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

As a cybersecurity expert with over a decade of experience in cloud data security, I often get asked about built-in browser password managers like Google Chrome‘s Google Password Manager. It certainly offers some convenience by saving your website logins and passwords as you browse. However, depending on your security needs and habits, you may want more control over your password storage.

In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll explain how Google Password Manager works, its risks and limitations, when you may want to disable it, and how to delete any saved passwords. I‘ll also offer my insight on password manager alternatives to consider. My goal is to provide an expert-level analysis to help you make informed decisions about your password security.

How Google Password Manager Works

Google Password Manager is the built-in password management system for both the Chrome browser and Android devices. Anytime you sign into an account on a website using Chrome for desktop or mobile, it will prompt you to save that login.

Saved passwords sync across any device you‘re logged into with your Google account, allowing instant autofill access on all signed-in browsers and apps.

Password Manager integrates directly with your Google account profile. This means all of your saved website credentials are visible and accessible at passwords.google.com when signed in to your Google account.

The key functions and features Google Password Manager provides:

• Password saving – One-click saving of new logins and passwords from websites.

• Autofill – Automatic form filling of your saved credentials when returning to sites.

• Password generation – Creates unique, strong passwords for each site that can be autofilled.

• Syncing – Saved passwords instantly sync across mobile, desktop, Android, iOS when signed into your Google account.

• Accessibility – View, search, and manage all saved passwords from passwords.google.com.

As you can see, Google Password Manager aims to provide a seamless password experience across your devices. But how does it stack up on security?

Security of Google Password Manager

Given Google‘s reputation, one would expect Password Manager to use robust security protections – and in many ways, it does:

• Encrypted storage – Passwords saved in Chrome are AES 256-bit encrypted. Device syncing uses TLS 1.2 encryption.

• Leaked password alerts – If one of your saved passwords appears compromised in a third-party data breach, Google will alert you and prompt you to change it.

• Self-destructing copies – Local cached copies of your passwords expire after 15 minutes of Chrome being closed.

• Biometric authentication – On mobile devices, biometric authentication like fingerprint or face unlock provides an extra layer of access security.

So at a technical level, Google employs industry standard encryption and practices to protect your data. However, I would point out two important security considerations:

Account compromise risks

Your Google account login essentially serves as the master key to view and access all your saved passwords. There is no secondary password or authentication needed beyond being signed into your Google account.

This differs from standalone password managers like 1Password or LastPass that use a separate master password as the encryption key. With Google Password Manager, anyone who can access or hack your account profile would potentially get access to your entire password vault.

While Google accounts offer 2-step verification for added security, compromise risks still exist if you become victim to phishing or credential stuffing attacks. A cybercriminal with your Google login could access:

• All your saved website passwords across any synced devices
• Payment methods saved in Google Pay
• Your personal info and search history
• Gmail and Drive document contents

According to Google‘s own transparency reports, over 150 million Google accounts get compromised each year through phishing, malware, and unauthorized access.

So while Google accounts are targets, you can reduce risks by enabling maximum account security features like advanced protection and security keys. But some users understandably want isolation between their primary account login and password manager.

Auto-syncing risks

Your saved passwords instantly sync across desktop, mobile, tablet, etc when you‘re logged into your Google account on those devices. This is convenient, but introduces potential security issues:

• Synced passwords could be compromised on untrusted public or shared devices you log into.
• Saved passwords from your personal mobile device sync to a work laptop your employer controls.
• Passwords auto-sync to new devices you might not fully trust or secure yet.

Enterprise IT teams often recommend employees not use built-in browser password managers for these reasons. They want to limit access and syncing of business passwords only to managed company devices.

So while syncing provides a seamless unified experience, it can also inadvertently expose your credentials if you sign into untrusted environments.

Limitations Compared to Standalone Password Managers

Given the integrated nature of Google Password Manager, it lacks some of the more advanced features you‘ll find with independent password management apps:

No emergency access – Standalone managers allow setting an emergency contact to access your passwords if you are unavailable. There is no such option with Google Password Manager.

Limited password sharing – Sharing specific passwords with others is easier in standalone managers via shared folders. Google Password Manager has no sharing capability.

No secondary encryption key – As mentioned, your Google login acts as the encryption key. There is no option for a separate master decryption password.

No advanced MFA – While Google offers 2FA/MFA on accounts, standalone managers support more advanced methods like security keys and biometrics.

No document storage – You can only save website passwords, not general notes or sensitive documents.

No browsing integration – Browser extensions in managers like Dashlane allow live changed password alerts, auto logins, etc. Google Password Manager lacks contextual integration.

Feature	Google Password Manager	Standalone Managers
Emergency access	No	Yes
Password sharing	No	Yes
Secondary encryption key	No	Yes
Advanced MFA options	No	Yes
Secure document storage	No	Yes
Live browser integration	No	Yes

So in summary, while Google Password Manager offers basic password saving and autofill, standalone managers provide much more security and functionality around encryption, authentication, sharing, integrations, and document access.

When You May Want to Disable Google Password Manager

Given the security considerations and comparative limitations outlined above, there are reasonable cases where relying solely on Google Password Manager may not be ideal:

You want isolation between your Google account and passwords

For those concerned about account compromise risks, using a password manager completely separate from your Google identity offers more isolation and protection. Your master decryption key would be independent from your Google login credentials.

You regularly use untrusted or public devices

If you often login to shared computers or kiosks, auto syncing risks might make you uncomfortable relying on Google Password Manager in those scenarios.

