Using a strong password and managing it has become the most indispensable task for every Internet user. While Google Chrome helps people to some extent, the built-in password manager isn’t happy, due to limited functionality.
On the other hand, the number of free, non-spammy password managers dropped significantly after the LastPass seven-tracker controversy. If you want to ditch your current password manager right now and import passwords into Chrome or leave this browser, you can export your saved passwords and take them with you as follows.
Google Chrome offers a few options for importing and exporting passwords. However, exporting is easier than importing, as an experimental flag must be turned on first. The entire process is the same for Windows and Mac. While we’ve shown screenshots of a Windows 10 computer, you can follow the guide no matter what platform you’re using.
Table of Contents
To turn on the Chrome flag to import passwords into Chrome
1: Open the Google Chrome browser and type chrome://flags in the address bar.
2: Look for the experimental feature to import passwords. Alternatively, you can enter the following URL in the address bar.
By default, it shouldn’t be set as the default. You need to expand the corresponding drop-down list and select Enabled.
3: Restart or relaunch your Chrome browser.
Once these steps are complete, you can import passwords from a CSV file exported from another computer or from a password manager.
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To import passwords from a CSV file into Chrome
If you already have a .csv file with all your usernames and passwords, you can import it into Chrome.
1: Open the Google Chrome browser and click on the three dots icon in the upper right corner. From the list, select Settings and go to the AutoFill tab.
2: There is an option here called Password. Click on it.
3: Click on the three dots icon associated with the saved Passwords and select the Import option.
4: Next, you need to select the .csv file that is already on your computer. After clicking the “Open” button, it will take a moment for all the files to be imported into the browser.
In the end, it will be possible to view them under the heading Saved passwords.
How to import passwords from other browsers into Chrome
Sometimes you might want to quit Firefox, Safari, or Edge and use Google Chrome as your main browser. If you previously saved some passwords and want to transfer them to Google Chrome, here’s how to do it.
Firefox/Safari users:
1: Click the Customize and control Google Chrome button or the three-pointed icon that opens the menu in Google Chrome.
2: Select Bookmarks > Import Bookmarks and Settings option.
3: Display a popup with all browsers to move your passwords from.
Note: Do not select Microsoft Edge as it will not work for this browser. You can choose Firefox, Safari, or another browser.
4: Check only the Saved Passwords box and click the Import button.
Microsoft Edge users:
If you are using the Microsoft Edge browser, you need to use the CSV file import method. For this, you need the .csv file of the Edge browser. How to get them.
1: Enter the following URL in the address bar of your Edge browser
2: Click on the three-pointed icon next to the Saved Passwords label and select the Export Passwords option.
3: Click the Export Password button again and enter your account password to confirm it. You can then save your password or the .csv file anywhere you like.
4: You can now use the .csv import method to import passwords from Microsoft Edge to Chrome.
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How to import passwords from Password Manager into Chrome
To import passwords from a dedicated password manager into Chrome, you must first export the .csv file. Different password managers require different steps to export saved passwords. However, we have listed the steps for LastPass and Dashlane.
LastPass users:
1: Open the LastPass official website and log in to your account.
2: Click Advanced Options on the sidebar and select the Export option.
3: You have to verify your registration. Therefore, enter your LastPass account password and click the Submit button.
4: You need to verify your login. Therefore, enter your LastPass account password and click the Submit button.
5: Open Notepad on your PC and paste the copied data.
6: Click the File menu and select the Save As option. Alternatively, you can also press the key combination Ctrl+Shift+S.
7: Choose a save location for the file, enter a name with a .csv extension (e.g. lastpasswords.csv), select All files from the Save as a drop-down list, and click the Save button.
8: Follow the CSV import method to import your LastPass passwords to Chrome.
Dashlane Users:
To export Dashlane passwords in CSV format, you must have the desktop application installed on your computer. You can download Dashlane directly if you don’t already have it.
1: Open the Dashlane application and click on the File menu.
2: Expand the Export option and select Unprotected archive (readable) in CSV format.
3: Select a location to save the file and click the Save button.
4: Follow the same CSV password import method to import all Dashlane passwords into Chrome.
To export saved passwords from Chrome
1: Open the Google Chrome settings window. To do this, expand the Chrome menu and select Settings from the list.
2: Then locate the Password option or click on the autofill menu on the left.
3: It will show all saved passwords in one place. Click the three dots icon for saved passwords and select the Export Password option.
4: Next, Chrome will display a pop-up warning that passwords will be visible to everyone if someone opens the exported file. You need to click on the Export Password button.
5: Enter your Windows 10 PIN or password to start downloading the CSV file.
Later, you can use this .csv file to import passwords into other browsers or a special password manager.
Advantages and disadvantages of Chrome Password Manager
Nothing is perfect, and Chrome Password Manager is one of them. Using the Chrome Password Manager versus a dedicated password manager has some advantages and disadvantages.
Advantages:
- Does not require third-party extensions
- Autofill passwords
- Automatic detection of invalid passwords
- Your user account password is required to view or change passwords
- Free
Disadvantages:
- It only works with Google Chrome
- No option to share passwords
- No two-factor authentication
Summary: Exporting and importing passwords in Chrome Browser.
These are the different methods you can use to export and import passwords in Google Chrome on Windows and Mac. Whether you want to import from CSV, a browser, or a password manager, you can do it with these tutorials.
However, it is important to keep the .csv file safe, as it contains all passwords in plain text. Again, the credentials are not encrypted as they should be.
