Does the Master Password sync across devices, or just the data?

tinkerer33

I thought the master password sync'd along with the data but it doesn't seem to be working that way. If I change the master password on a device will it also change on the other devices that are sync'd to the same data/keychain? Thanks for the help.

thightower

If you are running 1Password 4 and 1Password 4 iOS then yes it will sync.

If for some reason you may still be running 1Password 3 and its companion app for iOS then you could have a separate password. (The iOS version is no longer for sale it was replace by the 1Password 4 iOS app)

Boomer49

I am running 1Password 4 (from the Agile Store) and 1Password 4 iOS. The passwords have never synced.
I have removed the 1 Password 3 app from my mac.

tinkerer33

I am using mas version 4.x and iOS v 4.x and they don't seem to sync, as stated by boomer49.

thightower

Weird, I haven't changed mine in a bit as its pretty good.

@sjk or @megan

Is this a know issue ? Maybe I am mistaken ? ... It can't be because my iOS Mater Password was different than my Mac Master Password before 1Password 4 iOS and it pulled in my looooong Master Password.

Megan

Hi @tinkerer33, @Boomer49 and @thightower,

I'm sorry to hear that you are having difficulty getting your Master Password to sync up. Our developers are currently tracking down a bug related to Master Password syncing. Sometimes changing the Master Password on a mobile device does not sync properly to Mac. In cases like this, your best option is to manually update the Master Password on your Mac (or change it there first).

Again, I do apologize for the inconvenience, we do hope to have this sorted out soon!

tinkerer33

My original post was not to address a problem but to learn how 1Password is supposed to work. My question again is does the master password sync along with the data or is it set manually for each device. Megan, from your comment I assume it is supposed to sync along with the data. Correct?

dteare

Thanks for clarifying your question @tinkerer33.

First off, the Master Password is never written to disk so the Master Password itself does not sync. I don't think this is what you were asking but I wanted to make sure anyone else reading this thread got that impression.

What can be synced to the other devices is your encryption keys which are encrypted using your Master Password. The emphasis is on "can" because at this moment when you change your Master Password on Mac we do not update these encryption keys on your sync source (e.g. Dropbox or iCloud). It means after changing your Master Password you will need to also change your password on the other devices.

We want to add the ability to automatically change the Master Password in a future update as it will make things a lot simpler.

thightower

the Master Password is never written to disk so the Master Password itself does not sync.

What can be synced to the other devices is your encryption keys which are encrypted using your Master Password.

Well said and thanks for reminding me it is the keys. I knew that. :)

sjk

You're welcome, Tommy, on Dave's behalf.

tinkerer33

Thank you for clarifying that dteare. That works for me.

herr_schaft

Sorry if this is too stupid a question. But couldn't get it right so far...
If the Master Password isn't synched across devices. How do I change it in Dropbox/Android app that accesses the 1Password data.
Thanks for helping out.

sjk

Hi, @herr_schaft. Heck no, not a stupid question at all! :)

If you've changed your Master Password on any system/device that has Dropbox syncing enabled then that new Master Password should be able to unlock your 1Password data in Dropbox with 1Password Reader for Android. Are you currently having trouble with unlocking on Android?

Winston9

Thank you Dteare for...
confirming "after changing your Master Password you will need to also change your password on the other devices" the text in the guide on your sight gave me a different impression and I was overworking the problem trying to figure out what "I" was doing wrong. Next time after fallowing the guide if something doesn't function as expected I will check your discussion topics first before forging the wilderness alone ;-).

sjk

Hi, @Winston9.

On @dteare's behalf, you're most welcome. :)

bogomil22

The emphasis is on "can" because at this moment when you change your Master Password on Mac we do not update these encryption keys on your sync source (e.g. Dropbox or iCloud).

Sorry, but i have also a question :)

First of all: that the master password is never written to disk is really nice for security.

But, as far as i understand the encryption-procedure all the items/passwords are encrypted with your own master password. But when i change the master password i think that ALL entries in the 1P-database are totally new encrypted with the new master password right? In my opinion this is a big change because the hole database and files on the hard drive are being edit. So why the new encrypted data is not sync with dropbox?

PS: It that fixed now?

Megan

Hi @bogomil22,

Thanks for the question! I definitely learned a bit more about our encryption process while researching the answer for you :) Here's a very basic outline of how your data in 1Password is encrypted:

• Your Master Password encrypts a key
• This key encrypts your data
• So, your Master Password is essentially protecting the key that encrypts your data, not the data itself
• When you change your Master Password it re-encrypts the key with the new master password.. but the key itself stays the same.

So, it's not a matter of all entries being re-encrypted, it's a change to the password that protects the encryption key.

The change in Master Password is being synced correctly to Dropbox, the issue we're currently tracking is that the other copy of 1Password is not recognizing this change.

I hope this clears things up for you, but if you have any further questions, we're here to help!

MattLesak

First, thanks for all of the posts, it helps to understand how this is suppose to work. I've been a long time 1password user and in the past, the master password did sync. I've have 2 Macs and 2 PCs. If I changed it on one device, then the others would have the same. Only time I had to enter the previous password was in the web plugin and then it would prompt for new master password. I was searching for this topic since I noticed my new password wasn't syncing (verified by the thread). I'm not sure why this has changed, but wish it would sync like it use to from a usability perspective. I'm assuming the behavior change had to do with security.

Megan

Hi @MattLesak,

Thanks for adding your feedback here! I know that Master Passwords can be a bit tricky to wrap your head around somehow (at least for me!) The issue with changes to Master Passwords not currently syncing to all devices is temporary. As Dave mentions above,

We want to add the ability to automatically change the Master Password in a future update as it will make things a lot simpler.

We appreciate your patience as we work to make this more convenient for you :)