Bitwarden Extension Not Working: Fix It & Login [Chrome, Firefox]

Bitwarden is a password management service that saves essential information, like login credentials, into an encrypted vault. There are different versions to suit various needs. But Bitwarden extension not working instances are not unheard of.

Going down the list, there’s a Bitwarden mobile app, desktop app, web browser interface, command-line interface, and the topic of this guide, a browser extension.

At times, you may experience some issues with the extension both on Chrome and Firefox. Others also complained about the Bitwarden extension not working on Safari.

Some users mentioned the Bitwarden Chrome extension not showing or keeps locking, while others are simply unable to log in with Bitwarden autofill not working.

Knowing all this, one might wonder – how safe the extension is, to begin with. So let’s find out together.

Is Bitwarden extension safe?

Bitwarden is relatively safe to use. In fact, it’s one of the safest password managers that have multi-factor authentication. The service also has secure file sharing and cloud storage in multiple languages.

You might be wondering and rightfully so – How do I enable Bitwarden extensions in Chrome? To download Bitwarden onto Firefox or Chrome, you’ll have to go to their respective download pages and grab the extension.

For Chrome specifically, all you need to do is click the Add to Chrome button once the plugin page opens in the Chrome Web Store. Then, you’ll have to create an account and add the information you want to be saved.

This could be login information, credit card information, an entry on a specific item, or an introductory note to yourself.

If you want to find out how to make or set Bitwarden as default, you’re in luck. It couldn’t be more simple! You needn’t even open the extension, simply right-click your username and select the Auto-fill option for Bitwarden.

The same goes for your iPhone or Android phone – you need to visit the Settings screen and enable Auto-fill for Bitwarden. That’s it.

What can I do if Bitwarden isn’t working?

However simple, the process is not exempt from errors such as Bitwarden vault timeout not working. Further issues you may encounter include your vault strangely being empty or slow, Bitwarden autofill not working, and so on.

The first thing you should always do is update the extension and the browser. You can also try signing out of the extension and then signing back in. If that doesn’t work, the following solutions will help you out.

1. Sync the vault

1. These instructions will be the same for both Firefox and Chrome browsers.
2. Open the Bitwarden extension and click the Settings icon on the bottom bar.
3. Under the Manager section, click Sync.
4. Press the button that reads Sync Vault Now.
5. Give the extension some time to sync with the rest of the vault. A green message will appear at the bottom when it’s complete.

2. Disable Auto-fill

1. These instructions apply to both Firefox and Chrome.
2. Start by opening the extension and click the Settings icon.
3. Scroll down to the Other section and select Options.
4. In Options, scroll down to the bottom and locate Enable Auto-fill on Page Load, an experimental feature. It’s probably the fact that it’s experimental that causes the issue.
5. Uncheck the box to disable the Auto-fill feature.

3. Disable the Bitwarden extension

3.1. Disable Bitwarden Firefox extension if it’s not working

1. On Firefox, click the three-line icon in the top right corner.
2. In this new menu, click Settings down near the bottom.
3. Under Settings, click Extensions & Themes in the bottom left corner.
4. Now you’re in Manage Your Extensions. Click the toggle switch next to Bitwarden to disable it.
5. Close the browser and open it again.
6. Enable the Bitwarden extension.

3.2. Disable Bitwarden Chrome extension if it’s not working

1. In Chrome, click the puzzle piece icon at the top bar.
2. A menu will drop down. Click the three dots next to Bitwarden to make a context menu appear.
3. In the context menu, select Manage extension.
4. In the Bitwarden Extensions menu, click the toggle switch to disable it.
5. Close Chrome and then open it again to restart it.
6. Go back to the Bitwarden Extensions menu and toggle the switch to turn it off.

4. Reinstall the extension

4.1. Reinstall Bitwarden on Firefox

1. In Firefox, click the three-line icon again and select Settings at the bottom.
2. Select Extensions & Themes.
3. Click the dots to the right of Bitwarden.
4. A context menu will appear. Select Remove.
5. After removing the Bitwarden extension, close and then reopen Firefox.
6. Go back to the Bitwarden Firefox extension page and reinstall it again.

4.2. Reinstall Bitwarden on Chrome

1. On Chrome, click on the puzzle piece icon.
2. Click the three dots next to Bitwarden to make the context menu appear.
3. In the context menu, select Remove from Chrome.
4. The browser will then ask you if you want to remove it. Click Remove.
5. Close the browser and then open it up again.
6. Return the Bitwarden extension download page and reinstall it.

5. Reset Vault Timeout

1. Vault Timeout is a feature that cuts off quick access to the Bitwarden vault after a set period.
2. People in the past have complained about it not working. You’ll have to reset it.
3. Open the Bitwarden extension and click Settings.
4. Under Security, you will see a section called Vault Timeout Action.
5. Click the drop-down menu and switch the entry to Log Out.
6. A warning may appear telling that doing so will remove access to the vault that requires online authentication after a while. Select Yes.
7. Click the drop-down menu again and select Lock.
8. This should reset Vault Timeout, but if it doesn’t, it’s recommended that you go back and try out a previous solution.

If you use Bitwarden on your desktop, you may encounter a Failed to Fetch error when you try to log in. It happens randomly and can be pretty annoying to deal with.

That’s pretty much it – that’s how you deal with Bitwarden extension not working cases. Feel free to comment below if you have any questions.