1Password requires login at every Windows startup

Dogmatix

Hello! I am new to 1Password and am still in the trial period, wondering if 1Password is going to work for me.

I use a Windows10 PC privately. May wife also uses the same PC, on the same Wondows account. Now, when I start the PC up, and start my browser (FireFox), the first time I want to login to a website, 1Password asks for its (master) password before it will work. I have managed to dissuade it from doing that if my PC is locked, but not after starting it up or after a restart.

I carefully chose a strong password for 1Password. I did not know that it was going to ask for this password to start 1Password, and for the first use in each session. This is an annoyance to me, but for my wife, this will be a "why the heck did you have to install this stupid thing" issue. "Firefox saved passwords perfectly well without such antics", she will say. And I fear that if this issue cannot be resolved, it'll be goodbye, 1Password.

So: is there any way to get 1Password to start working without entering the 1Password password?

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1Password Version: Not Provided
Extension Version: Not Provided
OS Version: Not Provided

Tertius3

The short answer is: no.

The slightly longer answer is "may be, kind of". First, make sure you install and use the desktop client of 1Password and activate the browser connection. Otherwise you will not only be asked at system login but also every time you start the browser.
Second, you can activate Windows Hello to use a short PIN to log in to Windows instead of your hopefully longer Windows password. 1Password is able to also use the Windows Hello PIN if it requires entering the password to unlock. However, the very first time after you boot your machine, you still have to enter the 1Password master password to unlock 1Password.
There is no workaround.

You should use a password that's balanced between complexity and still comfortable to enter. If your password is so complex, that you (or your wife) refuses to enter it, it's too complex and actually lowers security, because you try to circumvent using it. In this case, use a less complex password.

Think about it: what's more secure? You using 1Password with a less complex master password, or you not using a password manager at all or a password manager that doesn't require any master password at all.

Dogmatix

Well, that's a bummer. My PC has a password login already; entering a another password (or the same one again) to start a password manager seems a password too many. The point of a password manager is, after all, to make password entry easier.

On my smartphone, 1Password is happy to use biometric authentication, i.e. fingerprint recognition to login. Now, there exist fingerprint reading devices for PCs. Could 1Password be persuaded to accept authentication by fingerprint instead of password entry?

keitht1958

well heres my soloution i have 3 browsers edge, chrome, opera i have removed all passwords except 1password which is saved in all browsers.
i have master password saved in 1password as a favorite i login to windows hello with a fingerprint reader
and from notification/1password uses windows hello on startup
i have browser extensions but prefer 1password.com
on startup it either uses saved 1password login or browser saved password
my password is quite complex

[Deleted User]

@Dogmatix The master password requirement is one of the main reasons that storing your passwords in 1Password is more secure than saving them in your browser. However, it doesn't need to be difficult to remember or type.

The copy of your password database on 1Password's servers is additional protected by the Secret Key. So your master password just needs to be strong enough to resist attackers who have access to your device. 16 random characters should be enough or a bit longer if you use a combination of dictionary words to make a passphrase.

Dogmatix

"it doesn't need to be difficult to remember or type."

"16 random characters should be enough or a bit longer if you use a combination of dictionary words to make a passphrase."

You see, to me, these two statements contradict each other. That's the trouble with strong passwords.