Loss of password support when changing desktops

[maabaum]

I'm currently using Vivaldi "4.2.2406.44 (Stable channel) stable (64-bit)". My operating system is Fedora linux 33. Usually I am using the KDE desktop for this Fedora distribution and the Vivaldi utility for storing web passwords and inserting them in logon pages works fine.

Sometimes, however, I need to use a different desktop. Generally Cinnamon. I find that when I change to Cinnamon and open Vivaldi, it claims to have properly synced password files and all, but none of the usernames/passwords get inserted in web pages as the usually do. Why is this? Does Vivaldi try to use a different password storage scheme under Gnome flavours and can't find them?

[DoctorG]

@maabaum If you changes desktops, there might be different keyrings.
As the login database is encrypted with a key store in GNOME or Kwallet keyring you might lose the login passwords,

[maabaum]

@doctorg , yes, thanks I suspicioned that. Once upon a time I could deal with this by explicitly opening Kwallet in the Cinnamon session before starting Vivaldi, but that doesn't seem to work now. Which brings me to the obvious follow-up question, do you know if there is a way to tell Vivaldi to only use one particular key store regardless of the desktop default?

[DoctorG]

@maabaum command line parameter to select which password store is used:

--password-store=<basic|gnome|kwallet>

Set the password store to use. The default is to automatically detect based on the desktop environment. basic selects the built in, unencrypted password store. gnome selects Gnome keyring. kwallet selects (KDE) KWallet. (Note that KWallet may not work reliably outside KDE.)
https://askubuntu.com/a/525062

If you use such parameter there is a need to change the vivaldi-*.desktop files.
Keep in mind these file can change each update if not in users home folder.
See more https://askubuntu.com/questions/31786/chrome-asks-for-password-to-unlock-keyring-on-startup#968149

[maabaum]

@doctorg Thank you! I will try that.

Do you happen to know how the use of these password stores is implemented? Does Vivaldi ask the local keyring for an encryption key and then uses that key to encrypt its username/password store which is saved in a separate file somewhere?

[DoctorG]

@maabaum The encryption key is stored in in GNOME keyring or KWallet and the Vivaldi logins are stored encrypted in database file Login Data in your Vivaldi browser profile. Vivaldi fetches at program start the encryption key from key store and unlocks access to its login database.

[xyzzy]

Also beware that if you use a desktop environment on Linux that does not use the GNOME Keyring or KWallet then passwords will be stored unencrypted.

https://chromium.googlesource.com/chromium/src/+/refs/heads/main/docs/security/faq.md#Does-the-Password-Manager-store-my-passwords-encrypted-on-disk

[xyzzy]

Also beware of switching desktop environments, that store separate and different encryption keys in G Keyring and KWallet. That would result in passwords getting stored in "Login Data" that are encrypted with different keys, and that can cause weird things to happen.

[maabaum]

@doctorg Thanks, yet again!!

[felagund]

I wrote up how to migrate from one desktop enviroment to another here: https://forum.vivaldi.net/topic/70320/howto-preserve-your-saved-passwords-when-changing-desktop-environments