New User: How do I access if all devices are lost/destroyed/stolen?

Darcy1968

Hello folks,

I have successfully synched iPassword across my Mac Pro, iPad and iPhone using iCloud. All good. What would I do if all three devices were lost, destroyed or stolen to access my passwords?

arisg

You gain access (buy, borrow) to a Mac or iOS device, install 1Password and sync.

Darcy1968

TY.

MikeT

Hi @Darcy1968‌,

Considering you need a computer or mobile device to decrypt your 1Password data, there isn't much you can do without them.

However, that doesn't mean you'd be out of luck. Many cautious folks are preparing for this type of situation and often print out the 1Password database to store into a safe or a remote safe. There's also putting your data on a USB drive to put it in the safe, so you can try to access it on any computer you might have.

You can also check out this emergency 1Password Kit that a customer done: http://www.productivityist.com/blog/the-new-1password-emergency-kit

danco

If you need access to iCloud on a totally different machine, then you need your iCloud password, so 1PW needs more than ONE password! A good solution is to use dice ware to construct a memorable password for your iCloud account.

Another solution, which may not suit you, is to use Dropbox rather than iCloud for synching, as you can then use 1Password Anywhere.

littlebobbytables

@Darcy1968‌

If you sync via iCloud then while your data will always be retrievable, it will require you knowing not just your 1Password password but also your iTunes password and yeah, you will need an Apple device to access it, specifically something with the right version of iOS or OS X e.g. if you've been using 1Password 4 on Mavericks then a computer running Yosemite and 1Password 5 won't help. If you've transitioned to the new iCloud with iCloud Drive and CloudKit then older machines won't be able to access it.

If you're worried, then Dropbox may be a much better alternative. While you will still need to remember two passwords, Dropbox and 1Password this time, Dropbox can be access from more devices and as danco pointed out to you, there is also 1PasswordAnywhere, a way of viewing your vault in a read only format from any browser. Obviously the normal caveats apply, only do so from a trusted machine.

hawkmoth

No one has mentioned off site backups for entire systems. I use CrashPlan for that.

Rad

Hey guys,

@hawkmoth‌, mentioned offsite/cloud backups and they too are a viable solution in case you simultaneously lost all your syncing devices.

If you use a backup service such as CrashPlan or Backblaze or even if you use Apple's Time Machine for your Mac, you can always retrieve your 1Password backups, restore them on your new Mac and finally start syncing again across all your shiny new devices.

Here's the location for the 1Password automatic backups:

Mac App Store:

~/Library/Containers/2BUA8C4S2C.com.agilebits.onepassword-osx-helper/Data/Library/Backups/

Web store:

~/Library/Application Support/1Password 4/Backups/

I hope that this helps :smiley:

Cheers!

Rad

LA Bruce

This is my backup plan.

1. Time Machine for constant backups on a local hard drive. The hard drive is encrypted if it should ever be stolen.
2. Drop Box for offsite backups once a week for my documents. 1Password is synched via Drop Box automatically.
3. Encrypted thumb drive to back up all of my documants on the 1st. and the 15th. of each month. Thumb drive is hidden in my car.

This should protect you from any eventuallity short of a nuclear holocaust.

Megan

Hi @LA Bruce‌

Sounds like you've got a well-thought out backup plan there, thanks for sharing!