Why does 1Password sometimes ask for my Master Password and not accept Touch ID

annabelled

Hi, every 3 days or so 1Password on my Mac asks me to enter my Master ID even though most of the time Touch ID is enough. Why is this? I find it very problematic because my Master ID is complex (as it should be) but because I know I need it from time to time, I've got it easily available in my Mac to copy and paste when needed. I feel that kind of defeats the whole purpose of having 1Password and Touch ID. Can you tell me if this is normal behaviour (and if so why - what triggers 1Password not accepting Touch ID sometimes) or if there is something I can do to fix this. Thank you.

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Referrer: forum-search:Why does 1Password sometimes ask for my Master Password and not accept Touch ID

benmattison

Under Preferences/Security, there's an option to change how often it asks for your Master Password. Two weeks is the longest option.

ag_ana

Hi @annabelled!

In addition to what benmattison wrote, I have taken this from our documentation page on Touch ID:

Sometimes you’ll need to enter your Master Password instead of using Touch ID:

• If your fingerprint isn’t recognized three times in a row
• If you’re trying to change your Master Password
• If you add or delete a fingerprint from your device
• If the amount of time in Preferences > Security > Require Master Password has elapsed

annabelled

Thank you @benmattison and @ag_ana. So my takeaway is that I'll always need to remember my Master Password even though I would have thought that it doesn't get more secure than Touch ID.

benmattison

@annabelled Absolutely, you should memorize your master password—that's the "one password" in "1Password"! 😁 I just changed my master password and I intentionally set it to ask me more frequently to help me memorize it. It's also a good idea to write it down and store it in a safe place at home in case you forget.

@ag_ana will have a more official explanation but my understanding is the master password is the "real" password—it is required to decrypt the stored passwords, and you'll need it to access your vaults on your phone, a new device, etc. Touch ID is just a convenient shortcut to bypass the password once you've already entered it into your Mac or iPhone.

williakz

Note that 1Password (ONE password, get it?) should really be 2Passwords. You need to memorize your Master Password and be able to recall it at will AND you need to have your Secret Key written down somewhere (it is exceedingly difficult to memorize) as it will be needed as well from time to time. Touch ID is simply a temporary convenience that will disappear if and when your device, its operating system, the current version of 1Password, or your finger does.

benmattison

I'd suggest keeping a PDF of the Emergency Kit (with the master password field blank) in your iCloud Drive (or Dropbox or Google Drive). Then you can use the QR code to set up new devices.

williakz

And your iCloud (or Dropbox or Google Drive) password stored in 1Password? Someone pointed out the circularity to me a while back...

benmattison

This is recommended by 1Password (https://support.1password.com/emergency-kit/ ), so they probably have an official explanation, but if someone gets into the cloud drive, they only have the secret key, not your master password. I also use two-factor authentication, so they'd need that too.

ag_ana

@annabelled:

So my takeaway is that I'll always need to remember my Master Password even though I would have thought that it doesn't get more secure than Touch ID.

That's absolutely correct: your data is encrypted with your Master Password, so while Touch ID is convenient so you don't have to type your password very often, it is not a substitute for the password :+1:

ag_ana

but if someone gets into the cloud drive, they only have the secret key, not your master password.

Correct :+1:

Also, the simplest way to always have access to the Secret Key is inside the 1Password app itself: if you have 1Password on multiple devices, and you have it installed on your phone too, you can retrieve the Secret Key from inside the 1Password app on the phone without even touching the Emergency Kit :+1: