New user, lost only backup file of data during a Yosemite reformat tonight...FREAKING OUT.

tatsfresh

I purchased my copy of 1password on September 13 directly through your web site (not the mac app store).

I'm a full-time graphic designer and my Mac has been on the fritz for a while so I decided to do a clean install of Yosemite not realizing that I needed to physically back up this particular file.

All would be fine because of my regular Time Machine backups, but my backups were overwritten when TM was enabled on this fresh install. I can't go back a few hours ago when the backup file was there. The backup simply does not exist anymore.

And of Dropbox?
Just checked my account, I guess I never turned this feature on.

So right now I am quite literally shaking because I can't access my company email, my personal email, my hosting login, my credit reports...nothing. Everything is tied together. I can't recover my password because it requires access to my email. I can't access my email because I don't have access to my 1password account anymore.

I have my license key and order confirmation printed out, but I really don't know what to do next. Please help. I am completely locked out of my life right now.

I had to create a new gmail account just so I could post here tonight.

• Chris

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1Password Version: version 5
Extension Version: Not Provided
OS Version: 10.10.5
Sync Type: None available
Referrer: forum-search:lost data

tatsfresh

9-22-15 Update:

After reading other threads with similar issues, I realized that my cause was pretty much a lost one since all of 1password's data is held locally. I didn't have anything synced to Dropbox, so my local backup file was my only other option.

I was able to contact my hosting company and through a series of verifications, I was able to change my log in information, change my passwords to my email accounts, and start again.

Drew_AG

Hi @tatsfresh,

First, let me say how sorry I am to hear about what happened with your 1Password data! I know I would also freak out if the same thing happened to me. To call it an inconvenience would be a massive understatement! :( I'm afraid there's probably nothing I can say to make you feel much better about the situation, but perhaps I can help you make sure you haven't overlooked anything, or at least give some tips to make sure this sort of thing never happens again.

As you now know, by default, all your 1Password data is stored locally on a device unless you choose to enable one of the sync options (like Dropbox), or backup your data somewhere else. It sounds like you hadn't ever used any of the sync options, but if you think you may have enabled Dropbox sync at any point in time, you can check your Dropbox account to see if there's a file/folder named 1Password.agilekeychain (its default location would be in Dropbox/1Password/).

1Password for Mac automatically makes backups in case you need to restore your data, but those backups are also stored locally. When you backup your Mac with Time Machine (or other backup solutions), your 1Password data and backup files are backed up there as well, although it sounds like your Time Machine backups are lost as well. But is there any chance your previous backups are still in Time Machine, and the new backups were created separately, instead of overwriting the old ones (as if you started backing up a second Mac)? I backup two Macs with Time Machine, and it keeps them separate so that if I enter Time Machine from one Mac, it doesn't show me any of the backups from the other Mac. But if I mount/connect to that drive from the Finder (instead of going to the "Enter Time Machine" feature), I can open a Data folder and see two sparsebundle disk images there - one for each Mac. If you haven't already looked into it, you might want to check to see if your previous Mac backup still exists in the Time Machine drive.

Sadly, if your 1Password data only existed locally on that Mac, you never synced it anywhere else, and your previous Time Machine backups are gone, then it sounds like your previous 1Password data is gone too. It probably goes without saying, but once you start putting data back into 1Password, you should use a sync option (like Dropbox sync). You can also sync your 1Password data to other devices (we make 1Password for Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android).

Another suggestion is to perhaps use a secondary backup solution for your Mac in general (i.e. something in addition to Time Machine). You can even make external backups of just your 1Password backup files, which (in the AgileBits Store version) are stored here: /Application Support/1Password 4/Backups/ (Basically, you can never have too many backups!)

Even if my suggestions above don't help to retrieve your old data, I hope my information helps to avoid a situation like this in the future. If you have more questions or need anything else, please don't hesitate to let us know!

jbg232

Not that this will make you feel better but because I use fake answers for all my security questions my life would be ruined if this happened to me as I wouldn't be able to verify my identity anywhere. Once in a while I have a nightmare about it... Because of this remote possibility I have taken the extra step of printing out all my 1password data (>300 entries) and placed them in a security box - hidden I can't tell you where :) - in case I ever need to manually enter them again! Let's just say getting to this data would be incredibly inconvenient given where it is but it would be worth it if this happend to me. I'm not saying this solution is for everyone but as you get more used to making 1password an integral part of your digital life, you may want to consider a hard copy in a safe safe safe place!

MikeT

Hi @jbg232,

Thanks for sharing your experience with us, we appreciate it.

There's another way to approach this and that is to put a copy of your 1Password data file (backups as well) and the 1Password program files on a USB drive to put in your deposit safety box or safe. In addition, you can print out the 1Password emergency PDF kit here: http://productivityist.com/1password-emergency-kit-3/ to put alongside the USB key, so you don't have to recall the master password as well.

We would recommend against printing out your 1Password data because it can leave a decrypted print job on your drive and the printer's memory. On OS X, there are additional safeguards against this and the printer memory will eventually empty out but I thought you should know to be careful with the printing. If you are going to print the 1Password Emergency Kit, do not enter the data on the computer, instead print it out first and then write it down.

If you do this, make a reminder to update the files and test them every month to rule out any issues.

jbg232

Thanks for the tip about the printing!

MikeT

You're welcome!