Mac <=> iOS <=> Windows now that I lost Dropbox at work
I have 1Password working on Mac, iOS, and a Windows PC at work. I had been happily using the Dropbox sync method to keep everything in sync and it worked beautifully. Recently, I have lost the ability to sync to Dropbox on my work PC. Is there a way that I can sync now using, say, Wifi from iOS <=> Windows and, say, iCloud or Dropbox sync from Mac <=> iOS? I'm going crazy here.
In the worst of all possible worlds, can I do a copy of the 1Password keychain file from Mac to a thumb drive to the Windows machine in the current Dropbox folder location?
Thanks, David
1Password Version: 4.x
Extension Version: Not Provided
OS Version: Windows 7
Sync Type: Dropbox
Referrer: forum-search:sync to ios
Comments
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Hi @dsmccormick,
We are hearing more and more of companies blocking Dropbox and this does make it difficult to use 1Password at work.
We don't recommend switching your iOS device between Wi-Fi and Dropbox, just to sync to different computers. This is difficult to maintain the data integrity because they both work differently and each time you switch the sync option, we reset the sync state database that helps us know which data has changed on the local and remote sides.
You can use the Folder Sync from your Mac to put the sync file on your USB drive and then use that on your PC, assuming your work allows the use of USB drives. Here's how Folder Sync works.
When you connect the USB drive on your PC, you can make a copy of the 1Password folder to put in your Documents > 1Password folder. Open 1Password and go to the File Menu > Open 1Password Vault to select the folder in your Documents > 1Password directory.
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I get how to do the Folder sync with from Mac to Windows, but it seems like you use that mode, you cannot simultaneously sync with iOS. Do you have to switch modes every time you want to sync data to Windows? I don't quite understand how you can sync to Mac, iOS, and Windows if Mac and Windows need Folder sync. Thank for any insight.
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Hi @dsmccormick,
Sorry, I should've mentioned that on the Mac, you can use Wi-Fi sync at the same time with the Folder Sync. There is a separate Wi-Fi Server pane next to Sync in the 1Password for Mac's preferences you can use with your iOS device. It would like this:
- Folder Sync between Mac and Windows PCs
- Wi-Fi Sync between Mac and iOS devices
Note that the Folder Sync can be used to put into your sync folder like iCloud Drive if you want to try it at work, instead of your USB drive. In this case, you would need to make sure you back up your data more often as the sync conflicts can occur here.
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One more thing, we are working on a much better solution in the future that may work for your needs assuming your work will not block it. We are working on our own cloud version of 1Password called 1Password for Teams, you would be able to access your data within the web browser if they block the program. We would handle the sync for you automatically for all of your apps.
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So if I have more than 1 iOS device (iPhone and iPad), how do they stay in sync? I have 4 devices that need to stay in sync. Does everything have to sync through the Mac in this case?
I'm looking forward to whatever you come up with. This current state of affairs is getting a bit maddening. If I didn't have to use the Windows machine, this would work just fine. Heterogeneity breeds contempt...and madness.
Thanks so much, David
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Hi @dsmccormick,
Does everything have to sync through the Mac in this case?
The same Mac will sync to all of your iOS devices, yes.
This current state of affairs is getting a bit maddening. If I didn't have to use the Windows machine, this would work just fine.
That's why we're working on 1Password for Teams, to simplify 1Password for our customers as the various sync services are starting to become too complex to manage with 1Password.
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I'm feeling very thick here, but completely understanding it is really important to me. Let me give you a scenario (I'll forego the Windows part of this, because I think I understand the Folder Sync idea).
I sync both iPad and iPhone to Mac on the local network. Everyone's in sync. The Mac stays home.
I go into the world with both my iPhone and iPad. I modify 1Password on the iPhone. Separately I modify something else on the iPad.
I presume the updates on the iPhone and iPad are now out of sync.
I go home and sync iPad and iPhone to Mac. How many passes of Wifi syncing will it take to insure Mac, iPhone, and iPad are in Sync again?
Is Wifi syncing something that I have to manually launch every time the devices sync? Or once I set up Wifi syncing will all the Mac and iOS devices phone home to sync periodically without my intervention?
Thanks, David
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Hi @dsmccormick,
With that many devices and if you're making changes all the time, it seems to me like you would be better off using Dropbox sync between Mac and iOS devices.
I go home and sync iPad and iPhone to Mac. How many passes of Wi-Fi syncing will it take to insure Mac, iPhone, and iPad are in Sync again?
You have to unlock 1Password on your iOS device before it can perform the Wi-Fi sync, which means one time per iOS device. If you have 4 devices, you have to do 4 manual syncs.
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Hi @dsmccormick,
I have an idea, I don't know if it would work for you. 1Password on Mac does support different sync for each vault, you could rename your PC vault to 1Password-PC.agilekeychain and add it as a secondary vault set to Folder Sync on the Mac. What you could do is copy data between vaults in the Mac to update entries manually.
Would that work for you?
Basically, you would have two identical vaults in 1Password for Mac, the first one is syncing via Dropbox to your iOS devices. The second one is the PC vault set to sync via folder to your USB drive. When you need to update, you would copy it from one vault to another vault by right-clicking on the items to select the vault to copy it to.
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Mike:
The secondary vault scheme sounds like the least disruptive way to do this. Thanks for the ideas and taking all the time to clearly answer my questions.
David
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Hi @dsmccormick,
You're welcome and I do apologize for going in circle with this, it is not a type of configuration we're used to supporting in the past since Dropbox was the common setup at work as well. We'll see if we can document this better and get Teams out sooner.
Thanks for your patience. If you need further assistance with that setup, let us know, we're here anytime to help out.
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I have implemented your fiendish plan. I deleted everything on the Windows side an copied from Mac Primary vault to Mac Work vault to thumb drive folder to Windows folder. It's manageable. I'll just create a weekly repeating task to copy over. Thanks. David
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Good to know, @dsmccormick!
Please let us know if we can be of any further assistance.
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What I realized on the Windows side is that there is no Folder sync: I had to directly copy the vault to the Windows directory (or run it off the thumb drive).
Is 1Password for Windows being actively developed any more, such that there might be greater feature parity in the future?
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1Password for Windows directly accesses the vault file/folder, unlike 1Password 5 for Mac which synchronises the contents of the vault file with an internal database. As such a separate folder sync is not necessary.
You only have to point 1Password to the file on your PC (File > Open 1Password vault…) to access it.
And yes, the application is being actively developed. We're also working a new version of 1Password for Windows, with sensible feature parity across platforms in mind.
I hope that helps :)
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One last question: since I'm now using Folder Sync for the Mac to Windows part of the equation, can I change the Mac to iOS syncing to iCloud? Thanks.
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Hi @dsmccormick,
I'm sorry but that's not possible. You have to choose between folder sync/Dropbox/iCloud for a vault.
An alternative would be to use Wi-Fi sync to synchronise the data between OS X and iOS. IT works almost automatically once it's set up.Our 'Switching from cloud sync to Wi-Fi Sync' will help you make it work.
Cheers!
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