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How do I find the location of my 1password vault file?

drtimhill
drtimhill
Community Member

While I'm happy that 1password makes regular backups of my password vault, I'd like to make offline backups also. In previous versions of 1password it was easy; copy the vault file to external storage and done. However, with all the various versions/flavors of sync etc I'm no longer clear WHERE my vault is stored, and nothing in 1password wants to tell me. The support article "How can I move my vault..." says to look in Preferences -> Sync, but I sync with iCloud and 1password doesnt show me the vault location.

I think I know where my vault is: it's where I put it in a special folder I keep for vital data. BUT (a) I can't get confirmation from 1password that this is indeed the file it opens when I run it and (b) the time-stamps on this "file" (yes I know it's really a bundle) are mostly 1+ year old which has me worried I'm looking at an orphaned file.

How can I verify that this is the correct file and be sure I'm doing backups of the correct file and my vital password data?

--Tim


1Password Version: 5.3
Extension Version: Not Provided
OS Version: OS X 10.10.5
Sync Type: iCloud
Referrer: kb-search:where is 1password file stored, kb:move-vault

Comments

  • Drew_AG
    Drew_AG
    1Password Alumni

    Hi @drtimhill,

    I'm sorry you're having trouble finding your 1Password data file! There are a few things I wanted to mention, but first, here's a knowledgebase article that will explain where to find your data: Where does 1Password store its data?

    Now, here are a few additional things that might be helpful for you:

    While I'm happy that 1password makes regular backups of my password vault, I'd like to make offline backups also.

    1Password doesn't make any "online" backups - it stores all its backups locally on your computer, so they're already "offline". But it's a really good idea to make sure you have copies of those backups (or really, backups of your Mac in general) stored somewhere else just in case something happened to your computer. You can never have too many backups! ;)

    In previous versions of 1password it was easy; copy the vault file to external storage and done.

    It sounds like you're thinking of the .agilekeychain file/folder which was the main data file in 1Password 3 for Mac. Starting in 1Password 4, that file is only used for Dropbox sync or Folder sync (a different type of file is used for iCloud sync), and is no longer the main data file. Instead, 1Password now stores your database locally in an sqlite file (you can find the exact location in the above knowledgebase article).

    But instead of making a backup of the sqlite file, I recommend making a backup of the backup files that are automatically created by 1Password. The above article explains where they're stored, but an easy way to find them is to open 1Password, go to the menu for 1Password > Preferences, select the Backup tab, then click the Show Files button. That will take you straight to that exact location on your Mac. You can copy those backup files (or at least the most recent one) to your external storage.

    ...the time-stamps on this "file" (yes I know it's really a bundle) are mostly 1+ year old which has me worried I'm looking at an orphaned file.

    If you're referring to the .agilekeychain bundle, that's probably old and left over from a previous version of 1Password. As I mentioned above, that bundle is now only used for Dropbox sync or Folder sync. If you're using iCloud sync, you're not using any .agilekeychain bundle anymore, and you don't need the one you found (but you don't necessarily need to delete it, either).

    I hope this helps! If you have more questions about that, just let us know - we're here for you! :)

  • drtimhill
    drtimhill
    Community Member

    Thanks Drew, this was exactly what I needed, and confirmed my guesses. I also agree that taking offline backups of the ZIP backup files is the best way to go (in addition to my regular backups), so I'm now much happier!

    Thanks again!

    --Tim

  • Vee_AG
    Vee_AG
    1Password Alumni

    Hi @drtimhill,

    We're happy you're happy! I'm sure @Drew_AG will be glad to hear that the info he provided was useful to you. I swear, that guy knows everything! 8-)

    We're always glad to help if you need anything else. Cheers!

This discussion has been closed.