Request details on how to sync 1Password between two Macs on a home network

Clint_O

Hi,

I use two Macs in my home - one in my home office and one in my living room. Both Macs are running the latest version of Mavericks. I am using 1Password version 3.8.21 on the Mac in my home office. I do not have 1Password installed on the Mac in my living room. I would like to have 1Password running on both Macs, and have all the password and user name data synced between the two Macs. (When 1Password uses the word "Vault", does that refer to all the information that 1Password is storing for me? There is a lot of lingo on the web site that is not defined, and it is confusing to me.)

Both Macs are connected to my home network, so they should be able to communicate with each other. I think I want to use Folder Sync to sync all the password information between the two Macs - but not 100% sure. The description of Folder Sync on the web site doesn't provide a very good description of exactly what it does or how it works.

I have searched the forum on this topic, and have read the page on the web site about using a folder to sync, but I am still having problems.

Here are questions that pinpoint the areas of confusion for me:

Do I need to have 1Password installed on both Macs? If so, do I need to purchase another copy of 1Password? (I hope not. I hope that one purchase would cover all the Macs I have for my personal use.)

There is a step-by-step description of setting up Folder Sync on the web site, but it's only helpful for people who already completely understand everything about 1Password. It's really confusing to me. Here are some questions that came up when I read the Folder Sync instructions:

(1) The is no "Sync" tab in my Preferences dialog box. I forced 1Password to check for updates, and it said that I am using the latest version.

(2) Selecting the Folder to Sync with: Should this be on the Mac that already has all the password information? (The "Vault"?) Or should this folder be on the new Mac that doesn't yet have any password information.

(3) What folder should I choose to sync with? Should I choose an existing folder on the Mac? Or should I create a new, empty folder?

(4) Once I have selected a folder to sync with, and I have done all the other steps up to where I click on "Start Syncing", will the two Macs know that they are supposed to be synced with each other? Will any changes in password info (or anything else) that I make on one Mac be updated on the other Mac? Regardless of which Mac I used to make the change? It seems like the steps described on your web site are isolated to one Mac. How do I let 1Password know that there are two Macs that need to be synced up?

Note to 1Password developers: Your product is great - I really like it. But your web site has weaknesses. It was written by people who already know the product inside-out, and they assume that visitors to the site have the same level of knowledge of the product. Your site needs better explanations of terms and of processes to help the average person understand the features and capabilities of the product.

Ben

Hi @Clint_O‌

Excellent questions.

Do I need to have 1Password installed on both Macs?

If you would like read/write access to your data from both Macs, yes, you'd need 1Password on each of them.

If so, do I need to purchase another copy of 1Password?

1Password is sold per-person, per-platform, rather than per-device. So the short answer here is no.

When 1Password uses the word "Vault", does that refer to all the information that 1Password is storing for me?

Not necessarily. In 1Password 3, yes, it does. With 1Password 4 for Mac we introduced a multiple vaults feature, and there is no longer a term that encompases all of the vaults you may have. You can read more about multiple vaults here:

Multiple Vaults

Both Macs are connected to my home network, so they should be able to communicate with each other. I think I want to use Folder Sync to sync all the password information between the two Macs - but not 100% sure. The description of Folder Sync on the web site doesn't provide a very good description of exactly what it does or how it works.

We do not currently offer/support a "local" sync between multiple Mac/Windows computers. The only two sync options we support for this type of scenario are Dropbox (Mac/Win) and iCloud (Mac).

Folder Sync is more of an "advanced" feature. It is not intended for the purpose you've outlined, but could possibly be used to accomplish that (again, not supported). I do know we have customers who have successfully used Folder Sync in combination with 3rd party sync tools to sync between Macs over a local network. We do not recommend using Folder Sync alone to sync across Macs.

(1) The is no "Sync" tab in my Preferences dialog box. I forced 1Password to check for updates, and it said that I am using the latest version.

