How can I sync my master password between devices?
I changed my master password on my MacBook.
But I can only unlock my vault with my old master password on my iOS. And it can sync changes of items in my vault.
And I can also only use the old master password to unlock my vault on anther MacBook.
Is there any way to sync the new master password between devices?
1Password Version: 6.5.3
Extension Version: Not Provided
OS Version: 10.12.3
Sync Type: Dropbox
Comments
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Changing the master password works the way it is supposed to, but this is not exactly the way a user would expect.
When you change the master password on one device it does not sync instantaneously. You have to use the old master password at least once. After that you can continue to use the old master password or you can use the new one. And as soon as you use the new one you can in future use only the new one, the old one will then stop working.
If that is not what is happening with you, maybe more details are needed.
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Hi @afon,
Danco is correct: On other devices, you'll need to unlock 1Password with the old master password and allow Dropbox sync to complete (it sounds like you may have already done that). Then try unlocking it with the new master password. Does that work? If not, let us know and we'll continue from there. Cheers! :)
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I can unlock it with the old password but not the new one. Even if after the syncing completed.
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Hi @afon,
Hmm, that's strange. Let's start by taking a look at some sync settings on each device:
On each Mac:
- Open 1Password and go to 1Password > Preferences in the menu bar.
- Click the Sync tab.
- Make sure it shows your Primary vault is set to sync with Dropbox.
- Check the file name and file path for the sync file in Dropbox.
On your iOS device:
- Open 1Password and go to Settings > Sync > Primary.
- Make sure it shows the Sync Service is Dropbox.
- Tap "Sync Service" and check the file name and file path for the sync file in Dropbox (underneath Current Sync Method / Dropbox).
All three will need to be pointing to the same sync file in your Dropbox account. If Dropbox is disabled or pointing to a different sync file on any of the devices, that explains the problem.
If those settings are fine, can you please let us know a few more details:
- What version of OS X / macOS are you running on your other MacBook?
- What exact version of the 1Password app is installed on your other MacBook?
- Are you using the AgileBits Store version or the Mac App Store version of 1Password on each Mac?
- What version of iOS do you have on your iOS device?
- What exact version of 1Password is installed on your iOS device?
- Do you have more than one vault in 1Password?
- Are you signed into a 1Password.com account in the 1Password app on any of your devices? (In the Mac version, check 1Password > Preferences > Accounts. In the iOS version, check 1Password > Settings > 1Password Accounts.)
Thanks in advance! :)
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I try it on my iPad again, it works.
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That's great news, I'm glad it's working for you now! Hopefully you're all set, but if you have more questions or need anything else, just let us know - we're always happy to help! :)
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I am a Family account user, who has seen a similar issue when changing my Master Password and not having my multiple devices act in a knowing way.
I updated my Master Password on my Mac and later tried to use the new password on my iPad (via Safari Extension). I could only get into the Safari Extension using the older, discontinued Master Password. This was resolved by my first using the local iOS 1Password app on that same iPad, which WAS accessible with the new Master Password (unlike the Safari Extension). Once I accessed via the local 1Password app, then I was able to access the Safari Extension with the new Master Password.
I found the same process to be true on my iPhone.
Some suggestions:
I may not be unique in expecting a change in the Master Password to be equitably shared across all devices. If there are extra steps required AFTER a Master Password is changed, these need to be added to the current web site instructions/support articles.
Second, if it's possible to make a Master Password change to be universal to all devices associated with the Family account, that would be great improvement. But if not, then the lack of such capability shouldn't be hidden. Yell it out so that users - like me - learn that they have to remember multiple Master Passwords, not just the current one.
Thanks, Doug
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@DenverDoug: I don't think we're hiding anything. We've blogged about how your Master Password "syncs" publicly (spoiler: it doesn't). In fact, it's because we're not hiding things -- such as your Master Password -- that it's not possible for it to work this way. Simply hiding things isn't real security, after all.
Certainly you're not unique in thinking that 1Password should "know" that you've changed your Master Password across all devices right off the bat, but for that to be possible we'd have to be storing your Master Password. That's not something we'll be doing for security reasons. If you're familiar with DVDs and the fact that their security was broken years ago (that's how it's possible to "backup" DVDs today), you may have an idea of why. Long story short, each DVD has a secret needed to decrypt it stored on the DVD itself. We don't want 1Password users to be in a situation where their secret is stored with their vault, where someone clever might be able to find it and use it to access the data inside. So when you change your Master Password on one device, you'll need to unlock with your "old" one (really, the current one until you do so) on each device so that your data can sync. Since the Master Password is used to encrypt the data, it is also needed to decrypt it first before your new one can take effect.
I'm sorry for the confusion that may have caused, but I hope this helps you better understand how 1Password protects your data -- and we're here if you have any questions. :)
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Benty, you make great points about WHY the software works the way it does, for better software. But perhaps yuo missed the point about users not knowing, especiallyi after using the AgileBits Support site's specific instructions (https://support.1password.com/change-master-password/). There is nothing an end-user (Customer) sees when following the published instructions on changing a Master Password, as to issues that will occur if multiple devices are in use (which must be quite common). Perhpas there is a blog discussing it, but perhaps it would be best if the official instructions simply covered the issue and how to deal with it.
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That's a good point @DenverDoug, and I agree - it would be helpful to have documentation to explain this to customers. I'm surprised we don't hear questions about this more often, although I don't know if that means customers are figuring it out on their own or if not many customers change their master passwords. Either way, I hope we'll be able to make this clearer in the future.
You mentioned that you're using a 1Password Families account, so I wanted to let you know that if you change the master password for your account, the 1Password app on other devices should prompt you to re-sign into your account (using your new password). However, I don't know for sure if you'll get that prompt if you try to unlock the 1Password for iOS extension before the main app. But in general, the apps should make it clearer about what you need to do if you're using a 1Password.com account.
Thank you for your feedback about that! If you need anything else, please let us know. :)
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