Can I restore my vault from iOS to a new Mac laptop? (Orig. laptop that created vault was destroyed)

briansholis
briansholis
Community Member

Hello,

I recently lost the Mac laptop on which I created my vault. I've purchased a new Mac laptop and downloaded 1Password from the Mac app store. I'm trying to restore my vault from my iPhone so that I do not have to start from scratch and re-log all of my passwords. Is it possible to sync from iOS to a new laptop? (I set the new laptop up as 'existing user' and tried wi-fi sync, but the iOS device says "computer not found.")

Thank you in advance.

Brian


1Password Version: 5.4
Extension Version: Not Provided
OS Version: 10.11.1
Sync Type: wi-fi
Referrer: forum-search:new laptop wi-fi sync

Comments

  • Stephen_C
    Stephen_C
    Community Member

    @briansholis:

    I set the new laptop up as 'existing user' and tried wi-fi sync, but the iOS device says "computer not found."

    What you want to do should be perfectly possible. Try this:

    • reboot the phone & the laptop; and (if that doesn't work)
    • reboot your router and try again.

    If you still have problems post again because there are other things you can try.

    Stephen

  • Megan
    Megan
    1Password Alumni

    Hi @briansholis,

    Please let me know if the steps that Stephen suggested help! :)

  • briansholis
    briansholis
    Community Member

    Hi @Megan and @stephen_c,

    Thanks for your posts. A reboot of the laptop and iPhone did not work. Unfortunately I had to leave for work before rebooting the router/wi-fi network. I'll do that in a few hours upon my return home. Thank you!

  • Drew_AG
    Drew_AG
    1Password Alumni

    Hi @briansholis,

    I hope rebooting the router/wi-fi network helps to solve the problem! If not, let us know and we'll be happy to continue helping you with that.

    I also wanted to mention that, if you're not opposed to trying a cloud sync service, you could also sync your data from iOS to Mac using Dropbox sync (or if you're using the Mac App Store version of 1Password 5 for Mac, you could use iCloud sync).

    Whichever sync method you choose, it's a good idea to backup the 1Password data on your iPhone, and save that backup to your Mac. We have steps to do that here: Creating and restoring 1Password backups in iTunes (iOS)

    If you save that backup to your Mac, you can actually use it to restore the data to 1Password on your Mac, using the Backup Preferences. That doesn't solve the sync problem, but would at least allow you to use your 1Password data on your Mac while troubleshooting the Wi-Fi sync issue.

    Let us know how it all goes, thanks! :)

  • briansholis
    briansholis
    Community Member
    edited November 2015

    I'm impressed with how helpful this community is. And embarrassed at how much trouble I'm having. I switched to Dropbox sync and have successfully gotten my logins back onto my laptop. I did this by switching to Dropbox sync on my iPhone first, then syncing it to place the files in my Dropbx folder. I couldn't import those logins to my laptop's primary vault, however, so I eventually opened the finder window and simply dropped the vault from the Dropbox folder onto the 1Password app. This worked, but forced me to create a new vault. Now I can't delete the empty Primary Vault or merge it with the newly created one featuring my logins and passwords. It's not the end of the world to have two vaults, but if you know an easy way to sort out the little mess I've made I'd love the help.

    Thanks,
    Brian

  • Vee_AG
    Vee_AG
    1Password Alumni

    Hi @briansholis,

    Thanks for the update on your progress. And no need to be embarrassed; our forums are full of people with questions like yours, and answering those questions is exactly what we're here for. :)

    It sounds like you're very close to achieving what you want! There are two ways to get your data into your primary vault, and either one should work.

    1. Copy or move all the items from your secondary vault into your Primary vault. You can do this in one swift move by selecting all the items at once with control+A, then choose Item > Share > Primary > Copy or Move.
    2. Configure the sync settings for your Primary vault to sync with the keychain in Dropbox.

    Once you're sure you have the data you want in your Primary vault, you can delete the unnecessary secondary vault by switching to the secondary vault and then choosing from the menu bar 1Password > Delete vault.

    I hope this helps! Let us know how it goes for you.

  • briansholis
    briansholis
    Community Member
    edited December 2015

    Hi @vee,

    Thanks for following up. Each correction I make, based upon forum suggestions, works. But each one then creates another small problem. On my laptop, I was able to move my 63 items from the secondary vault to the primary vault. I deleted the secondary vault per your instructions. The new problem is that when I opened 1Password on my iPhone and then synced, all those logins disappeared. It seems like there is no connection between my Mac vault and my iPhone vault. I can't get them to sync.

