How to access iCloud vaults
Here's my current setup:
Purchased licenses for all platforms (Windows, Mac OS, iOS).
Vault Location: iCloud
I want to be able to hold copies (and preferebly two-way sync) between all my devices. A subscription is out of the question; I will gladly pay for a new version of the software I find value in but I will never be held hostage to monthly or yearly payments (but that's another discussion :) ) Dropbox sadly limited its free tier to only three computers and 1Password does not support OneDrive or Google Drive for vault syncing. This only leaves iCloud which is what I currently use but does not support vault sync with Windows clients.
I was catching up with local folder syncing (https://support.1password.com/local-folder/) and wanted to ask if its possible to somehow point to the iCloud vault (or a copy held on my Mac computer) and sync that copy to a local folder on my Windows laptop. The problem here is that I don't know how to navigate to select the vault that I want to sync to on my Windows laptop. What is the vault's location either on iCloud or the copy or my Mac?
Is this even a feasible solution? If not, is there another solution for my use case?
P.S. Please reconsider Google Drive support! Pretty please? :)
1Password Version: Not Provided
Extension Version: Not Provided
OS Version: Not Provided
Sync Type: Not Provided
Comments
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Given you only have three devices in your ecosystem right now, @cutter, Dropbox is still going to be your best bet unless there are extra Macs or PCs you're not explicitly mentioning here or other devices where you need Dropbox access but don't use 1Password. iCloud sync does not work on Windows because it utilizes CloudKit, which is only available on Apple devices and based on past experience I don't imagine that's likely to change. One thing worth noting is that to this point, 1Password for iOS seems not to be considered a "device" from Dropbox's perspective. I often need to rotate which devices have access to my test Dropbox vault and my iPad has yet to be listed as a device to deauthorize despite having access to that data. I do not have the Dropbox app authorized on my iPad, however, and my understanding is having the app installed would change that so your mileage may vary depending on your setup and, of course, there's no telling when or if my experience may change.
We also won't be offering support for additional sync services. On most devices, folder sync will have folks who want to use a different service covered – Dropbox sync on desktops and laptops is genuinely just folder sync with some extra smarts added to direct you to your local Dropbox folder where appropriate. Folder sync doesn't care where that local folder is and if you save that copy of your data to a folder that syncs between your devices, you've got yourself using a different sync service without us specifically supporting that service. Now, we can't and don't test against every possible sync service one might use with folder sync, but the possibility exists to choose your own adventure so to speak.
Finally, though I agree it's a separate issue, your data is never held hostage with a 1Password membership. It's wholly possible to sign up for a 1Password account, save or import your data during the free trial and never pay a dime to continue using the apps and accessing your data. The apps will be limited – you can't save or edit items nor fill in your browser using a frozen account – but you can view your data, copy/paste anything you've saved and export at any time. We're not (and never would) cut you off from your data because you decided to discontinue your membership. Automatic renewal is also optional. You can subscribe, pay, and unsubscribe right after to avoid it or you can even pay with gift cards to eliminate any possibility of autorenewal even if you neglect to unsubscribe. Obviously, we appreciate your support – whatever form it takes – but giving you the freedom to keep using 1Password or not is important to us. We hope you love us and never ever want to leave, but your data is yours and where it lives is up to you. :+1:
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I do have more than 3 devices, @bundtkate , so Dropbox is sadly out of the question for me; that's why I'm using iCloud. I fully understand that you don't support all the ad-hoc sync scenarios that each user might implement on their own; its my risk and my risk alone to take. Can you please tell me the local location on Mac where my iCloud vault is saved?
Sad to hear that you won't be supporting additional sync services but it's definitely not a surprise. I have left 1Password in the past and came back, (because no matter how much I dislike your policy and heavy preference towards subscriptions, the product and the staff are wonderful! :)), and will probably leave again at some point when the hassle is more than its worth.
