When I install BW the login item is selected and the login is auto-filled correctly. However, after that first success and a reboot of the PC the same login item is used and the details are not auto-filled.
I have tried disabling and re-enabling the BW extension but this has no effect.
How can I get the BW extension to work correctly?
I appreciate that there are probably a lot of settings I have omitted from above and would welcome help to track down which I have misconfigured.
Hi Alan,
People are reporting autofilling problems for different browsers (but maybe particularly FF) with 2024.8.0 & 2024.8.1. 2024.8.2 just dropped on Github, but it doesn’t look like it incorporates any fixes related to the issues.
If you can downgrade, you may want to use 2024.7.1 (with Auto-update turned off). Unfortunately, there maybe data corruption scenarios all the way to 2024.8.1, so you will want to make frequent backups. Otherwise, you can try these “work-arounds” that people tried, even if the problem keeps recurring, and wait for the fixes.
- Disable & enable extension.
- Uninstall, restart browser, reinstall.
- Uninstall, make sure that the extension directory is deleted, restart browser, reinstall.
Suggestion 1 tried, and failed.
Suggestion 2 tried, this cures the problem until the first reboot.
Suggestion 3 QUERY where is the extension directory?
Check more info on:
OTH, don’t logout, don’t reboot (if it’s safe) ! I personally put my computer to sleep, never log out, and only shutdown when absolutely necessary.
Thanks for the pointer. I have a second machine which is currently running 2024.5.0 and resynced the vault with the main machine which as I said is running 2024.8.1. The problem login still has the problem, no auto-fill, what else do I have to set to allow the second machine to use the settings from the current vault now synced on it?
I also have a downloaded version 2023.4.0 available on the second PC.
Incidentally both are running Win10.0.19045 build 19045 and I use Edge on both.
Finally, and I thank you very much for taking the time to respond, how do you turn auto-update off?
Further thoughts. I have been reading the GitHub issues pages and it would seem that BW have stepped into a quagmire. It almost suggests that a return to LastPass might be a better action although I don’t welcome the re-learning that that would involve. How quickly do BW react to a massive number of issues?
Careful with false equivalences. Just because someone airs their dirty laundry more publicly does not mean that they have more of it.
More telling is to compare like-for-like. How often do the two companies hit national news in a bad way? How many problem reports appear in their respective subreddits? How do independent reviewers contrast them? That sort of thing.
Problems that are impactful and widespread do seem to get their attention, and they often “confess” to them here or on r/bitwarden. Here is an example post related to the topic at hand.
Their release cadence (per the release notes) has been 1 to 4 releases per month, with the web and desktop vaults coming out more quickly because they do not require approval from the various stores.
@DenBesten
The example post that you quoted was one of the first I read. I also followed down a little to see, if I could, find the fix but did not find a reference to it. I do not know if it ever appeared but BW have surely stirred the pot in the big boy’s patch. The public attribution to Apple and to a lesser extent Mozilla must hurt, or draw attention to the misguided code that came out in 2024.8.n.
I did not mean that I am leaving the ship but thinking about it among the other rats.
Is it you objective to downgrade all clients to get the autofill functionality back, or are you planning to stay upgraded (default) and hoping that BW will fix this problem soon?
When you mention a version number, it’s probably good to mention the client (browser, desktop) as well.
what else do I have to set to allow the second machine to use the settings from the current vault now synced on it?
The settings between the clients aren’t synced (unless your browser does it), and you do it by hand, copying each setting one by one.
I also have a downloaded version 2023.4.0 available on the second PC.
It’s hard to recommend anything right now because:
- 2024.7.* introduced a new encryption mechanism that may be incompatible with the older versions.
- 2024.8.* seem to introduce Autofill errors for many browsers (maybe more on FF) that BW can’t seem to duplicate
- Using older client versions may expose you to vulnerabilities. There were vulnerability fixes for both the desktop and browser clients earlier this year.
Whatever you do, you may want to do frequent backups until this is over. I just downgraded all my clients (except the web, of course), to 2024.6.*, but I can’t report any results yet.
how do you turn auto-update off?
I wouldn’t recommend this strategy generally, i.e. you may want to consider getting back to auto-upgrade after going over this hump; otherwise, you would soon be using vulnerable BW clients.
- For Desktop client, put in this environment variable: ELECTRON_NO_UPDATER=1
- For Edge extension, there is apparently NO OFFICIAL way to disable auto-update, but there is this suggestion of modifying the extension manifest:
Thanks for all those thoughts.
I think I will try to be patient and wait for BW to put out new releases that fix the problem.
I will leave auto-update to another day when I am more desperate.
One problem I have is understanding the terms that people like you use.
For example:
What is Desktop and what is Browser,
When I install BW it goes in without any problem, I just execute the downloaded .EXE answer the questions about email and master password and seems to work. Is there a different method for Desktop and another for Browser?
I am using Window 10 Pro build 19045 and Edge which seems to be version 128 it auto updates regularly.
Thanks for all your help
Desktop is the native windows .exe file you download and run as a separate program. Browser is the browser’s extension. Web vault is the web application at vault.bitwarden.com. Mobiles (Android/iOS) are the apps run on mobiles.
Is there a different method for Desktop and another for Browser?
No, the logins are all the same on different client software. There is a “locked” state too, though; in this state, you are already logged in (no 2FA is required), but you supply whatever credential you set up for unlocking (password, PIN, biometrics), which can be different from client to client. The text on the page will tell you that it needs you to login or unlock.
Temporarily without autofill, you can try drag-and-drop. When opening the page with the credentials, click on the extension icon, open the entry, and drag-and-drop the username and password, one at a time, into the fields. AFAIK, this method is as safe as autofill, but may be less convenient.
Again thanks.
Does the installation of the browser downloaded .EXE also install the browser extension or does that need to be installed from Microsoft Store?
You mentioned a Locked state which I am also having problems now which I did not have before.
What is the way of bypassing that when I first open the vault using the BW icon on the browser ribbon.
You should download the extension from the Edge Microsoft store. For the desktop .exe, it’s better to get it directly from BW website, Download the Bitwarden Password Manager App for iPhone, Android, Chrome, Safari, and More | Bitwarden , because it has fewer limitations.
What is the way of bypassing that when I first open the vault using the BW icon on the browser ribbon.
If you forget your PIN (but remember your password and have 2FA info), you can log out, log in again, and set up a different PIN.
Thanks I have a lot to learn about BW and you are helping enormously.
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