Where are the backups of 1 Password 7 for Mac?

gg987
gg987
Community Member

I see no mention of backups under File or in preferences.


1Password Version: 7.2.5
Extension Version: Not Provided
OS Version: OS 10.14.4
Sync Type: iCloud
Referrer: forum-search:cannot find backups in 1 password 7 for mac

Comments

  • Hi @gg987

    You can learn about how backups work in 1Password 7 here:

    1Password backups

    I hope that helps!

    Ben

  • gg987
    gg987
    Community Member

    That section discusses how to restore backups for individual items. How does one restore an entire backup?

  • peacekeeper
    peacekeeper
    Community Member

    Do you have a 1Password Membership? If so, there is no local backup since there is a complete archive on the servers, you cannot delete anything by accident.

  • Right. With memberships backups are made on a per-item basis, rather than a per-vault basis like standalone vaults. This gives more flexibility: you don't have to "go back in time" with your entire vault to revert the changes to a single item.

    Ben

  • spugh
    spugh
    Community Member

    It seems to me you have only recently stopped local backups to the Mac, although I was told by email support recently that any changes to a vault would be held on the Mac and synced when internet connection resumed (I have a poor service) So where are those changes stored while waiting for an online sync? I did a check and under Library/1Password 4/Backups I found a list of backups the last of which was for 25 February 2019 but nothing since then. Where is it now? What did you do on or after 25 February to change the location and why did you do it? I notice other files were updated on the same date and not since, namely Library/1Password 4/Data/OnePassword.sqlite-shm and B5.sqlite-shm.

  • @spugh

    There is a difference between the local cache of 1Password data and a local backup. A backup is a snapshot in time, whereas the cache is, as you say, where 1Password works on your data live (to be synced when connected). The local cache is stored in:

    ~/Library/Group Containers/2BUA8C4S2C.com.agilebits/Library/Application Support/1Password/Data

    I did a check and under Library/1Password 4/Backups I found a list of backups the last of which was for 25 February 2019 but nothing since then.

    Only standalone vaults are backed up in that way.

    What did you do on or after 25 February to change the location and why did you do it?

    We didn't change anything on / around that time in this regard as far as I'm aware, but perhaps something in your setup changed? Do you no longer have any standalone vaults?

    Ben

  • spugh
    spugh
    Community Member

    Thanks Ben. No, I do not have the standalone and haven't since the time when v.7 came out (and I much prefer it). Knowing the change, I guess that is why I was puzzled by the 25 February backup. The only explanation I have is that around that time I queried my membership payment arrangements to shift from paying via the AppStore in favour of annual payment. Do I assume that when synced, the cache is deleted or not saved? If I ever had a major outage, could I access the cache file? Thanks for your explanation.

  • AGAlumB
    AGAlumB
    1Password Alumni

    It's not something you need to "access". The whole point of the cache is that it's the data you're working with locally in 1Password on your device. That's there whether you're connected to the internet or not.

  • spugh
    spugh
    Community Member

    It seems to me you have only recently stopped local backups to the Mac, although I was told by email support recently that any changes to a vault would be held on the Mac and synced when internet connection resumed (I have a poor service) So where are those changes stored while waiting for an online sync? I did a check and under Library/1Password 4/Backups I found a list of backups the last of which was for 25 February 2019 but nothing since then. Where is it now? What did you do on or after 25 February to change the location and why did you do it? I notice other files were updated on the same date and not since, namely Library/1Password 4/Data/OnePassword.sqlite-shm and B5.sqlite-shm.

  • spugh
    spugh
    Community Member

    Apologies, I haven't quite got the hang of posting on this site. So please ignore my previous (repeated) post. However, I do want to tease this out a little more.. I take your point, brenty, about caches. However, can you please explain the contents of Library/Group Containers/2BUA8C4S2C.com.agilebits/Library/Application Support/1Password/AccountExports? The zip files look suspiciously like synced files to me, or rather as if they were like 'exported' files from the File menu, except they are large (c.5mb) rather than the 300Kb for an exported vault. Do the files continue to be added with each change to the vault or are users meant to delete them periodically? Presumably these big zip files contain documents which I understand cannot be exported along with other data from the File menu (why?)

  • Lars
    Lars
    1Password Alumni
    edited April 2019

    @spugh - so, in standalone 1Password, AccountExports wasn't a thing. In 1Password accounts, it is...kinda. We have been trying to build a way to allow for local backups of data like used to exist in standalone, but it's not quite ready for prime-time yet...if it ever will be. Basically, the problem is not in making and storing backups, but in the restore phase -- the server is the canonical record, whereas in standalone, your own local data was king. Restoring a backup in standalone was (relatively) easy: there were no issues to consider about data integrity on the remote server and which should be considered "correct," and there are now. It's still being worked on, but for now, those exports don't serve any purpose you can actually use. We have individual item history available in the 1password.com web client, which is in many ways much more flexible than whole-database restores...but we don't have restore code ready to do what you could do in standalone 1Password just yet. You can delete these if you must, but it's not recommended.

  • spugh
    spugh
    Community Member

    Thanks Lars. You are going to think of me as neurotic about my own backup/synced data and you would be right. I know that my data is safe with you but I have good reason to feel nervous about NOT having my own vital data accessible in my own sweaty palms (that's another story and nothing to do with 1P). I can see your problem trying to reconcile two probably irreconcilable entities and I thank you for your honesty. I guess I would feel happier if File/Export included ALL information (including attached documents - why did you separate them from the individual entries as they were in v.6?) With regard to the zip files, I assume they are safe and encoded? I suppose over time they will account for quite a considerable amount of space if you recommend leaving them. I do hope you find some way to scrapping them eventually, especially if they cannot be accessed as synced data. I love 1P but I have found the transition from v.6 to v.7 rather lumpy. It is worth it but it has involved time and a lot of second guessing!

  • Ben
    Ben
    edited April 2019

    I guess I would feel happier if File/Export included ALL information (including attached documents

    Me too. I'd love to see us make that happen. But there are a lot of 'nice to have' features we'd love to see, and we have to prioritize what we spend our development time on. Someday, hopefully.

    why did you separate them from the individual entries as they were in v.6?

    Documents are much more flexible than attachments. They can be associated with:

    • more than one other 1Password item
    • no other 1Password items at all (they can exist on their own, without the need for a "parent" item)

    With regard to the zip files, I assume they are safe and encoded?

    They're encrypted the same as the rest of your 1Password data.

    I do hope you find some way to scrapping them eventually,

    As Lars mentioned we're in the very early stages of this. The feature isn't fully built or exposed to users yet. I'm sure it'll get sorted as we progress further.

    I love 1P but I have found the transition from v.6 to v.7 rather lumpy. It is worth it but it has involved time and a lot of second guessing!

    Thanks for the feedback! I'm sorry to hear that, but I hope it is smoother sailing from here out.

    Ben

  • spugh
    spugh
    Community Member

    Thanks Ben. Again I appreciate your honesty and recognise, of course, that you have to prioritise. When I said 'lumpy' I guess I meant that I had problems in the early stages of v.7 which may or may not have been my system/me (I couldn't get 'open and fill' to work for several weeks, opening the browser app wouldn't open the main app and v.v.) but hey we are where we are and 1P is quicker and easier and I still love it as much as I always have (from v.3/4 I think). Thanks to all of you.

  • Thanks for the kind words. :)

    Ben

This discussion has been closed.