Every modern browser offers to save your passwords. It is convenient and it is free, so a fair question is: why use anything else? Here is an even-handed answer.
What browser password managers do well
- They are already there. No install, no new habits.
- They fill smoothly inside their own browser, and they now support passkeys and basic password checks.
- They are free. For a handful of low-risk accounts that is often enough.
Where they fall short
- One vendor, one browser. Your passwords live with the browser maker. Switching browsers or vendors is awkward.
- Little beyond passwords. There is usually no proper place for secure notes, cards, identities or software licences, and limited ways to share a login safely.
- Few safety extras. Dedicated managers add things like a Security score, emergency access for someone you trust, self-destructing links for sharing, and 2FA codes kept next to the login.
- Less control. A dedicated zero-knowledge manager lets you choose a separate master password and keeps your vault independent of any one company's account.
- Teams. If you share logins at work, a shared vault with roles and a log beats a shared spreadsheet or browser profile every time.
When the browser is enough, and when it is not
If you only have a few accounts, use one browser everywhere and share nothing, the built-in manager can be fine. If you use more than one browser or device type, share logins, keep sensitive notes, want 2FA codes in one place, or look after a business, a dedicated manager is worth it.
Moving from the browser to NettForge
- Export your passwords from the browser as a CSV (Settings, Passwords, Export).
- Import the CSV in NettForge (menu, Import and Export, Bring your passwords over, Chrome / Edge).
- Delete the CSV file, because it is readable by anyone.
- Turn off the browser's offer to save passwords, so you do not end up with two copies.
- Install the NettForge extension and let it fill your logins.
The same steps work from any other manager: see how to switch password managers. If you want to know how a dedicated manager keeps your data private, read what zero-knowledge means, or just start free.
Questions people ask
It is reasonable for low-risk accounts and it is convenient. Its limits are that it is tied to one browser vendor and your account with them, and it offers fewer tools for sharing, built-in 2FA codes, secure notes and emergency access than a dedicated manager.
You can, but it causes confusion: two places save the same login. It is cleaner to import your browser passwords into NettForge and then turn off the browser's offer to save passwords.
In Chrome, open Settings, then Autofill and passwords, then Google Password Manager, then Settings, and switch off "Offer to save passwords and passkeys". In Edge, open Settings, Profiles, Passwords, and switch off "Offer to save passwords". Menus change between versions, so look for the same wording.