Secret Key

Hi @Bouncyman! Welcome to the forum!

1Password version 3.8.22 is very old now, and does not support 1Password Memberships (which require a Secret Key). If you want to continue using 1Password 3, you need to download that version from here.

From what you wrote, I think you might have downloaded the latest 1Password version 7, which will not work with your existing license key.

We do however recommend upgrading to the latest version of 1Password, and the best way to do that is through a 1Password Membership. It has been a far more popular choice and from the feedback we get, people prefer the ease that having a 1Password membership comes with (when it comes to things like managing backups, syncing, multi-device management etc.).You also don't need to think about managing and applying licenses ;)

@Bouncyman

...can you advise how I would install and activate existing membership back onto my MacBook please?

I understand that it's been a while since you last checked in with us, so just to explain: the term "membership" means something specific in regard to 1Password these days (and has since 2016): it refers to a 1password.com account (which is what you saw that requires a Secret Key and subscription). So although you may not have known how we're describing things these days, you've never had an existing membership. What you have is the only thing that existed at the time you purchased it, which is what we now call a standalone license: it is a license to use a single version of 1Password (such as 1Password 3 for Mac or 1Password 4 for Windows, etc), including all the incremental updates within that version (such as from 3.4 to 3.5, etc).

That means a standalone license for version 3 will work with all incremental updates of version 3. And to be clear, your license for 1Password 3 for Mac never expires, and you can use it to license version 3 on as many Macs as you own/use...which can still run version 3. However, the final maintenance release of 1Password 3 for Mac which you have installed was released in May of 2014 and the final meaningful update was in 2012. 1Password 3 for Mac cannot even function properly on macOS 10.14 (“Mojave”) or macOS 10.13 (“High Sierra”), and the previous couple of macOS releases are iffy at best with 1Password 3 for Mac.

That means if you plan to use any modern version of macOS on any of your Macs, you'll need something more current than 1Password 3 for Mac. So, unless you've got only older Macs still running OS X El Capitan or lower, it's time to upgrade to remain current, compatible and secure. While standalone licenses such as what you have for version 3 are still available for purchase in 1Password 7 for Mac for those who want them, the retail price is $64.99 each (though they're on sale for $49.99 right now - but I can't say for how much longer). Such a license will give you access to all future versions of 1Password 7 for Mac, but when subsequent versions are released, they will require additional purchases as well. The other option is a 1password.com membership/account. There are several varieties (Individual, 1Password Families, 1Password Business) and therefore different prices depending upon need and use-case. But for comparison's sake, an individual 1password.com membership costs $2.99/mo if paid annually ($35.88/yr). This membership comes with many benefits, not least of which is the rock-solid and lightning-quick 1password.com sync engine. No more fooling around with making sure to set up and maintain separate, limited, 3rd party sync engines and their associated apps: just sign into your 1password.com membership (using your Master Password and the Secret Key which you will have as part of your account), and your data appears and stays in sync, instantly across devices of all platforms. Which leads me to the second benefit I wanted to mention: each 1password.com membership gives you access to all four of our native 1Password apps (Mac, Windows, iOS and Android), at no extra charge for as long as you maintain the membership, including all future upgrades. So, when a new version is released, just download, install and go: no purchasing new licenses, keeping track of license files, etc.

If you have any questions, feel free to let us know; we're here to help. :)