Why is Bitwarden Very Slow on Desktop (Mac), But Fast on Mobile

Ask the Community Password Manager
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1

Hi everyone,
I’m using Bitwarden across multiple devices and noticing a frustrating performance issue. On my MacBook Air M1, Bitwarden desktop app is much slower to unlock and use compared to my iPhone and iPad and web, where it’s incredibly fast and responsive.

Setup:

  • Devices:

    • MacBook Air M1 (macOS 26)

    • iPhone 16 Pro (iOS 26)

    • iPad Pro M1 (iPadOS 26)

  • Bitwarden version: Latest on all devices

  • KDF Settings:

    • Algorithm: Argon2id

    • Iterations: 4

    • Memory: 64 MB

    • Parallelism: 5

What I’ve tried:

  • Cleared cache on the Mac (deleted local data storage)

  • Reinstalled the desktop app and rebooted the machine

  • Verified that the same vault and KDF settings are used across all devices

What I’m seeing:

  • Desktop app takes noticeably longer to load and unlock (40 seconds)

  • Mobile apps unlock almost instantly

Question:

Why is Bitwarden performing so slowly on desktop when using Argon2id, even though the MacBook Air M1 is a very capable device? Shouldn’t it perform better than mobile? Is this a known issue with the Argon2id implementation on macOS or the desktop app?

Any tips for improving performance without compromising too much on security?

Thanks in advance!

2

Could your problem related to MacOS 26 and electron libraries? Shamelectron - Electron Apps macOS Tahoe GPU Performance Tracker

3

What are those latest versions exactly?

Hm, @yamin the iOS mobile app is a native app, which also means it doesn’t use Electron… if Electron has such a current bug, that would explain why it doesn’t happen on the mobile apps.

PS:

I never used BW on a Mac, but I think it is safe to say, that what you describe is not normal, but - obviously - some kind of a bug.

4

I am using iOS 26.0.1, macOS 26.0.1, and on all devices Bitwarden 2025.10.0. The slow loading times in the desktop app might be related to the known Electron/macOS 26 bug. Electron has released fixes, but Bitwarden may still be using an older version. Hopefully an update is coming soon.

The mobile app works very fast and without any issues!

Are there any known workarounds in the meantime?

5

Thanks! Then either the newer Electron version is not implemented in 2025.10.0 versions yet or you are experiencing a different bug – or both.