Is Google Password Manager encrypted?
Only if you turn on on-device encryption. By default, Google holds the key to your saved passwords. Once you set it up, only you can unlock them.
Checked on 25 October 2026 against 5 sources.
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- Your passwordsOnly you, once you turn it onGoogle holds the key by default; on-device encryption hands it to you, and Google says it will set this up for everyone over time.1Turn it on
- Shared passwordsGoogle can read itA shared password lands as a copy in your family member's Google Account, where Google holds the key unless they use on-device encryption.1, 2
- Post-quantumNot yetNo post-quantum protection for saved passwords announced as of 25 October 2026.1
- PasskeysOnly youGoogle says passkeys are always end-to-end encrypted, unlocked with your screen lock or your Google Password Manager PIN.3, 5
- Who holds the keys
- Google holds the key by default, stored in your Google Account; with on-device encryption, only you do.
- What Google can still see
- By default, your saved passwords and the sites they're for, though Google says its leak checks never reveal your usernames or passwords to it.
Turn on on-device encryption, once
- Go to passwords.google.com and sign in.
- Click Settings.
- Under On-Device Encryption, click Set up, then follow the steps.
Takes a minute, and it can't be turned off later. You'll unlock your passwords on new devices with your Google password or a phone's screen lock, so keep your recovery phone number and email up to date.
Email is worth checking next: Gmail, Outlook and iCloud Mail can all read your mailbox. See which email services can.
Can Google see my saved passwords?
By default, yes. Google's help page says the key to your passwords is stored in your Google Account, and Google uses it to unlock them when you view them and to check them for leaks1. Google describes this as you trusting it to hold the key1. Its leak checks are different: Google says they're built so it never learns your usernames or passwords4.
On-device encryption changes who holds the key. Google says that once it's set up, no one besides you can access your passwords1.
How does on-device encryption work in Google Password Manager?
You lock your passwords and passkeys with a key you keep, and unlock them with your Google password or the screen lock of an eligible phone or tablet1. Google says it will set this up for everyone over time, but for now you may need to turn it on yourself1.
It can't be undone. If you lose your Google password and every device you could unlock with, you lose your saved passwords1.
Are passwords shared with family encrypted?
You can share a password only with someone in your Google family group, and they get their own copy, saved in their Google Account2.
That copy follows their settings. Unless they've turned on on-device encryption, Google holds the key to it, as it does for any saved password1.
Are Google Password Manager passkeys end-to-end encrypted?
Yes. Google says passkeys in Google Password Manager are always end-to-end encrypted, with a key that's only on your own devices5. The Google Password Manager PIN, made when you create your first passkey on a computer, iPhone or iPad, makes sure no one, not even Google, can access your encrypted data3. On Android, your phone's screen lock does that job instead5.
How Google Password Manager compares
Sorted by how many parts are sealed by default, then by how many can be. Ties go A to Z.
Sources
- Get started with on-device encryption, Google. Read on 25 Oct 2026.
- Manage passwords in Chrome, Google. Read on 25 Oct 2026.
- Manage your Google Password Manager PIN, Google. Read on 25 Oct 2026.
- How Chrome protects your passwords, Google. Read on 25 Oct 2026.
- Security of Passkeys in the Google Password Manager, Google. Read on 25 Oct 2026.
Changes to this answer
- First published.