Disable GNOME Keyring Prompts in Microsoft Edge on Ubuntu
Microsoft Edge on Ubuntu can repeatedly display an “Enter password to unlock your keyring” prompt when it attempts to use GNOME Keyring for credential storage.
GNOME Keyring provides encrypted storage for passwords, certificates, and other application credentials. Edge-based Chromium builds can integrate with this service automatically, which is normally desirable when the desktop keyring is configured correctly.
However, users who do not want Edge to use GNOME Keyring, or who simply want to eliminate the repeated unlock prompts, can change Edge’s password-store backend.
The safest approach is to configure Edge only with --password-store=basic. Resetting the keyring or disabling the GNOME Keyring daemon affects other applications and should be treated as a broader system change.
🧭 Method Comparison and Trade-Offs #
| Method | Scope | System Impact | Recommended Use |
|---|---|---|---|
--password-store=basic |
Edge only | Low | Best option for most users |
| Reset/Delete keyring | System-wide credentials | Moderate | Useful for corrupted or unwanted keyrings |
| Disable keyring daemon | Entire desktop | High | Only when GNOME Keyring is intentionally being removed |
For most installations, start with the first method. It changes Edge’s behavior without modifying the desktop’s credential infrastructure.
🔧 Method 1: Configure Edge to Use Basic Password Storage #
The simplest solution is to tell Edge to use its basic password-storage backend rather than attempting to access GNOME Keyring.
This approach is scoped to Edge and does not disable the keyring for other applications.
Test the configuration from a terminal #
First, completely close Edge and launch it manually:
microsoft-edge --password-store=basic
If the keyring prompt no longer appears, the configuration is working.
You can then make the option persistent by modifying Edge’s desktop launcher.
Modify the Edge desktop entry #
Open the system-wide Edge launcher:
sudo nano /usr/share/applications/microsoft-edge.desktop
Find the relevant Exec= entry. It may look similar to:
Exec=microsoft-edge %U
Change it to:
Exec=microsoft-edge --password-store=basic %U
Save the file with Ctrl+O, press Enter, and exit with Ctrl+X.
If you maintain a user-specific copy of the launcher under:
~/.local/share/applications/
make the corresponding change there instead.
Verify the effective launcher #
After editing the desktop entry, close all running Edge processes and start Edge from the application menu.
If the prompt disappears, Edge is now using the specified password-storage backend.
Security consideration #
The basic password store is less integrated with the desktop’s secure credential infrastructure than GNOME Keyring.
Therefore, this option trades some credential-storage protection and system integration for convenience.
If you still want Edge credentials protected by the desktop keyring, fixing the underlying keyring configuration is preferable to switching storage backends.
🗝️ Method 2: Reset or Delete the Default GNOME Keyring #
If the repeated prompt is caused by a corrupted, inaccessible, or incorrectly configured keyring, resetting it may resolve the problem without changing Edge’s password-storage configuration.
Ubuntu provides the Passwords and Keys application, commonly launched with seahorse.
Open Passwords and Keys #
Launch the application from the desktop application menu or run:
seahorse
Locate the relevant keyring, commonly named:
LoginDefault keyring
Right-click the keyring and select Delete.
Confirm the operation when prompted.
Important credential warning #
Deleting a keyring removes credentials stored inside it.
That can affect more than Microsoft Edge.
Other desktop applications may also use GNOME Keyring for storing:
- Website credentials
- Wi-Fi passwords
- Application secrets
- Certificates
- Authentication tokens
Therefore, deleting the keyring should be treated as a credential reset rather than an Edge-specific troubleshooting step.
If the keyring contains important credentials, back them up or confirm that they can be recreated before deleting it.
⚠️ Method 3: Disable GNOME Keyring System-Wide #
The most aggressive option is to prevent the GNOME Keyring daemon from executing:
sudo chmod -x /usr/bin/gnome-keyring-daemon
Then reboot:
sudo reboot
This prevents gnome-keyring-daemon from starting normally and therefore affects applications throughout the desktop environment.
Why this method is generally not recommended #
GNOME Keyring is not an Edge-specific service.
Other applications may depend on it for credential storage and authentication.
Disabling the daemon can therefore cause unrelated applications to:
- Lose access to stored credentials
- Prompt for authentication repeatedly
- Fail to save passwords
- Change their credential-storage behavior
For this reason, system-wide disabling should generally be reserved for systems where GNOME Keyring is intentionally not required.
Restore the daemon #
If you later decide to re-enable the service, restore its executable permission:
sudo chmod +x /usr/bin/gnome-keyring-daemon
Reboot afterward so the desktop session can start the daemon normally.
🛡️ Which Method Should You Use? #
The correct solution depends on whether the problem is specific to Edge or reflects a broader keyring configuration issue.
| Situation | Preferred Solution |
|---|---|
| Only Edge produces the prompt | --password-store=basic |
| Keyring appears corrupted | Reset the keyring with Seahorse |
| Multiple applications have keyring problems | Investigate GNOME Keyring configuration |
| You intentionally do not want GNOME Keyring | Disable the daemon |
| You want maximum Edge isolation | Use the Edge-specific flag |
For most users, Method 1 is the least disruptive because it changes only Microsoft Edge.
🧪 Troubleshooting the Edge-Specific Approach #
If the command-line test does not work, verify that all Edge processes have been terminated before launching the new instance.
You can inspect running processes with:
ps aux | grep microsoft-edge
If necessary, terminate remaining Edge processes before testing again.
Also verify that the desktop launcher you modified is the one actually used by your desktop environment. Distribution packages and manually installed Edge builds can place .desktop files in different locations.
You can search for Edge launchers with:
find /usr/share/applications ~/.local/share/applications -name '*edge*.desktop' 2>/dev/null
If multiple launchers exist, modify the one corresponding to the Edge installation you actually use.
🔐 Security and Storage Implications #
The most important distinction between these methods is scope.
Using:
--password-store=basic
changes Edge’s credential-storage behavior without disabling GNOME Keyring elsewhere.
Deleting the keyring removes stored credentials.
Disabling gnome-keyring-daemon changes the security infrastructure for the entire desktop session.
Consequently, the methods should not be considered equivalent fixes.
If your objective is simply to stop Edge from asking for the keyring password, an Edge-specific configuration is usually the cleanest solution.
🚀 Recommended Configuration #
For a system where GNOME Keyring is otherwise functioning normally but Edge prompts are unwanted, use:
microsoft-edge --password-store=basic
If that resolves the problem, make the option persistent through the Edge desktop launcher:
Exec=microsoft-edge --password-store=basic %U
Avoid disabling the GNOME Keyring daemon globally unless you understand and accept the effect on other applications.
The practical hierarchy is straightforward: change Edge first, reset the keyring only when necessary, and disable GNOME Keyring system-wide only as a deliberate architectural choice.