The file is part of the migration
Microsoft documents desktop Edge password export to a CSV file and warns that the exported passwords are readable by anyone who can access it. That makes the export itself a security consideration, even when the destination is an approved password manager.
Our recommendation is to treat the temporary file as a separate migration deliverable with an owner and an end point. Do not ask a colleague to attach their password export to an ordinary support ticket. Agree the authorised destination and handling method before creating it. This is practical operational advice, not a claim that we have tested your browser configuration.
Write the handling plan before pressing Export
Have the migration owner confirm which business accounts are in scope. Ask the user to separate personal credentials from the work being requested; do not make collecting personal passwords a condition of a routine laptop replacement. If the account scope is unclear, pause and agree it.
Choose a restricted working location under your organisation’s approved process. Record who will carry out the import, who needs access to that location and when the temporary export should be removed. Keep passwords out of the migration notes: the notes should identify the task and its owner, not reproduce the credentials.
Practise with invented accounts
For a fictional example, a small agency is moving one team to its approved password manager. Its IT lead first rehearses the import using invented entries. The rehearsal checks the destination fields and the team’s access arrangements without copying real client logins into a test exercise.
For the real migration, ask the account owner to check a small agreed selection through the normal sign-in process. Do not call the job complete merely because the importer shows a successful message. Record failures for follow-up without adding the passwords to your ticket.
Close the temporary-file task
After the owner confirms the import, remove the temporary export using your approved handling procedure. Include any authorised working copies in that check. Do not promise that one deletion proves every copy is gone: ask the responsible administrator to check the locations actually used.
Your completion note should say who confirmed the imported accounts, which export locations were checked and whether any exception remains open. The useful outcome is an accountable handover, with no unexplained credential file left for the next person to discover.
Sources
Practical suggestions in this article are editorial recommendations. The source supports the guidance attributed to it.
- Microsoft Support · Export passwords in Edge ↗
Checked 23 September 2026
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