How to create a Bitwarden Vault entry that can be used for AutoFill
Jack Wallen shows you how to make it so that a Bitwarden Vault entry can be used for AutoFill via the web browser extension for a simplified workflow.
Bitwarden is one of the most powerful, flexible and user-friendly password managers on the market. This version of the tool packs more features than you’ll ever use, but these features don’t make Bitwarden a challenge for users of all skill levels.
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A feature I use regularly with Bitwarden is AutoFill. This allows you to go to a website that requires username and password credentials, click the Bitwarden web browser extension icon, enter your Master Password, and then click the entry that appears to have Bitwarden automatically fill in both the username and password .
That way, you don’t have to worry about entering your username or password. Of course, it’s more than just physical relief for your fingers. By not entering your password, you add another layer of security to your logins. This is a win-win situation.
What you need to create an AutoFill vault entry
The only things you need for this to work is a valid Bitwarden account, the web browser extension and credentials that need to be added for the new vault entry.
That’s it. let’s go to work
How to create an AutoFill entry
The big confusion for AutoFill entries comes over the mobile application. If you’re using Bitwarden on both mobile and desktop devices, you’ll find that one piece of information is messing things up: the Uniform Resource Identifier, an address used similarly to a URL.
For example, if you save an entry to your Bitwarden vault via the Android app, the URL will look something like this:
androidapp://com.bank.ecommerce.mobile
Guess what? This URI is for an Android app, not a website. That’s where the confusion comes in and why an entry created from a mobile device doesn’t work as an autofill in the web browser extension.
This is because the browser extension is looking for a standard URL for a website. So if you go to example.com in your web browser, but the entry in Bitwarden is for androidapp://com.example.mobilethe browser extension does not see a matching entry for AutoFill.
You might think editing the URI is the way to go. In this case, however, your mobile app will not recognize the entry.
Confused? Let me unravel that.
If you use Bitwarden on both mobile and desktop clients, the secret is to create a listing for both the mobile app and the website. For the mobile app, it’s best to let Bitwarden create the entry for you – otherwise you’ll have to figure out what the URI should be.
For the desktop entry, create the entry in Bitwarden and make sure to add the URL for the site as the URI. So, following our example, we used https://example.com as the URI and made sure to add both the username and password for the entry. Save this entry.
How to use the web browser extension for AutoFill
To use the AutoFill feature, point your browser to the website you wish to log into and then click on the Bitwarden extension icon in the browser toolbar. After successfully entering your Master Password, you should see the site prompt popup (Figure A).
Figure A
The AutoFill entry is available because the URI in the entry matches the site’s URL. When you click on this entry in the Bitwarden extension pop-up, Bitwarden will automatically fill in both the username and password for you.
And that, my security-conscious friends, is all there is to using the very handy AutoFill feature in Bitwarden. Once you’ve successfully incorporated this into your daily routine, you’ll understand one of the many reasons password managers have become a necessity in our modern age.
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