(Why) Do I need to enter a password when I switch vaults on Windows, but not on iOS or OS X?

XIII

(Why) Do I need to enter a password when I switch vaults on Windows, but not on iOS or OS X?

LauraR

1Password for Mac and 1Password for Windows handle multiple vaults slightly differently.

In 1Password for Mac , you have a primary vault and then any number of secondary vaults. If you have unlocked the primary vault you can then access any secondary vault without knowing the password of that secondary vault, but not vice-versa.

In 1Password for Windows, each vault is a standalone vault - there is no primary or secondary vault - and so each vault can only be accessed with its own master password.

XIII

Oh, I really prefer the Mac behavior.

Does AgileBits have any plans to implement that on Windows as well?

svondutch

@XIII The Mac behavior is really nice, but it also has a drawback: after a while, the user forgets the secondary vault master password because he/she is never prompted for it.

RichardPayne

@svondutch that's true, but it's no different to any of the website logins it contains. Ie, you store the secondary vault password in the primary vault, problem solved.

DBrown

That is certainly the best solution at this time, @RichardPayne‌. Thanks for sharing it!

XIII

I already do what @RichardPayne‌ suggests.

I hope we get the OS X / iOS behavior on Windows as well (saves the manual search, copy, and paste actions).

RichardPayne

Actually, I was angling at a proper cross-platform solution. Create a new item category "child vaults" and have it link to platform specific lookup table that converts the vault name into a path.

So, for example:

1. Open main vault.
2. 1Password looks for "child vault" items.
3. For each result, it looks up the vault name in a lookup table (which can be viewed and edited in Preferences). It gets the path and opens a child vault using the credentials stored in the main vault's item.
4. If the vault name is not in the lookup table then 1Password prompts the user to locate the child vault and when located, adds an entry to the lookup table.

DBrown

Several solutions have been (and will continue to be) considered as we weigh the strengths and weaknesses of each, as well as the effort and coordination required to roll out major changes to the vault's data structure and the program's logic on multiple platforms, simultaneously.

Thanks for the suggestions!