively, use the registry method, which does not require templates.

After setting the policy, Edge crashes or fails to start. This is rare, but if it happens, double-check the registry values. Ensure you created DWORD values, not QWORD, and that the data is exactly 0 or 1. If the issue persists, delete the PasswordManagerAllowExport value and restart Edge.

Users can still export passwords via the command line or by copying the login data file. This policy only disables the user interface export button. A technically savvy user could manually copy the encrypted database file. To fully prevent that, you would need to use Windows file permissions or a third-party security solution.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will this prevent users from viewing their saved passwords?

No. This policy only disables the export functionality. Users can still go to Settings > Passwords and click the eye icon to reveal a password after authenticating with Windows.

Does this affect the ability to import passwords?

No. Importing passwords (e.g., from another browser) is controlled by a separate policy. This setting only stops exporting.

Can I apply this policy to a single user instead of all users?

Yes. In the registry, you can create the same key under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Edge instead of HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE. In Group Policy, you can use the “User Configuration” path instead of “Computer Configuration”.

Will this policy work on Edge for Mac or Linux?

This guide is for Windows. On Mac, you would use a configuration profile; on Linux, you would use a JSON policy file. The policy name is the same, but the implementation differs.

Does this stop users from copying passwords manually?

No. Users can still manually copy a password by revealing it and copying the text. This policy only removes the bulk export feature (CSV file).

What if I want to completely disable password saving in Edge?

Set PasswordManagerEnabled to 0. That will turn off the password manager entirely, so no new passwords are saved, and the export option disappears as well. However, existing saved passwords may still be accessible.

General steps for current mainstream versions; menus can differ by device and version. See the disclaimer or report an error.

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