How to Back Up All Your Passwords Before Reinstalling Windows

A Windows reinstall wipes everything — including every password your browser, email client, and system have ever saved. Most people only realise this after the format. This guide walks you through a complete pre-reinstall password backup so you don't lose a single credential.

The process takes about 15–20 minutes and covers five categories: browser passwords, Wi-Fi keys, Windows Credential Manager, email passwords, and software product keys. Each one requires a slightly different approach, so we'll go through them one by one.

1. Back Up Browser Passwords

Browser passwords are the most critical backup for most people. Every login you've saved in Chrome, Firefox, Edge, or Opera lives in an encrypted file on your Windows profile — and that file is deleted when you reinstall.

Option A: Use SterJo Browser Passwords (All Browsers at Once)

SterJo Browser Passwords recovers saved passwords from Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera, and Internet Explorer in a single step and lets you export everything to a CSV file you can import into any password manager later.

Step-by-Step: Export All Browser Passwords

1. Download and run SterJo Browser Passwords — no installation needed.
2. The tool automatically scans and displays all saved passwords from every browser.
3. Click File → Save As to export the full list as a CSV file.
4. Save the file to a USB drive or external storage — not the same drive you're reinstalling.

Option B: Export Chrome Passwords Natively

If you only use Chrome, you can export passwords directly without a third-party tool:

1. Open Chrome and go to chrome://password-manager/passwords
2. Click the settings icon (⚙️) in the top right corner.
3. Select Export passwords and confirm.
4. Save the CSV file to external storage.

Option C: Export Firefox Passwords Natively

1. Open Firefox and click the menu (☰) → Passwords.
2. Click the three-dot menu in the top right corner.
3. Select Export Logins and save the CSV file.

Option D: Export Edge Passwords Natively

1. Open Edge and go to edge://password-manager/passwords
2. Click Settings (⚙️) at the top.
3. Select Export passwords.

2. Back Up Wi-Fi Passwords

Windows stores saved Wi-Fi passwords as encrypted profile files. After a reinstall, you'll need to re-enter the password for every wireless network. If you've forgotten any of them — especially for networks you don't own, like a work office or a relative's house — recovering them afterwards is much harder.

Step-by-Step: Export Wi-Fi Passwords

1. Download and run SterJo Wireless Passwords.
2. All saved wireless networks and their passwords appear instantly.
3. Go to File → Save As HTML or Save As Text.
4. Save the file to your USB drive or external storage.

Alternative: Export Wi-Fi Profiles via Command Prompt

You can also export Wi-Fi profiles using the built-in netsh command, but this creates encrypted XML files — the password is not readable in the exported file unless you're on the same PC. SterJo Wireless Passwords is recommended for a human-readable backup.

3. Back Up Windows Credential Manager

Windows Credential Manager stores passwords for network drives, Remote Desktop connections, shared folders, and some applications. These are often forgotten about until after a reinstall, when mapped drives suddenly stop working.

Step-by-Step: Export Windows Credentials

1. Download and run SterJo Windows Credentials.
2. All saved credentials are listed — usernames, passwords, and resource names.
3. Export the list to a file and save it to external storage.

4. Back Up Email Client Passwords

If you use a desktop email client like Outlook, Thunderbird, or Windows Mail, your account passwords (SMTP, IMAP, POP3) are stored locally — separate from your browser passwords. Losing these means having to find or reset each email password after reinstalling.

Step-by-Step: Export Email Passwords

1. Download and run SterJo Mail Passwords.
2. All saved email account credentials are displayed, including server settings.
3. Export to a file and save to external storage — you'll need both the passwords and the server settings to reconfigure accounts after reinstalling.

5. Back Up Software Product Keys

This is the one that catches people most off-guard. Your Windows license key, Microsoft Office key, and keys for any other paid software are all tied to your current installation. After a reinstall, you'll need those keys again — and if you've lost the original packaging or email confirmation, they can be gone for good.

Step-by-Step: Export Product Keys

1. Download and run SterJo Key Finder.
2. The tool scans and displays all detected software license keys.
3. Click Save to export the full list to a text file.
4. Save to USB or external storage — keep this file somewhere safe permanently.

Where to Save Your Password Backup

The golden rule: save your backup somewhere that survives the reinstall. Your best options are:

Password backup files are sensitive — treat them like you'd treat a document containing all your bank PINs. Encrypt the folder if storing in cloud, and delete the files once you've successfully restored everything after reinstalling.

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Don't Skip This Step

A Windows reinstall takes an hour. Tracking down forgotten passwords afterwards can take days — or be impossible for accounts you no longer have access to. Running the five steps in this guide before you format your drive takes less than 20 minutes and saves you from that headache entirely.

Start with the tools that cover the most ground: SterJo Browser Passwords for all your browser credentials, SterJo Key Finder for your software licenses, and SterJo Wireless Passwords for your Wi-Fi keys. All three are free, portable, and take under a minute to run.

Download SterJo Browser Passwords Free →