How to Use Windows Credential Manager to Store and Manage Passwords

Windows Credential Manager stores saved passwords for network resources, websites (Internet Explorer/Edge), and apps. It's the system behind "remember my password" for Windows authentication.

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Open Credential Manager

Win + S → Credential Manager

Or: Control Panel → User Accounts → Credential Manager

Two categories:

• Windows Credentials — network shares, RDP connections, mapped drives
• Web Credentials — Internet Explorer and Edge saved passwords

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View Saved Credentials

# List all Windows credentials
cmdkey /list

# Output shows target, type, user

In the GUI: expand any entry to see the target, username, and last modified date.

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Add a Credential

Via GUI: Credential Manager → Add a Windows credential → enter:

• Network address or hostname: \\192.168.1.100 or server.company.com
• Username: domain\user or just username
• Password

Via PowerShell:

# Add network credential
cmdkey /add:"server.company.com" /user:"username" /pass:"password"

# Add RDP credential
cmdkey /add:"TERMSRV/192.168.1.100" /user:"username" /pass:"password"

# Add generic credential
cmdkey /generic:"MyApp" /user:"apiuser" /pass:"apikey123"

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Update a Credential

# Update password for existing credential
cmdkey /add:"server.company.com" /user:"username" /pass:"newpassword"
# Adding with same target overwrites the existing entry

Or in GUI: expand credential → Edit → change password → Save.

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Delete Credentials

# Delete specific credential
cmdkey /delete:"server.company.com"
cmdkey /delete:"TERMSRV/192.168.1.100"

# Delete all credentials (use with caution)
cmdkey /list | Where-Object {$_ -match "Target:"} |
  ForEach-Object {
    $target = ($_ -split "Target: ")[1].Trim()
    cmdkey /delete:$target
  }

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Back Up and Restore Credentials

Export: Credential Manager → Back up Credentials → save to .crd file → enter password to encrypt

Restore: Credential Manager → Restore Credentials → select .crd file → enter password

# Backup via command line isn't directly supported
# Use the GUI backup for portability

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Access Credentials Programmatically

# Read a stored credential in a script
$credential = Get-StoredCredential -Target "server.company.com"
# Requires CredentialManager module:
Install-Module CredentialManager -Scope CurrentUser -Force

# Store credential for use in scripts
New-StoredCredential -Target "MyAPI" -UserName "user" -Password "pass" -Type Generic

# Use stored credential
$cred = Get-StoredCredential -Target "MyAPI" -AsCredentialObject
Invoke-RestMethod -Uri "https://api.example.com" -Credential $cred

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Fix Credential-Related Errors

"The credentials supplied are not sufficient to access this resource":

# Remove cached bad credential and re-enter
cmdkey /delete:"\\server\share"
# Then access the share again and enter correct credentials when prompted

Mapped drive keeps prompting for password:

# Store credential for the server
cmdkey /add:"\\192.168.1.100" /user:"username" /pass:"password"

# Disconnect and reconnect drive
net use Z: /delete
net use Z: \\192.168.1.100\share /persistent:yes

RDP keeps asking for password:

cmdkey /add:"TERMSRV/hostname" /user:"username" /pass:"password"

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Credential Types

Type	Used for
Windows	Network shares, mapped drives, workgroup auth
Certificate-based	Smart cards, certificate authentication
Generic	Third-party apps, API keys, custom apps
Domain password	Domain-joined PC credentials

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Security Considerations

Windows Credentials are stored in the Credential Locker — encrypted with DPAPI (Data Protection API) using your account's master key. They're tied to your Windows account:

• Credentials don't transfer automatically when changing PC
• They're backed up with your Microsoft account (if signed in)
• Anyone who can sign into your Windows account can access them via Credential Manager

For sensitive passwords, use a dedicated password manager (Bitwarden, KeePass) instead of Windows Credential Manager.

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🔑 Потрібен надійний пароль?

→ Генератор паролів — криптографічно надійні паролі прямо в браузері. Нічого не передається на сервер.

Summary

Use cmdkey /list to see stored credentials. Add with cmdkey /add. Delete with cmdkey /delete. For persistent mapped drives and RDP: store credentials with the TERMSRV/ prefix for RDP. Back up via the GUI before reinstalling Windows — credentials don't carry over automatically.