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Logging In - New Computers

jhuerta
jhuerta
Community Member

Hi,

How am I supposed to use 1Password in a new computer? Should I carry my Secret Key (Account Key) in my phone or in a paper.

If I want to access my email in a new computer, I will need to login in 1Password to get the password. To access 1Password for the first time in that computer , it asks me my "master password", "access" key and username. How am I suppose to input the access key? Do I need to key the access key from a paper a picture on my phone? Am I missing something?

I understand that if the computer/phone has a camera, I can scan the QR code, or I can upload an image and 1Password will read the account key from the image. However, if I don't have a camera, or I can't transfer the image with the QR code to the computer ... how am I suppose to use 1Password?

I'm pretty sure that I'm missing something, or maybe 1Password is meant to be used for passwords that you exclusively use in known computers. Is that the case?

Thanks,

Juan


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Comments

  • Hello @jhuerta,

    Great question! 1Password can be set up in a couple of different ways.

    If you have the emergency kit PDF with the QR code you can scan that on a new device. What you can do is create a document item that has the emergency kit in it. That way, if you need to set up a new device and you have your mobile phone with 1Password on it you will always have access to it.

    Another way is to look up the secret key on a device you already have 1Password set up on. If you're mobile you can use your phone to do this. As long as you have your phone when you are setting up a new device then you always have the information you need.

    Instructions on how to find your secret key in the 1Password app can be found here: https://support.1password.com/secret-key/

    Hopefully that information helped. Please let us know if you have questions or if we can help in any way.

  • jhuerta
    jhuerta
    Community Member

    Hi,

    Thanks for the quick reply.

    "If you have the emergency kit PDF with the QR code you can scan that on a new device. What you can do is create a document item that has the emergency kit in it. That way, if you need to set up a new device and you have your mobile phone with 1Password on it you will always have access to it."

    Not sure about what is a "document item"
    If it is a peper, then you type manually the access key in the computer. Otherwise, it is stored on the internet in an application which password is not stored in 1Password. You you have the document in an auxiliary/minor used google account with a password that you know for example.

    "Another way is to look up the secret key on a device you already have 1Password set up on. If you're mobile you can use your phone to do this. As long as you have your phone when you are setting up a new device then you always have the information you need."

    Same as with the document item, it means to type the access key manually.

    So, either way, you have to type the password manually, or you store the access key in a place to which you access with a password that is not stored in 1Password.

    Am I understanding this correctly?

    Thanks for help and explanations.

    Cheers,

    Juan

  • Hello again,

    Yes you're correct. Unless you have a way of transferring the Emergency Kit file to the new device you will need to enter the secret key manually.

    A document item is a type of item that you can save in 1Password. It lets you save documents (PDF, images, text files, etc... ). You can read more on document items here: https://support.1password.com/files/

    Let us know if you have any questions.

  • J_O_D
    J_O_D
    Community Member

    My personal workflow is, that I type the Secret Key manually. It is needed just for the first logging in, so when I am logging on a new computer, I have my iPad ready and view the Secret key.

    When I am logging from the same device, but in a different browser or desktop app, like on my iPad I have created my account in Safari, and then downloaded the official app - there I could log via Safari and tap the QR code and choose to open it in the app - the neccessary data including Smart Key have been preentered for me and I just had to enter my master password.

  • That seems pretty reasonable @J_O_D. Thanks for sharing. :+1:

    Ben

This discussion has been closed.