Problems with using Dropbox to sync between multiple platforms

rmoore_99

This has been a problem for more than a year. I'm quite frustrated and I'm restraining myself from writing some terrible reviews of 1Password....at least for anyone who uses Macs AND PCs. Too bad, because I have invested heavily in 1Password over the past few years and became highly reliant upon it. So, as a last resort, I'm telling my story.

I've changed jobs twice (and PCs at least 4-5 times as a result) over the past few years and I have yet to find a PC that can actually sync my 1Password agilekeychain via dropbox correctly. Indeed, I have waited for Dropbox to finish syncing each time (currently more than 6 months - that should do it, right?). But 1Password can never find my agilekeychain correctly - even though it has been up and running for years and keeping multiple Macs and my iPhone in sync (4 different Macs @ home, 1 iPhone and I'm a longtime Dropbox Pro user). So I'd recommend 1Password for Mac users only, I guess. But run far, far away if you use Windows, too. :(

My current situation? A new Surface Pro 3 and a Dell desktop at work. You guessed it, neither can find the 1Password agilekeychain. I've confirmed it is still in the same ol' place it has been for years on Dropbox. And I've confirmed that it is still syncing all of my Macs and my iPhone correctly. But it is useless for Windows (scary since Azure and OneDrive are fast on their way to becoming the public cloud standard for 98 percent of us at work). In Windows Explorer, I simply see the same data and config folders as always with no trace of an agilekeychain (or any file that's readable by 1Password in Windows, apparently). I've literally tried to point 1Password on my PC toward every single file in every single folder in the 1Password location. Even the icons. No love.

Oh well. Just thought I'd vent. Gotta go now. Time to import everything into Google sync and start deleting the ugly paper trails I've created trying every possible solution. Can I get a refund for the dozens of hours of my life I've spent reading your support threads, scanning Google searches, placing new vaults and new exports in different and fun cloud locations - all while praying to IT Buddha - attempting to make this work? Sigh.

Thanks,
Rick

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1Password Version: Not Provided
Extension Version: Not Provided
OS Version: Not Provided
Sync Type: Not Provided

AGAlumB

@rmoore_99: Hmm. Very strange. This is definitely the first time I've heard that Dropbox Sync doesn't work on Windows. There's nothing special going on there; the .agilekeychain just needs to be in your Dropbox folder, and 1Password for Windows reads and writes directly to it...but of course it needs to know where it is first.

Now, if you've purchased your 1Password for Windows license within the past 30 days and you simply want a refund, just shoot us an email at support+licenses@agilebits.com and we'll take care of that for you.

However, since you're posting in a support forum, I suspect that some part of you would really prefer that we get things working for you. After all, it sounds like you're all set on your Macs and iOS devices! And since I've been using Dropbox successfully on Windows for years myself, I'm confident that we can get this working for you too. Please follow the steps in this guide, as it that either resolve the issue for you or narrow down where the problem lies. Often it's something easy to miss, such as selective sync.

It almost sounds like you're saying that your .agilekeychain that you're using on your other devices simply isn't present in your Dropbox folder on the PC. If so, well...1Password won't be able to do anything with it until it's sync'd over. However, if you do have the .agilekeychain on the PC, are you receiving some error message when you try to open it in 1Password (File > Open 1Password Vault)? It isn't clear from your writings what exactly is happening.

So if you're still having trouble, the best thing to do will be to generate a diagnostic report and send it to support+forums@agilebits.com so we can look at the logs to determine exactly what is happening:

Sending Diagnostics Reports (Windows)

Just be sure to include a link to this forum thread and your username in the email so we can 'connect the dots'. We will get to the bottom of this! :)

rmoore_99

Thanks. I've given up on Dropbox after several years and I'm migrating more than 1 1/2 TB onto my own private cloud. I do still use box, OneDrive and Google Drive. Are any of these (or some other alternative) options for keeping 2 PCs, several Macs and an iPhone in sync? Or is 1Password reliant upon Dropbox to sync across multiple platforms successfully?

MikeT

Hi @rmoore_99,

You can sync your 1Password data using OneDrive, Box or Google Drive but only between computers as iOS does not have a user-accessible file system to let us access your 1Password data externally.

What some users have done is sync with OneDrive/Box/Google Drive for computers while using one specific Mac or PC to sync via Wi-Fi to the iPhone. Basically, if you make changes on your iPhone, do a Wi-Fi sync to the PC/Mac, OneDrive or whatever you choose on that specific computer will push it to the rest of your computers. Would this work for you?

rmoore_99

That could work. From what I see, Wi-Fi sync is achieved by a manual push only, correct? Meaning I'd need to sync manually over Wi-Fi whenever I wanted to update my iOS device?

rmoore_99

...and a Wi-Fi sync is bi-directional, correct? Meaning the most recent changes (whether they be on the iOS device or one of the computers) would override previous versions in all cases?

MikeT

Hi @rmoore_99,

Meaning I'd need to sync manually over Wi-Fi whenever I wanted to update my iOS device?

Yes, it starts syncing the moment you open the File Menu > Wi-Fi Sync dialog on your PC. As long as this dialog is opened, all 1Password mobile apps on the Wi-Finetwork should find this PC automatically and update itself.

...and a Wi-Fi sync is bi-directional, correct? Meaning the most recent changes (whether they be on the iOS device or one of the computers) would override previous versions in all cases?

Correct, it is bi-directional and will overwrite the old items with newer ones.

rmoore_99

I've just switched all of the computers over to OneDrive from Dropbox (all PCs and Macs, that is) and it is working perfectly. I've also set up one of my Macs (I figured somehow that a Mac would sync with my iPhone more efficiently than a PC) to sync over Wi-Fi with my iPhone and that also seems to be working well. As an FYI, it doesn't appear that I need to have the Wi-Fi sync dialog open on the Mac that's serving Wi-Fi sync to the iPhone in order to sync successfully. As long as the 1Password app is open on the Mac, it is syncing with the iPhone in near real time.

Thanks for your help. This has been frustrating me for a long time and I never knew I could use something other than Dropbox to sync across platforms. In my experience, Dropbox has gone downhill in a hurry (or maybe it's just that several other cloud services, namely Microsoft's, have caught them). In any event, I hope this solution continues to hold up so that I can keep using 1Password. Many thanks for the quick responses.

@rmoore99

MikeT

Hi @rmoore_99,

As long as the 1Password app is open on the Mac, it is syncing with the iPhone in near real time.

That's true, the latest 1Password version on the Mac will sync automatically in the background as long as the 1Password app is unlocked, meaning you can just keep 1Password mini running in the menu bar or hidden and close the main 1Password app, it will keep syncing. Only the 1Password for Windows requires the Wi-Fi dialog to stay up. We hope to improve this in the future just like we did on the Mac.

I hope this solution continues to hold up so that I can keep using 1Password. Many thanks for the quick responses.

You're welcome and we will work on improving everything over time, as well as simplifying the whole Wi-Fi experience. One day, we would like the Wi-Fi sync to just be automatic and effortless between all computers as well as the mobile devices.