Is there any way to access my vault without my Secret Key?
One thing that's always given me peace of mind using a password manager is that on any browser, I could visit their site and enter my Master Password to access all of my passwords. I don't know what scenario I actually envision needing this for, and it rarely happens, but I still want to be able to do it. Whether it's simply wanting to access one of my accounts on a friend's laptop, or being stranded without any of my devices and being able to visit a public library and access my email on one of their computers, I can imagine instances where this ability would be very useful.
Needing my Secret Key in addition to my Master Password to access my 1Password vault seems to make this impossible, and it worries me. It's very easy to set up my account across my own devices by using the various methods to scan in my Secret Key, but it wouldn't be easy at all to access my account elsewhere in a pinch. I recognize that this is by design, and that the Secret Key adds a significant amount of security, but at the cost of possibly not being able to access my account in a situation where I needed to I'm not sure if that's worth it to me.
I suppose I could carry my Secret Key in my wallet, but making it too available defeats the purpose of its added security, and there's still always a chance I could be left without it. I just really like the concept of having my Master Password in my head and knowing that's enough to grant myself access. Maybe I'm being ridiculous and missing the point entirely, I'd appreciate any insight the community might have into my predicament.
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Comments
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You could stick it on some other website, say on Google Drive or iCloud or some other free storage service. Without the Master Password, it's likely not the end of the world even if the key was disclosed somehow. People here have also suggested burying the Secret Key (and also the Master Password, but separately) in photo format on one of the many sites that securely store your photos for free or a nominal charge. Lots of solutions exist to such a relatively easy problem. Of course, the base recommendation from the 1Password folks is to securely store your Secret Key, along with your Master Password, and account email address, in an Emergency Kit either printed out or in PDF or other format on non-volatile storage media.
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I had actually come to the same conclusion while I continued to think through it, my plan is to store my Secret Key on another password manager which only requires my Master Password, and I could retrieve it that way if I really needed to. I'll definitely follow the standard procedure to keep my Emergency Kit securely stored, but it will give me peace of mind to know my 1Password data is always accessible from any browser with an internet connection, after an additional visit to a secondary password manager to retrieve my Secret Key.
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Hi @hitchj! Welcome to the forum!
I have heard of several people that carry their Secret Key in their wallets, so you would not be alone there :) Remember also that you can also retrieve your Secret Key from your mobile device, in case you need it, or from any other 1Password app where you have added your account already:
Find your Secret Key in the 1Password apps
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