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Clearing passwords in browsers

Most recent versions of web browsers prompt you to save usernames and passwords for various sites on the Internet. This feature can be useful, but can also put your money and personal information at risk if you are not careful.

Information Services and Technology recommends that you do not save passwords with your browser for sites which have:

• private information about you or someone else (e.g., medical records)
• private financial information (e.g., credit card numbers)
• private correspondence (e.g., e-mail)

If you do save passwords for these types of sites, you put yourself at risk.

Below are instructions to disable the password saving feature, or to force the browser to clear all currently saved passwords, on commonly used browsers.

Click on the link below for your browser:

Internet Explorer for Windows
Netscape/Mozilla for Windows
Internet Explorer for Macintosh
Netscape/Mozilla for Macintosh

Internet Explorer for Windows

To disable password saving in Internet Explorer on Windows:

1. Launch Internet Explorer.
   
   
2. Select Tools>Internet Options>Content.
   
   
3. Under Personal information, click on AutoComplete.
   
   
   
   
4. To stop password saving, uncheck "User names and passwords on forms".
   
   
   
   
5. To clear all existing saved usernames and passwords, click on Clear Passwords, then click OK in the warning dialog box.
   
   

Note: You may have web sites for which you wish to save the username and password, but you do not want Internet Explorer to prompt you on any future sites. In this case, in the AutoComplete Settings box, leave "User names and passwords on forms" checked, but uncheck "Prompt me to save passwords".

Netscape/Mozilla for Windows

To disable password saving in Netscape on Windows:

1. Launch Netscape.
   
   
2. Select Edit>Preferences.
   
   
3. Under Category, expand Privacy & Security, then select Web Passwords.
   
   
   
   
4. To stop Netscape from saving passwords, uncheck "Remember passwords for sites that require me to log in."
   
   
5. To delete a saved site, username, and password, click View Stored Passwords.
   
   
   
   
6. Under the Passwords Saved tab, select the site and username you want to remove and click Remove. Click Remove All to delete all saved passwords.
   Note: The Passwords Saved list does not show the passwords themselves, just the web site name and the username.

Netscape has the option to never save passwords for specified sites, which are listed in the Password Manager under the tab Passwords Never Saved. To add sites to this list:

1. Enable "Remember passwords ..." in step 3, above.
   
   
2. Go to the site in question.
   
   
3. When prompted to remember the password, click Never for this site.
   Result: The site is listed in the Password Manager, under the tab Passwords Never Saved.
   
   

To remove sites from the Passwords Never Saved list, select the site and click Remove.

To delete a site password in IE on the Macintosh:

1. Launch Internet Explorer.
   
   
2. When you go to a site requiring login, you may see an IE dialog box prompting you to enter a username and password, with the option to "Remember Password". To not save a username and password in IE, do check "Remember Password". (If the IE login dialog box does not appear, the password will not be saved in IE, but may be saved on the web site itself.)
   
   
3. To change or delete a a site password, select Explorer>Preferences.
   
   
4. In the panel at the left of the Preferences window, expand Network and select Site Passwords.
   
   
5. Select the site and username you want to remove and click Delete.

Note: IE on the Macintosh does not have a preference setting to not save passwords.

To disable password saving in Netscape on Macintosh: 

1. Launch Netscape.
   
   
2. Select Edit>Preferences.
   
   
3. Under Category, expand Privacy & Security, then select Web Passwords.
   
   
   
   
4. To stop Netscape from saving passwords, uncheck "Remember passwords for sites that require me to log in".
   
   
5. To delete a saved site, username, and password, click on View Stored Passwords.
   
   
   
   
6. Under the Passwords Saved tab, select the site and username you want to remove and click Remove. Click Remove All to delete all saved passwords.
   Note: The Passwords Saved list does not show the passwords themselves, just the web site name and the username.

Netscape has the option to never save passwords for specified sites, which are listed in the Password Manager under the tab Passwords Never Saved. To add sites to this list:

1. Enable "Remember passwords" in step 3, above.
   
   
2. Go to the site in question.
   
   
3. When prompted to remember the password, click Never for this site.
   
   

To remove sites from the Passwords Never Saved list, select the site and click Remove.