Letting 1Password for Windows, in Parallels, access my Mac 1Password keychain

stevenjklein

(Sorry if I take a while to explain the question, but I'd rather err on the side of giving too much information rather than too little.)

I have 1Password 4 (app store version) on my Mac, and 1Password 3 on my Windows 7 VM running in Parallels.

Parallels has a nifty feature whereby my Windows home directory (C:\Users\Steven J Klein\) is actually just a link (alias?) to my Mac home folder (/Users/sklein/).

This is very handy, as it means having a single user folder for both operating systems, and avoid problems with duplicate documents and versions. For example, I don't have to install DropBox in Windows, yet I still have access to all my DropBox files.

(I bet you can see where this is going!)

Normally I'm careful to not open the same file from two different apps simultaneously. For example, I wouldn't want to open a text file using Mac TextEdit, then open the same file in Windows NotePad.

Finally, here is my question:
Am I risking file corruption by allowing 1Password Mac and 1Password Windows to access the same file?

If I haven't done a good job of explaining what's going on, please feel free to ask for clarification.

DBrown

Thanks for asking Stefan! The answer is "Yes, you are."

For the very reason you cite, we do not recommend that you use the "shared folder" feature of Parallels or VMware in this manner. Even at the cost of a little disk space, you should install Dropbox on your Windows virtual machine, just as if it were a separate physical machine, and use that local folder as the location of your 1Password for Windows data.

stevenjklein

Thanks for the clarification. I suspected as much.

I actually ran that way for a long time before it even occurred to me. But I rarely log in to any website from the Windows VM. In fact, it's possible I've never done it.

I've turned off the sharing feature, and installed DropBox on my VM.

DBrown

Excellent news, @stevenjklein‌! I'll sleep better now. :)

michaelpearce

Following this trail, I am also using Parallels on my Mac and thus am also using Windows. Do I need to buy another instance of 1Password to install in Windows?

DBrown

Not for the trial, no.

If you decide to use 1Password's full functionality beyond the trial, though, then yes, you do. We license 1Password "per person and per operating system."

Thanks for your interest in 1Password for Windows!