Right now, it seems that my choices are to either:
- use two different instances of 1Password completely separated from each other (personal vault in iCloud, since all of personal ecosystem is Mac/iOS ), and one instance for my work data, installed only on my company-issued Windows laptop, and synced as a single device on Dropbox.
or,
- use 1Password only for my personal data on iCloud and use the other app (obviously I won't name it) I purchased when I first left 1Password, to handle my work data.
We do have different ideas and interpretations on what having my data held hostage means; you do make excellent points that I am free at any time to view and even export my data when the subscription expires. However in my opinion, this is only half the story. The other half is that when I pay for a software license, I am free to use it for all eternity and I hate that you take that away from me.
It is not about price, it is the principle; it is about being held at gunpoint to pay you every year for something that I have already paid! If you want my money next year, come up with a great new major version and if I like the features, you'll bet that I'll be first in line to purchase it; the way that I have purchased 1Password licenses for all OS versions, including v7 for all my platforms all these years.
I know that I won't change your mind the way you cannot change mine; and I also know that regardless how much I love 1Password, I will eventually have to move on. I'm sure that v8 whenever that comes, will be again somewhat crippled in its license form (the way v7 does not support 2FA in license mode but it does in subscription), and it's only a matter of time that the hassles and compromises made just to use 1Password will simply be too much to handle. Until then... and to get back to the original topic :), can you please point me the local vault location on my Mac where my iCloud vault is saved in order to experiment with local vault syncing?
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Can you please tell me the local location on Mac where my iCloud vault is saved?
We can't. It's part of the OS, not something in the filesystem that you'd be able to read/write to the way you seem to be thinking -- like you could with Dropbox.
when I pay for a software license, I am free to use it for all eternity and I hate that you take that away from me. It is not about price, it is the principle; it is about being held at gunpoint to pay you every year for something that I have already paid!
Violent metaphors aside, while you're technically correct, in practice it doesn't play out the way you're implying. Even if you literally don't update your OS and browser, so that they continue to be compatible with an outdated version of 1Password (obviously not something that's recommended, since then you're missing fixes for known security vulnerabilities), eventually that device will die. When it does, you're probably going to have to buy a new one with a new (or at least more recent) OS, and then you'll need a newer version of 1Password, etc. 1Password version 1 licenses are still completely valid for that version...but I haven't heard of anyone with a Mac capable of running that for a decade now. 1Password users tend to keep their OS and browser up to date because they're security conscious, and, frankly, like to be able to benefit from the new stuff Apple, Microsoft, Google, and others come up with -- like biometric integration, and system-wide Autofill. So 1Password memberships give folks a way to always get the latest 1Password version to stay compatible with everything else, across all their devices, without having to decide if they want to spend more money to upgrade one or the other -- or to deal with license management or sync configuration; it's all included.
I'm sure that v8 whenever that comes, will be again somewhat crippled in its license form (the way v7 does not support 2FA in license mode but it does in subscription), and it's only a matter of time that the hassles and compromises made just to use 1Password will simply be too much to handle.
Ableist commentary aside, the fact is that two-factor authentication simply isn't applicable to 1Password when using the standalone app with a local vault, as there is no authentication involved; 1Password's security is based on encryption. Since 1Password memberships have a server component, which also involves authentication, we're able to offer two-factor authentication as an option there. If we were to do something like that with "standalone", it would be a lie -- security theater. It's just one of a number of examples of things we can do with 1Password memberships because they're hosted which simply is not possible otherwise -- and therefore not something we offered prior to memberships -- like Travel Mode, or automatic offsite backup.
Until then... and to get back to the original topic :), can you please point me the local vault location on my Mac where my iCloud vault is saved in order to experiment with local vault syncing?
You'll only have a sync'd copy of your vault in the filesystem when using Dropbox or Folder Sync (which are really the same thing). iCloud is completely different, as it uses keyvalue storage for database entries, and only caches that locally; as far as 1Password (or any 3rd party app using CloudKit) is concerned, it's just writing directly to iCloud APIs, not files. What you're trying to do is not something we can support, and is not supported by Apple either. Sorry. it really seems like a 1Password membership would help you, but if you're dead-set against benefitting from that option that's up to you.
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