Best way to sync passwords between Mac and iPad?

Timothy Arends

Passwords are a serious business, and I'm trying to find the best way to sync my passwords between my Mac and iPad so that they are automatically synced whenever I create a new login on either device.

One advice I saw was to go to 1Password preferences on my Mac and under "Data File" in the General tab, choose "Move to Dropbox." However, I do not like the idea of moving my data file to Dropbox. Copying is fine, but I want the main file to remain on my Mac, where it can be backed up by Time Machine.

Is there a better way to do this? I have 1Password 3 for Mac.

1Password 3.8.21
Latest 1Password on iPad Air

thightower

Hi Timothy,

The main Data file is indeed moved to Dropbox if you elect to use Dropbox syncing, however 1Password maintains its own set of backups which remain local to your machine in the Users folder.

In your case if you have not manually changed the location they are in the '~/Library/Application Support/1Password/Backups'
This help topic explains some of the information about 1Password Backups.

You didn't mention your iOS version of 1Password. If you are a legacy user of 1Password 3 iOS then this blog post will provide some information about sync changes with Dropbox. 1Password 3 iOS sync changes and Dropbox

Basically,you would need to use 1Password 4 iOS to continue to use Dropbox syncing on the iPad.

This change with Dropbox syncing has no affect on the Mac version and only relates to the iOS version as it uses the Dropbox API.

Megan

Hi Timothy,

You're right, passwords are a serious business, and I'm glad to hear that you're thinking seriously about the security of your data - thats what we like to see!

We are very confident about storing 1Password data in the cloud, as your data file is encrypted with an exceedingly secure encryption algorithm called AES. Even if someone were to acquire a copy of your 1Password data file, it would be extremely difficult (approaching impossible in a human lifetime) for them to actually gain access to your passwords without your Master Password. In short, we believe it is just as secure as having the data on your laptop. To learn more about cloud data security, have a read through the following article: http://help.agilebits.com/1Password3/cloud_storage_security.html

You can see the thoughts behind our data format's design here: http://learn.agilebits.com/1Password4/Security/keychain-design.html

Also, you can check out our blog for many more articles that go into the nitty gritty math behind what makes 1Password so secure: http://blog.agilebits.com/tag/cryptography_/

Beyond security concerns though, 1Password does perform regular backups of your data to a location on your computer that will be automatically backed up by services like Time Machine. So, in essence, storing your keychain in a cloud-synced service like Dropbox is providing you with an extra level of backup protection. :)

Because you are using 1Password 3 for Mac and 1Password 4 for iOS (which is the latest version), Dropbox is pretty much the way to go for syncing. Wi-Fi sync is version-specific, so you would need either 1Password 3 or 1Password 4 on all computers and devices, and iCloud is a newly introduced feature which requires 1Password 4 for Mac.

I hope this answers your questions, but if you would like more information, I'd be happy to help!

AgileMe

Timothy, I am using version 4 on both my Mac and my iPad, and I am happily syncing between the two using the WiFi Sync method, with the Mac storing its vault file locally - to avoid having any copies of my vault out in the cloud in any way (remote though the possibility may be of someone cracking your vault in the cloud). I guess you would have to upgrade your Mac version for this method, but it might be worth it for your peace of mind.

WiFi sync is not quite automatic, though. You do have to open 1Password on both devices and follow a brief set of steps, each time you want the sync to occur. Not onerous, but not automatic.