DuckDuckGo Password Manager: how to see, import and sync your passwords

DuckDuckGo Password Manager is the free password manager built into the DuckDuckGo browser on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android. It saves, generates and autofills logins without an account, encrypts them on your device, and lists them under Passwords & Autofill. To get the same passwords on a different device, import them on a computer and turn on Sync & Backup, which syncs them end to end encrypted.

This guide covers where to find your saved passwords list, how to import passwords from another browser or password manager, how to sync them to a second device, and what to do with the Recovery Code if you lose a device.

What is DuckDuckGo Password Manager?

DuckDuckGo Password Manager is the browser's built-in autofill system for logins, and it works without a DuckDuckGo account. It saves passwords when you sign in, suggests strong random passwords when you sign up, and fills them in on matching sites. Autofill also covers credit cards and identities such as names and addresses.

DuckDuckGo describes the security model in its help pages:

• Passwords are encrypted with 256-bit AES and stored on your device, not in the cloud, unless you turn on Sync & Backup.
• Saved passwords can only be viewed or used after you authenticate with the device's biometrics (Face ID, Touch ID) or passcode.
• An autofill prompt appears only when the site's domain matches a saved login, which helps against lookalike phishing domains.
• Passwords are never pre-filled without a prompt first.

That makes it closer to the account-free approach of Brave's Sync Chain than to Chrome, Edge or Firefox, which tie sync to a signed-in account.

How to see your DuckDuckGo passwords list

The DuckDuckGo passwords list lives under Passwords & Autofill in the browser's settings. DuckDuckGo's Passwords & Autofill help page points to the three-line menu on desktop.

1. Open the DuckDuckGo browser.
2. On Windows or Mac, open the three-line menu and select Passwords & Autofill. On iPhone or Android, open Settings and select Passwords & Autofill.
3. Unlock the list with your device's biometrics or passcode.
4. Select an entry to see the username, password and website, or to edit it.

The list shows only what is stored on that device. If a login you saved on your phone is missing on your laptop, the two devices are not synced yet; set up Sync & Backup as described below so both devices share one list.

How to import passwords into DuckDuckGo

DuckDuckGo imports passwords directly on Windows, Mac and Android, while iPhone and iPad get imported passwords through sync. The steps come from DuckDuckGo's Importing Passwords help page.

On Windows or Mac:

1. Open Settings and select Passwords & Autofill.
2. Select Import Passwords... and follow the prompts.
3. If your browser or password manager is not offered, export its passwords as a .CSV file with that product's own export option. DuckDuckGo recommends the CSV route for third-party password managers and browsers the importer does not list.

On Android:

1. Open Settings and select Passwords & Autofill.
2. Select Import Passwords From Google... and follow the prompts. If you already have saved passwords in DuckDuckGo, the import option sits behind the "..." menu in the top right corner.

On iPhone and iPad there is no direct import yet. Import on a Windows or Mac computer, then sync the iOS device with that computer. This is the answer to importing passwords on a different device: import once on the computer, and sync carries the passwords everywhere else.

A CSV export holds your passwords in plain text. Delete the file (and empty the trash) as soon as the import finishes.

How to sync DuckDuckGo passwords across devices

DuckDuckGo Sync & Backup syncs passwords, bookmarks and other autofill data between devices without an account or sign-in. Data is encrypted on the device before upload, and DuckDuckGo states it has no access to the key. Per the setup instructions:

1. Install the DuckDuckGo browser on both devices and update it to the latest version.
2. On each device, open Settings and select Sync & Backup.
3. Select Sync With Another Device.
4. Scan the QR code shown on the computer with the phone or tablet.
5. Without a camera (for example between two computers), select View Code on desktop or Share Text Code on mobile, send the code to the other device, and paste it under Enter Code (desktop) or Manually Enter Code (mobile).

Changes then sync automatically. Sync is all or nothing: you cannot pick individual data types. Two opt-in switches under Sync & Backup change the defaults: Unify Favorites Across Devices (off by default, so mobile and desktop favorites stay separate) and Auto-Download Icons, which is off because fetching favicons exposes your bookmarked sites to the network you are on. DuckDuckGo suggests leaving it off on work or school networks.

Recovery Code: restoring passwords after losing a device

The Recovery Code is the only way to recover synced DuckDuckGo passwords if you lose access to every synced device. It contains the decryption key, so treat it like a master password. DuckDuckGo's recovery help page lists the options:

• Save the code in another password manager, or download the recovery PDF, which holds a QR code and the full code text.
• To restore, open Settings, select Sync & Backup, choose Recover Synced Data, and scan or type the code.
• If one synced device still works, add the new device from it instead.
• Restore on App Reinstall brings data back on the same device after reinstalling the app, without the code.

Without a Recovery Code and without another synced device, the data cannot be recovered, and DuckDuckGo cannot help.

Using Bitwarden, 1Password or LastPass instead

DuckDuckGo for Windows supports third-party password manager extensions, which replace the built-in manager while active. According to the extensions help page, Bitwarden is available to all Windows users, and 1Password and LastPass are available in the Windows preview.

1. Open Settings and select Password Manager Extensions.
2. Click Get next to the password manager, then Add to DuckDuckGo on its store page.
3. Sign in with your account at that provider.

Only one password manager can be active at a time, and built-in autofill turns off while an extension runs. To switch back, disable the extension and re-enable the built-in manager under Passwords & Autofill; passwords saved in the other manager have to be imported. Mac users got a native Bitwarden autofill integration back in 2022, covered in our DuckDuckGo for Mac Bitwarden report.

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Related: DuckDuckGo browser search or AI homepage choice, recovering lost Firefox passwords, Bitwarden Authenticator token import