Existing sync setup gives "Failed to unlock. Cannot load keychain profile" error

System

This discussion was created from comments split from: Dropbox error "Failed to unlock. Cannot load keychain profile." New mac installation..

ChelseaMac

I have used 1Password for years and love it. All of a sudden I started getting the "Failed to unlock. Cannot load keychain profile" error. I use Dropbox to sync. The file is definitely synced with Dropbox. (It has been doing this for weeks and there is a green checkmark next to the file.) I am using Mac OSX, Sierra - Version 10.12.4 (16E195). I also use an iPad Pro and an Android phone. Both the iPad and Android work, but I suspect are not syncing properly with the Dropbox file. I am running 1Password version 6.6.4 (664002) from the App Store. I have done a fair amount of research on the issue, but I cannot get it resolved. Please help.

ChelseaMac

Contents of this comment added to previous...

Drew_AG

Hi @ChelseaMac,

If 1Password had previously been syncing with that same file in Dropbox, but it suddenly started giving you that error, it sounds like this is happening for a different reason than the previous discussion, so I've moved your messages to a new thread. I hope you don't mind!

It will help if you can let us know a few more details about the problem and your setup:

• When exactly does that error appear on your Mac? Is there something specific you're trying to do in 1Password when it happens?
• If you open the main 1Password app on your Mac and go to 1Password > Preferences > Sync, what do you see there? (For example, is Dropbox still selected for your vault? Does it show a file path to the sync file in Dropbox?)
• What is the name of the sync file in Dropbox?
• If you make a change in 1Password on your iPad, does that change sync to 1Password on your Android phone?
• Before the problem started, had you made any changes to your sync setup in 1Password, or to the sync file in Dropbox?
• Do you have multiple vaults in 1Password on your Mac, or just that one?
• What version of 1Password is installed on your iPad?
• What version of 1Password is installed on your Android phone?

Thanks in advance! :)

ChelseaMac

I have been using 1Password for several years and I love it. In the past few weeks I have been unable to use the Mac version of it. I get the "Failed to unlock. Cannot load keychain profile" error. I sync with Dropbox (Version 23.4.19 on my Mac). OSX Sierra version 10.12.4 (16E195). I also use an iPad Pro and Android phone - both of which are working fine, although I don't know if they are syncing with each other (or the Mac file). I have read all that I can find about this issue, re-installed 1Password to latest version on the App Store, and still no success. Please help.

ChelseaMac

Thanks for your response. I just re-posted my original question on the old forum before I saw you responded here. My apologies.

The error occurs when I open 1Password and it asks me to point to the Dropbox file (keychain). After I select the file, the error message comes up.

I can't access 'Preferences' because I can't get into the program.

The file name is '1Password.agilekeychain'

I just tried accessing 1Password on my Android and it would not let me in. The error said, "The necessary file encryption Keys.js is missing." Tap Details for information on resolving this issue." So I think it is safe to assume that nothing is syncing.

I had made absolutely no changes to the sync setup in 1Password prior to these errors emerging.

I only have that one vault.

I have the latest versions from the App Store and Play Store installed on my two mobile devices.

Drew_AG

Thanks @ChelseaMac! No problem at all for re-posting in the previous thread (I merged that new post with this thread). You thought your message had disappeared so you posted it again, and I probably would have done the exact same thing. ;)

It sounds to me like there's a problem with the 1Password.agilekeychain file in Dropbox, and that's causing some trouble for 1Password on Mac and Android (the iOS version might also give an error message). What you can do is delete that sync file from Dropbox and then re-enable sync with Dropbox on your Mac to create a new sync file. You said you're unable to open/unlock 1Password on your Mac, but hopefully deleting the sync file will solve that. Please follow these steps:

1. Open the Dropbox folder on your Mac, then find the 1Password.agilekeychain sync file and drag it to the Trash.
2. Open and unlock the main 1Password app (if you still cannot do that, stop here and let us know exactly what happens).
3. Go to 1Password > Preferences from the menu bar, then select the Sync tab (at some point you might get an error about the missing sync file, which is fine).
4. Change the sync setting from None to Dropbox.
5. Click the Choose button, then select your main Dropbox folder and click Open.
6. Click Create New to create a new sync file (it might be named 1Password.opvault).
7. Allow Dropbox to fully sync (in your Dropbox folder, wait until a green check mark appears next to the new sync file).

