How to Turn Off Google Password Manager (And Why You Might Want To)

The Google Password Manager can easily be turned off through your browser settings and by making sure you don't save passwords to it. If you’ve had pop-up notifications about saving a password while using Google Chrome, you’ve come into contact with Google Password Manager, which is sometimes called Chrome Password Manager. This is a free service built into the Chrome web browser and Android devices. 

It’s a convenient way to save logins and passwords, but you should disable it and get a third-party password manager instead. One main security concern for Google Password Manager is that, if someone hacked into your Google account, they'd also get access to all your saved passwords. 

If that sounds concerning, you're not alone. Let's explore how to turn off Google Password Manager and delete any saved passwords.

How to turn off Google Password Manager in Chrome

Follow these steps to turn off Google Password Manager in your Chrome web browser:

1. Open Google Chrome

2. Click on your profile button in the top right corner of the Chrome toolbar and select the password icon

3. Find where it says “Offer to save passwords” and switch the toggle off

How to turn off Google Password Manager on an Android device

Follow these steps to turn off Google Password Manager on an Android device:

1. Open Google Chrome

2. Select the three dots and choose “Settings”

3. Select “Passwords”

4. Toggle the option off for “Save passwords”

How to delete saved passwords in Google Password Manager

Follow these steps to delete saved passwords in Google Password Manager using the Chrome web browser:

1. Open Google Chrome

2. Click on your profile button and select the password icon

3. Find the section labeled “Saved Passwords”

4. Select the vertical ellipsis (three dots) next to the password you want to delete

5. Choose the “Remove” option

How safe is Google Password Manager?

Google is a leader in technology and strives to provide its users with privacy and security. This mission involves all of its products, including Google Password Manager. Google uses advanced encryption methods to help keep its products secure.

Because of these measures, there’s no doubt that Google designs its products to provide top levels of security for its users. But Google Password Manager is a built-in product and not a standalone service.

This means if someone accesses your Google account login details, they’ll have access to all your saved passwords.

Most web browser password managers work the same way, so you'll find similar issues with Microsoft Edge, Safari, and Firefox.

This is a bit different from third-party password managers such as LastPass and 1Password, which use master passwords to access your saved information. Nobody would typically know the master password except you.

It’s best to avoid built-in password managers such as Google Password Manager on shared devices. These types of programs often offer the functionality to autofill passwords that you’ve saved, which could give someone easy access to your information. If you want to stay safe online, always log out of shared devices when you’re done using them.

Overall, it’s not a bad idea to use Google Password Manager to save your passwords. It’s generally safe, especially if you use multi-factor authentication and don’t share your information with anyone. But it could be a good idea to see what else is out there and whether other options might make more sense.

Alternative password managers

• NordPass: NordPass is owned by the same company as the popular NordVPN. NordPass offers multi-factor authentication, which makes your passwords more secure. It also offers password sharing, which makes it easier to have shared accounts with others.

  Get NordPass | Read our NordPass review

• Bitdefender: Bitdefender offers a range of features beyond password management, but it can also keep your passwords safe and send you alerts about things like password leaks.

  Get Bitdefender | Read our Bitdefender review

Other popular options include LastPass, 1Password, and Dashlane.

Featured password managers compared

FAQs

Bottom line

Google is a trusted company that puts a lot of effort into its products and services, including Google Password Manager. This means Google Password Manager has security protocols in place to help protect your information. But its integrated nature means that your passwords aren't safe if someone hacks your Google account. With this in mind, it's better to use a third-party password manager instead. 

Keep in mind that if you use an iOS device, including an iPhone, iPad, or Mac, you would need to follow a similar set of steps as outlined above to turn off the built-in Safari password manager.

As a free service, Google Password Manager can be useful. But if you want more features and potentially less risk, consider another password manager that works with Chrome and isn’t connected to your Google account.