1Password for macOS suddenly always prompting me for my Master Password, despite Touch ID enabled

tc25

I have been happily using the 1Password app on my Macbook Pro for the past three years. I've always had my 1Password installation configured to use Touch ID for unlocking the app, and I've also had it configured to require my Master Password to be entered every 1 week.

However, starting last week, I noticed that 1Password has always been asking me for my Master Password every time I start the application on my Macbook, regardless of how long it has been since I last unlocked 1Password using my Master Password. It never prompts me to use my fingerprint to unlock with Touch ID anymore, even though for the past three years, it had always done so.

Below I have included a screenshot of my Security settings in the 1Password preferences window:

Things I have tried so far, but have not helped:

• Toggling the "Allow Touch ID to unlock 1Password" checkbox off and then on again.
• Quitting out of the 1Password app with Cmd + Q, then trying to open the app again.
• Restarting my Macbook Pro.

I hope someone can help me diagnose the issue here, as it is becoming much more cumbersome to use 1Password daily without the benefit of Touch ID authentication. Thanks!

---

1Password Version: 7.6 (70600005)
Extension Version: 4.7.5.90
OS Version: macOS Mojave 10.14.6 (18G6032)
Sync Type: Not Provided

ag_tommy

@tc25

Let's try going back to the OS level as something may be preventing 1Password from communicating as needed.

1. Disable Touch ID in 1Password > Preferences > Security
2. System Preferences > Touch ID: Uncheck/disable the box for Unlocking your Mac and then enable it. You will need to enter your macOS user password in the authentication prompt.
3. Enable Touch ID in 1Password > Preferences > Security.

Does that help?

tc25

Hi @ag_tommy , thank you for your response.

I have tried following the above steps, but unfortunately 1Password is still prompting me for my master password each time I start the app. I have tried quitting the app and starting it again several times since following your steps, but unfortunately I have never been prompted to use Touch ID for unlocking the app.

For reference, this is the exact message which I am receiving each time I launch the app:

I am wondering if perhaps something has been changed on my Macbook recently which has caused this to be a problem. This is a company-issued laptop, so it's possible something could have been changed by IT without my knowledge that may have inadvertently led to this problem.

Nevertheless, are there any other steps which you think may help in narrowing down the root cause? Thank you in advance.

ag_tommy

@tc25

A change by your IT could have indeed had unintended consequences. I have helped a few users where a company IT department via an MDM profile has disabled Touch ID either intentionally or unintentionally. I would ask them if they have pushed any changes regarding the use of Touch ID.

Does Touch ID work elsewhere on your Mac? We only make use of Touch ID when it is reported as available by the OS.

tc25

Thank you, @ag_tommy - that makes sense. I will follow up with my IT admin team regarding any recent changes which could have potentially affected Touch ID functionality.

Interestingly, though, I am still prompted to use Touch ID to sign in on my Macbook's lock screen, and it does work successfully there. I am also able to use Touch ID to unlock access to the protected Parental Controls settings panel in the System Preferences app on macOS (although other Security Settings panels seem to require my password, instead). I am trying to think of any other non-OS applications for which I use Touch ID authentication, but I'm drawing a blank. Nevertheless, it does appear that Touch ID is working for me in some areas.

tormodg

Isn't this related to the fact that desktop integration has been removed? https://1password.community/discussion/115228/temporarily-removing-desktop-app-integration/p1

I have not been able to make 1Password X unlock in Edge Chromium since March this year. :(

rudy

@tormodg,

It isn't related to 1Password X, all the pictured windows are from 1Password 7.

tc25

Correct, the issues I am having are with 1Password 7, not 1Password X.

I was not able to get any response from my company's IT support team, so I'm not sure if this is due to any changes which they have made. However, I am thinking that I may attempt to update my laptop to macOS Catalina (currently on Mojave) and see if that helps at all. Probably won't be able to try this for a few days, though. I have noticed some other oddities with my macOS installation in addition to my 1Password 7 issues, such as all widgets completely and spontaneously disappearing from my Notification Center (they used to be there, and when I go to add additional widgets, none are listed), and an inability to mount my Time Machine drive any longer (or any other external drive or USB drive, for that matter).

No clue if all of these issues are related, but I guess updating to the latest macOS could be something to try. If I do try this and I notice any results, I will report back.

tormodg

Ooops, sorry Rudy.

Ben

No worries @tormodg. Understand and appreciate that you were trying to be helpful. :)

@tc25 As a general rule we do recommend running the latest macOS. While I can't promise updating will resolve any issues, I do think it would be a logical next troubleshooting step to get everything up to date. Please let us know if that makes a difference here.

Ben

tc25

Hi @Ben ,

So I had some time last night, and I tried updating updating to the latest macOS available (Catalina 10.15.7 (19H2)). Unfortunately, this did not resolve my issue with 1Password 7. I then tried booting into macOS recovery, and choosing to reinstall macOS Catalina, but this did not resolve the issue, either. I also tried resetting 1Password by going to 1Password 7 > Help > Troubleshooting > Reset All 1Password Data, but this also did not fix it.

I'm not convinced at this point that this is necessarily a 1Password 7 issue. I suspect there is something strange going on with my macOS installation, but I can't find anything obvious.

tc25

Small update: I decided to reach out to a few coworkers who also use company-issued Macbooks to see if they have been experiencing similar macOS oddities over the past few weeks. I was able to confirm that one coworker is indeed having the same 1Password 7 issue that I am, where she is no longer being prompted to use Touch ID to unlock the app.

Although I have only managed to collect two solid data points so far (unfortunately, we don't have as many 1Password users at my company as I had thought), I am going to assume that some IT policy change must have been silently pushed out last month which has resulted in this change in behavior. Incidentally, this roughly aligns with the timing of some other corporate IT policy changes which have been rolling out as of late.

Anyway, thank you to everyone who pitched in to help me troubleshoot this issue. Unfortunately, it looks like corporate IT restrictions have struck yet again.

Ben

Thanks for the update @tc25. At this point our best guess is that IT is pushing out preferences that are overwriting some information needed for this to work. If this is indeed the case we hope to improve the situation with 1Password v7.7, which will not store that information in preferences.

Ben

tc25

That sounds good, thank you @Ben . Will look forward to giving 1Password 7.7 a try when it arrives.

Ben

:+1: :)

Ben