What Is Auto-fill and How Does It Work?

With the amount of online information available, it’s no wonder that many users are prone to forgetting details or passwords.

As a result, browser makers have implemented auto-fill functions in their browsers to make the user experience smoother and more convenient.

Auto-fill is a feature that helps users fill out forms with ease by automatically providing pre-populated suggestions. With this feature, you can enable autofill so that your personal information is stored and accessible on all your devices.

Here’s what you need to know about autofill and how it works.

What is Auto-fill?

Auto-fill is a feature of most browsers that automatically fills out web forms based on previously filled-in form fields. It’s useful because it saves time and effort, but also makes your data vulnerable to hackers.

The most common use case for this feature is entering credit card numbers. When you enter a credit card number, you usually need to type it in manually. But with autofill, you just hit the tab, and the browser fills in the last four digits for you.

This feature saves you time and makes it faster to complete transactions online.

How Does Auto-fill Work?

Auto-fill works by storing the user’s information on their device or in the cloud. So, when you visit a site with a form and the auto-fill function is enabled, your device will recognize the form and offer up the information you have previously stored.

Auto-fill is very convenient and can save users time and effort. Studies show that users who have auto-fill enabled complete forms up to 12% faster than those who don’t use the feature.

Browsers will offer up saved information as a suggestion if it finds a match, meaning that if you have multiple email addresses saved, the browser will offer up all of them as suggestions when filling out a form. If you have multiple email addresses and you only want one of them to be used, you can choose to bypass the auto-fill function for that address.

Types of Auto-fill

There are two types of autofill: automatic and bypass. For example, Automatic autofill uses cookies to store saved credit card information. Bypass autofill stores the entered credit card number directly into the form field.

Both methods work well, but bypass autofill is better because it doesn’t require any extra steps to save your credit cards. However, bypass autofill requires more storage space than automatic autofill. So if you plan to store large amounts of credit card information, we recommend you go with automatic autofill.

Another benefit of automatic autofill is that it allows you to fill out multiple forms at once. For example, you may be shopping online and want to purchase items from several different websites.

Instead of having to retype your credit card information every time you visit each site, you can simply fill out the same form on each site. Then, when you submit the form, the browser will automatically fill in the last four digits of your credit card.

Bypass autofill is great for filling out long forms where you only need to enter a single piece of information. For example, you might be filling out a job application and need to enter your address. Instead of typing it in again, you can just hit the tab, and the form will auto-fill the street name, city, state, zip code, and country.

Finally, there’s quick and easy autofill. Quick and easy autofill is similar to bypass autofill. The only difference is that instead of storing the information in a cookie, it stores it in local storage. Quick and Easy refers to forms that fill themselves out quickly and easily. Forms that take too long to complete are frustrating, especially if you’ve already filled them out once.

Quick and easy autofill isn’t recommended for storing sensitive information like credit card numbers. That’s because it’s stored locally, meaning anyone who gains access to your computer could view the information.

Is Auto-fill Safe?

Auto-fill is certainly convenient, but you might be wondering if it’s safe.

Luckily, modern browsers have encryption protocols that protect your information from being hacked or stolen. As long as you’re using a secure browser, your information will remain private.

Your browser stores your information on your device, but you can also choose to store your information in the cloud. Storing your information in the cloud is safer than storing it on your device because if your device gets stolen or broken you will lose your data.

If you store your information in the cloud, however, you can access it from another device, even if your device is broken or stolen.

Conclusion

Auto-fill is a convenient feature that can save you time and effort when filling out forms online.

While it’s a helpful feature, you should remember that your information is being stored on your device or in the cloud.

It’s important to make sure your browser is secure and that you are monitoring what websites are accessing your data. Overall, auto-fill is a helpful feature that can make online shopping and other online activities easier and faster.