cannot "start sync" on 1P for Mac - button never appears after selecting iCloud sync

Hi @rharris59! I’d be happy to help. :) Since iCloud is a third-party syncing service, there's only so much we can do to help with syncing, and we've gathered all our tips into a nice troubleshooting article to get you moving:

If you’re having trouble syncing with iCloud

If that doesn't help, I'd suggest trying Dropbox sync instead, or simply using a 1Password account, which is the best way to sync your devices. It's paid with a subscription, and it includes the latest version of all the 1Password apps so you don't have to worry about purchasing upgrades in the future. All your data is stored safely on 1Password.com behind a Secret Key and your Master Password so no one but you can access it. Check out this article for a bit more info about 1Password accounts:

What are the benefits of a 1Password membership?

Sync with them is seamless, and if there's ever an issue we can troubleshoot it very quickly since it's a system we built. With third-party sync services like Dropbox and iCloud, troubleshooting sync has a lot of variables, and we've tried to document them the best we can on our support website, so if you do want to troubleshoot things the best place to start would be there. I'm very happy to help you set up a 1Password account and migrate your data to it if you want to take that route. :) We've got a great article to get you started:

Move your existing 1Password data to a 1Password account

Hope that helps!