Forgot main password, but not PIN, what to do?

Villager

Hi, I need some help here, I'd be extremely thankful if you could help. Yesterday I tried to open 1Password on my Mac and found out I had forgotten my master password since lately I was using it mostly on my iOS devices.

I've done everything to remember it without luck, but I do remember my PIN, so I have access to my vault on my synced devices. Is there a way to change my master password like this, from the iOS app, or is it going to ask for the previous password anyway?

I'm worried about locking it, so if not possible, what is the best way to export the elements to a new vault?

Thanks in advance :)

littlebobbytables

Hi @Villager,

You're in a precarious situation at the moment if you really have forgotten your Master Password. On your Mac I'm assuming the Master Password hint didn't help you remember at all. If this is the case, if you really have forgotten your Master Password then the first thing to do is ensure you don't reboot your iOS device as it would then require your Master Password and you'd be completely locked out.

The first step is to follow our Starting Over guide on your Mac and create a new, empty vault to replace the inaccessible one.

Then you want to follow our Wi-Fi Sync guide (written for version 5.1, if you're running a different version you probably want this older guide). It will ask you for the Master Password of your new Mac vault and given the vault is empty it will copy everything over from your iOS device.

Having done that we'll need to sort out however you were syncing before and also start over on your iOS device to replace the Master Password there too. We can start worrying about that though once we know you have an accessible vault on your Mac again.

If you have any questions or concerns do please ask.

Villager

Hi @littlebobbytables,

That was a great solution and it worked, I have an accesible new vault now with the same elements I had before. That was a close one, thanks so much :)

I'm still wondering how could I have forgotten the password, It was complicated and I typed it mechanically, more with my fingers than my mind and with no hints, and I've found out that's dangerous.

Now I've got the iPad ready and synced with the new vault, but the phone is totally locked with the old master password. Should I uninstall the app and sync again? I'm not using any other sync method except Wi-Fi.

Thanks again and keep the good work on the app.

littlebobbytables

Hi @Villager,

You've got it in one. You can either delete the app and reinstall it or you do have another option. In 1Password's settings you will find the following option, Settings > Advanced > Erase Data and Settings. The use of that option is like deleting the app but quicker and easier. From there it will be like a clean copy of 1Password that you can repopulate using sync from your Mac.

I find the key to a Master Password is repetition. You need to enter it often and keep using it. I remember not using a bank card PIN for several months resulting in a panicky half hour at a foreign airport as I desperately tried to remember what the four digits were. That was long before smartphones and 1Password which I now rely on massively (probably like yourself).

I'm glad we had a cunning plan that worked, if that hadn't been possible it would have been a case of manually recreating the items one by one - not good I'm sure you'd agree.