How do I make a hard copy of all my 1Password contents?

blawrenc

I have multiple external backups of 1Password. However, I have two situations in which the backups don't help. 1) I need to check a specific id/password and 1Password won't allow me to open backups because the program detects another copy of itself--even if the copy isn't open; 2) The syncing process sometimes loses important information without me knowing it has happened. This also requires hard copy because the correct information may have been lost many months ago.

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1Password Version: 6.8
Extension Version: 4.6.9
OS Version: OS 10.12.6
Sync Type: iCloud
Referrer: forum-search:Make a copy of all 1Password content for file?

AGAlumB

@blawrenc: First and foremost, we don't recommend printing because that's inherently insecure (between plaintext and printers logging what passes through them), which it sounds like what you're trying to do.

That said, you can export data from 1Password, and @MrC 's converter scripts have a great HTML output option you could use to print it to store in a safe deposit box for an emergency.

I'm not sure I follow with the rest though, so if you can clarify, there may be another solution, or something we can improve in the future:

1) I need to check a specific id/password and 1Password won't allow me to open backups because the program detects another copy of itself--even if the copy isn't open;

Why do you have multiple copies of the app? This shouldn't prevent you from using 1Password to access your data or restore a backup, but cleaning that up will avoid macOS launching the wrong one — which reduces headaches, if nothing else.

2) The syncing process sometimes loses important information without me knowing it has happened.

Syncing will only delete data if you'd made that change on another device and it syncs that change to the others. Also, 1Password will keep many backups, going back months. My oldest is from the beginning of the year. And you can always backup these archives using Time Machine or other software if you'd like to keep them longer than that. But certainly if you do run into an issue with backup or syncing, be sure to let us know.

blawrenc

Thanks for the quick reply!

To clarify: 1) I don't have multiple copies of the app on my iMac. I do have two external hard drives with complete backups of my iMac: one using Time Machine and the other using SuperDuper. I was trying to locate the original version of the information on those.

2) The second problem is that I don't always remember when I last made edits and additions to 1Password. This makes me quite leery of using the 1Password backups I keep on my iMac--especially for only one piece of information. My inconsistent memory makes retrieving the most recent backup risky. I also have several other synced computers that I use at work or when I travel.

I hoped there was a simpler way to do this, but it sounds as if I have to make sure to edit 1Password only on my iMac.

Thanks again.

AGAlumB

Thanks for the quick reply!

@blawrenc: Likewise, thanks for getting back to me! :)

To clarify: 1) I don't have multiple copies of the app on my iMac. I do have two external hard drives with complete backups of my iMac: one using Time Machine and the other using SuperDuper. I was trying to locate the original version of the information on those.

If the external drives containing copies of 1Password are connected to your Mac, then for all intents and purposes you do have multiple copies on your Mac. They're accessible to macOS, and unfortunately it will often launch the wrong copy. While you can ignore the warning, if you exclude the 1Password app from backups you definitely won't encounter any trouble with it. Your data is stored separately from the app, and you can always download the latest version of 1Password from our site if needed.

2) The second problem is that I don't always remember when I last made edits and additions to 1Password. This makes me quite leery of using the 1Password backups I keep on my iMac--especially for only one piece of information. My inconsistent memory makes retrieving the most recent backup risky. I also have several other synced computers that I use at work or when I travel.

I can't say I've ever needed to restore a backup for a single item, but that's definitely a bit of a conundrum. With passwords for Login items, "previously used passwords" are saved, but that doesn't help with other changes you might make.

I hoped there was a simpler way to do this, but it sounds as if I have to make sure to edit 1Password only on my iMac. Thanks again.

There actually is a simpler way now. 1Password.com accounts include an item history feature, which does make it possible to restore only a single item, since the server can track changes to individual items and save a version history for each; these can be restored through the 1Password.com web interface. You can try a 1Password.com membership for free to take advantage of that and the other benefits. I hope this helps. Be sure to let me know if you have any other questions! :)