    I tried erasing all of the data on the iPhone app, which then prompted me to shut the app down. When I reopened it I chose "sync with existing account," which found my vault in Dropbox but pulled in zero items. There are two files in my Dropbox: 1password.agilekeychain (440Kb) and 1password.opvault (154Kb). When I synced I chose the opvault file as my sync source. I have no way of telling which is linked to which vault or which app. I'm going to go back into the support docs and look for syncing from Mac to iPhone via Dropbox, as I wonder whether I was supposed to create a new user (like the docs originally suggested for restoring to Mac). But, yet again, any advice is appreciated.

    Brian

  • Drew_AG
    Drew_AG
    1Password Alumni

    Hi @briansholis,

    I'm very sorry for the confusion about that! We can definitely help to get this all cleared up. First, about the two files in your Dropbox folder:

    • 1Password.agilekeychain (440Kb) - This is most likely the sync file that currently contains your data, and it was probably created when configuring Dropbox sync on your Mac. It might be syncing with the Primary vault in 1Password on your Mac (we can check that).
    • 1Password.opvault (154Kb) - This is most likely the sync file that was originally created by 1Password on your iPhone, and which you had inadvertently used to create a secondary vault in 1Password on your Mac. If so, it probably no longer contains any items, as you moved them from that secondary vault to the Primary vault on your Mac.

    So right now, do you have all your data in the Primary vault in 1Password for Mac? If so, let's start by backing that up. From the main 1Password app, go to File > Backup. That will open the Backup preferences and show all your backups, including the new one you just made.

    Next, fixing the sync settings and getting your data back to 1Password on your iPhone should be fairly easy. I'll include steps to switch back to using the .opvault sync file, as that's a newer sync format (although the older .agilekeychain format is fine too). Just follow these steps:

    On your Mac:

    • Open 1Password and go to 1Password > Preferences in the menu bar.
    • Click the Sync tab, then choose your Primary vault on the left side of the Sync options.
    • If Dropbox is currently selected as the sync option, change it to None, then click Disable Sync.
    • Change the “Sync Primary vault with” pop-up menu from None back to Dropbox.
    • Click the Choose button, then select the 1Password.opvault file in Dropbox (it might be in Dropbox/Apps/1Password/).
    • Click Merge with Existing to start syncing.
    • Allow Dropbox to fully sync.

    Now, at this point you should still have all your data in the Primary vault on your Mac (but if for any reason it goes missing, just go to File > Restore, and restore from the latest backup that I asked you to make above). Assuming all is well at this point, and if 1Password on your iPhone is still set up to sync with 1Password.opvault, your data should sync back there again (check to make sure).

    Please let us know how it all goes! If anything goes wrong, don't worry - just let us know what happens, and we'll help to get things back on track again. Sorry this has been so troublesome for you!

  • briansholis
    briansholis
    Community Member

    Somehow doing that switched the vaults. There is now only one file in the Dropbox folder. It's a 157Kb .opvault file. And there are 2 items (both added via my Mac today) in both my Mac and iPhone primary vaults. Should I delete both vaults, turn off Dropbox syncing, restore the 65-item backup made just now, and then turn on Dropbox syncing on both devices?

  • Drew_AG
    Drew_AG
    1Password Alumni

    Hi @briansholis,

    Do you mean there are only 2 items in the Primary vault on your Mac and iPhone? If so, you shouldn't need to delete anything. Just follow these steps:

    • On your Mac, open 1Password and go to File > Restore.
    • Restore from the most recent backup that contains your 65 items.
    • Once those are restored, go to Preferences > Sync.
    • Change the sync option from None to Dropbox.
    • Click the Choose button, then select your 1Password.opvault file in Dropbox.
    • Click Merge with Existing to start syncing.

    If it works as expected, all your items should be copied to the .opvault file in Dropbox, and then they should all sync to 1Password on your iPhone the next time you open it. Does that all work as I've described? If anything goes wrong, just let us know. Thanks! :)

  • briansholis
    briansholis
    Community Member

    That seems to have worked. I have 67 items—65 from the Mac, 2 from the iPhone—in both vaults. I'm going to close and reopen both apps now and see if this holds . . .

    (time passes)

    OK, everything seems stable. I trust that it will hold. Thank you @Drew_AG, @Vee, @Megan, and @Stephen_C for your help.

    1P has always been reliable and I'm happy with the security and convenience it provides. Let's hope my cat doesn't spill water on this laptop and cause me to have to port everything to another machine again. At least I'm now an expert, and I know I can rely on responses in this forum.

    Relievedly,
    Brian

  • Drew_AG
    Drew_AG
    1Password Alumni

    That's great news, @briansholis! I'm really glad to hear it's all sorted out and working correctly now - and I'm sorry again that you ran into so much trouble! It should definitely continue to work well for you - assuming your cat behaves, of course. ;)

    We're always happy to help, so if you ever do run into more trouble with 1Password or have any questions, you know where to find us. :)

This discussion has been closed.