Microsoft Edge adds quick password updates, efficiency mode

Microsoft said Thursday that it’s putting its own spin on an established Chrome feature, easy password updates, and bringing it to the Microsoft Edge browser. Microsoft also said that it’s building an efficiency mode within Edge as well.

Easy update is Microsoft’s way of solving the problem of a compromised password that’s been stored in your browser. While password managers will let you know if your email and password has been slurped up in a password breach, browsers like Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, and some others now alert you if a password you’ve stored in their browser has been compromised.

How you deal with that compromised password, though, can be a pain: You have to navigate to the site in question, find the recovery mechanism, and then change the password. With Chrome, and now Edge, the browsers will provide a one-click button to take you to the page to recover or change your password, at least facilitating the process. It’s still up to you to change the password itself. When you do so, however, both Edge and Chrome can suggest a new, auto-generated and complex password that it can use instead. Of course, you’ll need to be using the browser in question to log in.

Within Edge, accessing the new “easy update” feature will mean navigating to the Settings/Passwords page within Microsoft Edge and clicking on “Change” right next to the credentials you’d like to update, according to Microsoft. Microsoft is piloting the feature, which means you may not see it quite yet.

On paper, Edge is a step behind Google’s Chrome. In May, Google promised that its version of the feature would provide a link to the password page and automatically change your password, too. But in my experience, none of the quick links Chrome provided (either on the desktop browser or via Android) went to the password page, which made the feature somewhat useless. Hopefully Edge can do better.

Microsoft also said that it’s introducing a new “efficiency mode” within Edge, too. “When your device’s battery is low, Microsoft Edge will set itself to efficiency mode and significantly reduce system resource usage such as CPU and RAM, extending battery life and helping you get more done while on the go,” Microsoft said in a blog post.