You want emergency contacts to access your passwords if needed

With Google Password Manager, there is no option to provide emergency access to trusted contacts. If you became incapacitated, your passwords would be inaccessible.

You want to share access to certain passwords

For family, team, or business accounts with shared credentials, built-in sharing of selected passwords can be helpful. Google Password Manager does not enable shared access.

You want advanced authentication and encryption options

For managing extremely sensitive accounts, the advanced MFA, biometrics, encrypted storage, and security auditing capabilities of standalone password managers may be desired.

You need to store other documents beyond website logins

Google Password Manager only saves website-specific usernames and passwords. If you also need secure storage for general notes, documents, or cards, a standalone manager is required.

So in scenarios like these, relying solely on Google‘s built-in tool may not meet your specific password management needs or risk comfort level. Understanding your own requirements and use cases is essential.

Now let‘s go through the steps to actually disable Google Password Manager.

How to Turn Off Google Password Manager in Chrome

If you‘ve decided Google Password Manager isn‘t the right solution for your password security, turning it off in Chrome desktop browser only takes a few steps:

1. Click the profile icon 🧑‍💻 in the top right of the Chrome window.
2. Select the key icon 🔑 to open your list of saved passwords.
3. At the top, toggle the setting "Offer to save passwords" to the off position.

This prevents Chrome from asking you to save any new passwords moving forward.

However, it does not automatically delete any passwords already saved in Google Password Manager. We‘ll cover how to delete those next.

How to Turn Off Google Password Manager on Android

If using Chrome for Android, here is how to disable password saving:

1. Open the Chrome app then tap the three dot menu ⋮ button.
2. Select "Settings" then choose "Passwords".
3. Toggle the "Save passwords" option to the off position.

As with desktop Chrome, this stops any new passwords from being saved but does not delete existing ones.

Note: On iOS mobile devices like iPhones, you would follow similar steps within the Safari browser to turn off the native Apple password manager.

How to Delete Passwords Already Saved

Once Google Password Manager saving is disabled, any website credentials you previously stored will remain available and synced across your Google account devices. To fully move away from Google Password Manager, you also need to manually delete these saved passwords:

On desktop Chrome:

1. Click the key icon 🔑 to open your list of saved passwords.

2. Click the three dot menu ⋮ beside a password and choose "Remove" to delete it.

3. You can also select "Remove all" at the bottom to delete all passwords at once.

On Chrome for Android:

1. Go to Chrome Settings > Passwords

2. Tap the trash icon 🗑️ next to a password to remove it.

3. Tap "Remove all" at the bottom to delete all passwords.

This deletes the password completely from your Google account and synced devices. Be cautious of removing passwords you may still need!

My Password Management Recommendations

With built-in options like Google Password Manager disabled, you‘ll want to consider adopting a dedicated password manager app to securely store and sync your credentials.

Based on my decade of evaluating various solutions as a cybersecurity expert, here are my top standalone password manager recommendations in 2022:

1. 1Password

1Password is my top choice for consumers based on its thoughtful design, ease of use, extensive feature set, and excellent multi-platform support. Reasons I recommend 1Password:

• Intuitive password vault and form filling
• Secure document and card storage
• Built-in password generator & health check
• Advanced encryption and security architecture
• Flexible sharing options for family or teams
• Robust emergency access and recovery options
• Ongoing security updates and independent audits

1Password offers apps for all major desktop and mobile platforms. And the non-subscription "Standalone" licenses offer one-time purchase options.

Learn more about 1Password.

2. Bitwarden

For those prioritizing open source transparency or self-hosted options, Bitwarden is an excellent choice. As a fully open source password manager, Bitwarden offers robust security while allowing transparency and code auditing. Reasons to consider Bitwarden:

• Zero-knowledge 100% open source codebase
• Built-in TOTP authenticator support
• Self-hostable on-premises server options
• Password sharing and organization management
• Strong data encryption architecture
• Active open source community behind development

Personal basic accounts are also free, with paid plans for more extensive team management capabilities.

Learn more about Bitwarden.

3. LastPass

LastPass is arguably the most fully featured mainstream password manager, albeit with a steeper learning curve. But it‘s an excellent choice for managing large password databases securely. Key strengths of LastPass:

• Over 75 security settings and options
• Dark web monitoring for password breaches
• Robust reporting and auditing capabilities
• Advanced authentication integrations
• File attachment and document storage
• Extensive team and business plans

With top-tier encryption and security protections, LastPass offers deep capabilities for passion users and enterprises.

Learn more about LastPass.

Closing Recommendations

I hope this overview has helped provide an expert perspective on evaluating your password management needs and options beyond only Google Password Manager. Here are my closing recommendations:

• Take time to fully assess your specific password use cases and risks.

• Enable maximum Google account security settings if keeping Password Manager active, especially two-factor authentication.

• If disabling Password Manager, adopt alternate password management practices and tools. Never reuse the same passwords across accounts.

• Audit your online presence and accounts for use of strong, unique passwords, especially for financial or sensitive accounts.

• Consider implementing a dedicated password manager like 1Password or Bitwarden with advanced security protections.

• Frequently change account passwords and enable MFA everywhere possible according to best practices.

Proper password hygiene and management is vital for anyone engaging in online activities. Evaluate your own needs and implementPASSWORD a solution like Google Password Manager or standalone password manager that you fully understand and trust.

Feel free to contact me if you have any other password security questions!