As 1Password 4 for Mac is a paid upgrade from 1Password 3 for Mac, it will not be offered as an update by the auto-updater. You have a few options here:

1. You can stick with 1Password 3 for Mac. It is still a great product, even if it doesn't have all the latest bells and whistles (you can read about some of the new features in v4 here: http://learn.agilebits.com/1Password4/Mac/en/whats-new.html )
   If you need to re-download v3 you can find a link here:
   http://help.agilebits.com/1Password3/legacy_versions.html
2. You can upgrade your 1Password 3 for Mac license to a 1Password 4 for Mac license using our online store: https://agilebits.com/store/upgrade
   This is the most economical option if you do choose to upgrade.
3. You can upgrade in the Mac App Store: http://j.mp/1PmasCS
   1Password 4 for Mac from our AgileBits webstore has been tested with, and supports iCloud sync. We can not guarantee that Apple will continue to provide iCloud for apps sold outside of the Mac App Store. If iCloud sync is very important to you we continue to recommend that you purchase through the Mac App Store.

Note to 1Password developers: Your product is great - I really like it. But your web site has weaknesses. It was written by people who already know the product inside-out, and they assume that visitors to the site have the same level of knowledge of the product. Your site needs better explanations of terms and of processes to help the average person understand the features and capabilities of the product.

Thank you for the feedback! We are looking to hire a dedicated documentation specialist:

There’s 1Password documentation in your head, we need it out. Yes, we’re hiring again!

Local sync is probably one of our most requested sync features, and so we're definitely looking into it. At the moment however I can't offer an officially supported solution, unfortunately.

Thanks!

Ben

Clint_O

Hi Ben,

Thanks for the detailed reply - very helpful.

If iCloud is the best/easiest way to keep 1Password in sync between two Macs, then maybe I'll try it. (I avoid storing data on the cloud if at all possible. No matter what the cloud-masters say, cloud storage of data is NOT secure. There are very smart and nefarious people who are constantly hacking away at it.) I encourage the developers at AgileBits to make development of a dedicated Local Sync function a very high priority.

One final question: If I want to install 1Password on the Mac in my living room, do I just download 1Password to the Mac, then enter the license key that I have on the Mac in my office?

Thanks again,
Clint

sjk

Hi @Clint_O,

On Ben's behalf, you're very welcome!

Either Dropbox or iCloud could be the "best/easiest" choice for cloud syncing 1Password data between your Macs. I personally prefer Dropbox and some of my colleagues prefer iCloud. I'm sure Ben wasn't intending to imply one is necessarily better than the other. :)

Using Dropbox syncing also supports using 1PasswordAnywhere as an alternative method of accessing your 1Password data.

1Password is designed to keep your data protected regardless of where it's stored, which is emphasized in articles like:

Your Master Password is your defense from Dropbox breaches, real and imagined | Agile Blog

If I want to install 1Password on the Mac in my living room, do I just download 1Password to the Mac, then enter the license key that I have on the Mac in my office?

That's the general idea. :)

More specific instructions for adding the 1Password license depend on which version you've downloaded/installed:

Download 1Password 4, How do I add my license to 1Password 4?

Download 1Password 3, Registering 1Password | 1Password 3 User Guide

The main difference is that 1Password 3 uses a license key and 1Password 4 uses a license file.

If you have other questions please don't hesitate to ask!

Clint_O

Thanks SJK. Now it's time for me to install 1Password on the "other" Mac, then sync the two.

sjk

Sounds good, @Clint_O. :)

Are you still planning on using iCloud syncing? You originally mentioned:

I am using 1Password version 3.8.21 on the Mac in my home office.

Have you upgraded that to 1Password 4? 1P3 won't support iCloud syncing but you can, of course, use Dropbox syncing with it.

We'll be here to help if you get stuck or just feel like posting a progress report. :)

Randomizer

What if one of the computers is a PC using 1Pass 3 and the other is a Mac using 4?

sjk

Hi @Randomizer,

If the PC is running 1Password for Windows (currently version 1.0.9.340; version 4 is coming) it already supports Dropbox sync. 1Password 3 for Windows doesn't exist. :)

Megan

Hi @Randomizer,

Right now our cross-platform sync solution is Dropbox. There are instructions on how to set up your Windows machine with Dropbox here. This will keep your Mac and your PC nicely synced up. :)