Where your passwords are actually stored

When you save a password in your browser or phone, it goes into a password manager built into that device. Chrome stores them in your Google account. Safari stores them in your iCloud account. Firefox keeps them locally on your computer. Windows stores them in Credential Manager. Each one is separate — deleting passwords from Chrome does not touch the ones saved in Firefox or on your phone.

This matters because you might have saved the same password in multiple places without realizing it. If you want to remove a password completely, you need to delete it from each device and browser where you saved it.

Key Takeaways

  • Passwords saved in your browser are stored in that browser's password manager, and deleting them from one browser does not remove them from others.
  • On Windows, Chrome, Safari, and Firefox, you can delete saved passwords through Settings without needing to know the password itself.
  • If you change your password with a website, your browser will still offer to autofill the old one until you manually delete it.
  • Deleting a saved password does not log you out of that account — you will just have to type your new password the next time you sign in.

Deleting passwords in Chrome

Open Chrome and go to Settings (the three vertical dots in the top right, then Settings). Click Autofill and passwords on the left side, then Passwords. You will see a list of every website where you saved a password.

Find the site you want to remove. Click the three dots next to it and select Delete. The password is gone when ready. If you want to delete all saved passwords at once, go back to Settings, click Privacy and security on the left, then Clear browsing data. Make sure "Passwords and other sign-in data" is checked, set the time range to All time, and click Clear data.

Deleting passwords in Safari

On Mac, open Safari and go to Safari menu (top left) > Settings > Passwords. You will be asked to authenticate with your fingerprint or password. Find the site you want to remove, click it, and click Remove or the minus button. On iPhone or iPad, go to Settings > Passwords (or Passwords and Passkeys on newer versions) > authenticate > find the site > swipe left and tap Delete.

Safari syncs passwords across your Apple devices through iCloud, so deleting a password on your Mac will remove it from your iPhone and iPad too. This happens automatically within a few minutes.

Deleting passwords in Firefox

Open Firefox and go to the menu (three horizontal lines in the top right) > Settings > Privacy & Security. Scroll down to Logins and Passwords and click Saved Logins. You will see every password you saved. Find the one you want to remove, click it, and click Remove. To delete all saved passwords, click Remove All instead.

Firefox does not sync passwords by default. If you have set up Firefox Sync, your passwords are encrypted on Mozilla's servers, but deleting them locally will not automatically remove them from other devices where you are signed into Firefox. You will need to delete them on each device separately.

Deleting passwords on Windows

Windows stores passwords in Credential Manager, which is separate from your browser. Open Control Panel (search for it in the Start menu) > User Accounts > Credential Manager > Web Credentials. You will see passwords you have saved for websites. Click the one you want to remove, click Remove, and confirm.

Credential Manager is used by Edge and some other programs. Deleting a password here does not remove it from Chrome or Firefox, which have their own separate storage. If you use Edge, you can also delete passwords directly in Edge Settings > Passwords the same way you would in Chrome.

What happens after you delete a saved password

Once you delete a saved password, your browser will stop offering to autofill it when you visit that website. The next time you sign in, you will need to type your password manually. You will not be logged out of your account — the deletion only affects what your browser remembers, not your actual account.

If you changed your password with the website but your browser is still offering to autofill the old one, that means the old password is still saved. Delete it, and your browser will stop suggesting it. Some browsers will ask if you want to update the saved password when you sign in with a new one — if you say yes, it will replace the old one automatically.

Deleting passwords from your phone

On Android, open Chrome > Settings > Passwords. Find the password you want to remove, tap it, and tap Delete. On iPhone, go to Settings > Passwords (or Passwords and Passkeys) > authenticate > find the site > swipe left and tap Delete. If you use a password manager app like Bitwarden or 1Password instead of your browser's built-in manager, open that app and delete the password from there.

Phone passwords are not automatically synced to your computer. If you saved a password on both your phone and your laptop, you need to delete it from both places. The exception is Safari and iCloud, which sync across all Apple devices.

Frequently Asked Questions

If I delete a saved password, will I be logged out of that website?

No. Deleting a saved password only removes what your browser remembers. Your actual account session stays active. The next time you close and reopen your browser or visit the site on a different device, you will need to sign in again with your password.

Can I recover a password after I delete it from my browser?

No, not from your browser. Once deleted, it is gone. If you need to sign back in, you will have to use the website's "Forgot Password" option to reset it, or retrieve it from a password manager if you saved it there separately.

Why is my browser still suggesting an old password after I changed it?

Your browser saved the old password before you changed it. Delete the old saved password manually, and your browser will stop suggesting it. When you sign in with your new password, your browser will ask if you want to save the new one.

Do I need to delete passwords from my browser if I am selling my computer?

Yes. Before you sell or give away a device, delete all saved passwords. You can do this by clearing all browsing data and selecting "Passwords and other sign-in data" in your browser settings, or by using the factory reset option in your device settings.

If I delete a password from Chrome on my phone, will it delete from Chrome on my laptop?

Yes, if you are signed into the same Google account on both devices. Chrome syncs passwords across devices automatically. If you are signed into different Google accounts, deleting on one device will not affect the other.