Your iPad should stop syncing when it realizes the old .agilekeychain file was removed from Dropbox, and will give you an error message about that (which is expected). You can follow these steps to re-enable sync on your iPad:

1. Open 1Password on your iPad and go to Settings > Sync > Start Syncing.
2. Choose Sync with Dropbox, then tap your Dropbox account name (do not tap on the 'i' icon).
3. When asked to choose a vault, choose the new sync file you created.
4. Choose to merge the vaults and enter your master password if prompted.

On Android, you'll need to delete 1Password and reinstall it. When you open it again after reinstalling, you'll be able to set it up by choosing your sync file from Dropbox.

Please let us know how it all goes, and if there's a problem, we'll continue from there. :)

ChelseaMac

Thanks. I have dumped the keychain file in the trash. I cannot, however, get past the intro page when I reboot 1Password. It (obviously) asks me for the Dropbox location, but that file is now removed, so I have nothing to select. Should I be opening it as a new user? Am I missing something?

Drew_AG

Hi @ChelseaMac,

Do you mean that when you open the main 1Password app, it shows the 'Welcome' screen with several options under a "Used 1Password before?" section? If so, that sounds like a separate problem in addition to the issue with the sync file. The app reads from a local database on your Mac, not the sync file (which is just a copy of your vault that is used for syncing). If you're seeing the 'Welcome' screen when you open the app, that means it didn't find the local data on your Mac.

I don't know for sure why it's not finding your data, but there are a couple basic possibilities. One is that the local database was somehow removed (but that shouldn't happen unless you removed it yourself from the ~/Library/ directory, or if an app cleaning utility did that). Another possibility is that you had previously been using the AgileBits Store version of 1Password but recently switched to the Mac App Store version (or vice versa). Each of those versions stores data separately on a Mac, so if you switched from one to the other, the one you switched to wouldn't find the data from the other one. You mentioned you're currently using the version from the Mac App Store, but is there any chance you had previously been using the AgileBits Store version? If you go to the Applications folder on your Mac, does it have "1Password.app" or "1Password 6.app"?

Even if your data is somehow missing from your Mac, it sounds like you also have it on your iPad, so you can always recover the data from there if necessary. But first, let us know about the Mac App Store / AgileBits Store versions, thanks! :)

ChelseaMac

Thanks for the response. You are correct that I originally downloaded 1Password from the Agile Bits store (in 2010 or so) and then more recently downloaded a version from the Mac App Store ( I think when I bought a new laptop). I just checked and my iPad appears to have all of the files intact. Can you please tell me how to safely back up these files and to re-establish a new sync arrangement?

AGAlumB

@ChelseaMac: Great! Please backup your data on your iPad before you do anything else. Just to confirm:

1. Do you have sync setup in 1Password on your iPad currently?
2. Do you have any 1Password vaults in Dropbox still?

It sounds like the answer to both is "no". If so, setup Dropbox sync in 1Password on your iPad, go to 1Password for Mac Help > Troubleshooting > Reset All 1Password Data (1Password will need to be locked), and then setup 1Password for Mac with the new vault in Dropbox from your iPad. Let me now how you get along! :)

ChelseaMac

Thanks for all of your help. I succeeded in at least making a back up, re-establishing a sync between my iPad and Dropbox and re-installed my Android version with that new vault, so I now have mobile access. I have not succeeded with my Mac yet, but I note from other support threads that for whatever reason the Dropbox sync of the vault files can take a awhile so I am at this stage content to wait and see. I am happy to celebrate the relief of being able to access my files somewhere for now! Your help is very much appreciated.

AGAlumB

@ChelseaMac: Thanks for the update. You're welcome! :chuffed:

Indeed, I find it always takes longer than I want it to for everything to sync when I setup Dropbox on a new device — but that may say more about my impatience than Dropbox itself. :lol:

On a computer it's pretty easy to tell the sync status, as you'll see the regular dropbox icon in the menu bar, without the little circular arrow sync animation. Once that's complete, your data — including the 1Password vault — should be good to go. :)