Why is 1PasswordAnywhere not loading? [1PasswordAnywhere is dead]

motuxt

Hi,

I get an error that says:

Problem loading 1Password data file
A key data file could not be loaded and 1PasswordAnywhere cannot continue without it.
Please see this help guide for troubleshooting tips.

This appears to have been a recurring error over the last year or so, I can see numerous threads where it was resolved only to recur again. The last thread is here: https://discussions.agilebits.com/discussion/48454/1passwordanywhere-not-working-with-dropbox-resolved-usage-issues-with-chrome-45-firefox-41

It opens in Safari so it's a Chrome-specific error. Opening the file in an incognito window without extensions doesn't help.

Thanks

---

1Password Version: 6.0.2
Extension Version: Not Provided
OS Version: 10.11.3
Sync Type: Dropbox

Ben

Hi @motuxt,

Thanks for taking the time to write in.

The short answer is that 1PasswordAnywhere is, for all intents and purposes, dead. Long live 1PasswordAnywhere.

The slightly longer answer is that you may still be able to get it to work, for the short term, by accessing it through the Dropbox website (not the folder on your computer). 1PasswordAnywhere has been dying a slow painful death for some time now. It was originally designed in the time of 1Password 3 for Mac, before we had a native Windows application, and was our stop-gap answer for access to 1Password data on Windows. Since then many folks have found other utility with it, and so it was kept around. Unfortunately it hasn't seen much updating, and as such has been on life support for some time. It is likely that future changes to the Dropbox service will break it even further such that it cannot even be accessed through their website.

In late 2015 we officially stopped having 1Password generate the 1Password.html file that is 1PasswordAnywhere. With our new OPVault format it doesn't work anyway, and with our focus on 1Password for Teams & 1Password for Families, it is highly unlikely it'll be resurrected.

Speaking of 1Password for Teams & 1Password for Families... each of these have a web interface to your 1Password data, which is the primary purpose of 1PasswordAnywhere. You may want to sign up for an account, and see if one of these services meets your needs. :)

I hope that helps!

Ben

ref: ik-145

motuxt

Hi Ben,

Thanks for the detailed answer. Any chance the 1password chrome extension could be made to function without the main app being installed too? That would get it working on a Chromebook, which is now pretty much the only device unsupported by 1Password.

1Password for teams and families both look great but I have no need for either at the moment. How about a 1Password subscription for singles? $1.99/month? :-)

Out of interest, if I were to use both 1Password for families with my parents, and 1Password for teams at work, how would that work?

Best,

Alex

Ben

Alex,

While it may be possible in the future to make the browser extensions function independently of the main 1Password application, it would likely require the use of Teams or Families. I don't imagine we'd be able to do it with iCloud / Dropbox / etc sync. But that is mostly speculation on my part. Unfortunately either way it isn't on the horizon.

We understand Teams &/or Families are not going to be for everyone, but even for a family of one Families can make a lot of sense. This is how I personally am currently set up. I plan to bring my parents in eventually, but for right now it is just me. Some of the advantages are I can invite someone I trust in as a recovery admin so that if I ever lose my Master Password or Account Key they can be reset. I can very easily bring my (non-technical) parents on board in the future. I can invite my lawyer and my accountant as guests, securely giving them access to things like my bank accounts and my legal documents (but not my Facebook login!). It is also much easier to set up new devices now. And it is more secure than using iCloud / Dropbox.

As for how it might look to you, I've taken a screenshot of my own setup:

Is that what you were looking for? Essentially it looks very much like 1Password looks when using multiple vaults without Teams/Families, but with the exception that the vaults are grouped by which 1Password account they belong to.

Thanks!

Ben

prime

@bwoodruff:

And it is more secure than using iCloud / Dropbox.

How?
I see this as my info is on someone else's servers that everyone knows "1Password has passwords on their servers" while Dropbox and iCloud may or may not have important info on their servers. If saying "our servers are safer than OPVault on iCloud or Dropbox"

I'm sorry, I'm sceprical. The one main thing that won me over to 1Password over Lastpass (who has been hacked twice already) was my info is in my control 100%. If I could sync 2 computers over wifi, I would use that, but I can't.

Ben

@prime,

That seems like a fallacy to me. Of course Dropbox and iCloud have important info on their servers.

As for why storing 1Password data on Teams/Families is more secure than Dropbox/iCloud:

Understanding the Account Key

1Password for Teams Security White Paper

:)

Ben

tylerb24

Yes- having the chrome extension work directly with 1PW for Teams/Families without the app would be huge (YUUGE). Constantly opening a tab on the chromebook to teams and copy and pasting is not a great workflow.

Ben

Thanks for the feedback, @tylerb24!

Ben

annedo

Ben, it seems dishonest not to mention that charges may be incurred with teams/familes.

hawkmoth

@annedo - What do you mean???

The blog post announcing 1Passsword for Families, here, clearly states that the charge for using it will be $5.00 per month. In fact, that information is in a large section heading in the blog.

The blog post announcing 1Password for Teams says, "During the beta, 1Password for Teams is completely free for you and all your teammates. Once the beta ends, we’ll move to a monthly subscription model." More information has come along since then, and there is a recent post here in the forum saying the charge for Teams will be $5 per user per month. One such post is at this link.

I don't see any mystery or deception here.

Vee_AG

Hi @annedo,

So sorry that you interpreted it that way! I think Ben didn't mention the cost because he was answering questions that weren't about the cost; it simply didn't come up. 1Password is a premium product, and to be quite honest, selling it is the only way we can afford to keep making it. 1PasswordAnywhere was not free and we make no claim or indication anywhere that Teams or Families will be either; there is definitely a free 30-day trial, and Teams is still in a free beta period, but essentially both services are a monthly subscription plan.

I also think it's important to understand that we can never (and would never want to) charge you for 1Password without you explicitly buying it. You can try it for free, and if you don't like it, you never have to pay for it. We also have a 30-day money-back guarantee. We never want to trick you into buying 1Password; we want you to like it so much that you think it's worth buying.

I hope this clarifies things a bit, but please do let us know if you have any other questions or feedback for us. We're here to listen and help. :)

marie_nicole

When I travel for work, I am assigned a Chromebook for working out of the office. Chromebooks do not allow the use of outside aps - it's basically Google Chrome on the go. How can I access my 1PW login information from these limited laptops?

That was the beauty of 1Password Anywhere. Is there a way I can access the information without the need for a desktop app? Would that all be through Family or team?

hawkmoth

@marie_nicole,

Would that all be through Family or team?

Yes. Those do have a web interface. Families requires a monthly subscription, and so will Teams, when it leaves beta testing.

AGAlumB

@marie_nicole: Indeed. Currently both are free: 1Password for Teams is in beta, and 1Password for Families early adopters get a few months as a reward. Both are based on the same technology, so the most crucial difference for most people will be access control and pricing: 1Password for Teams is more flexible to meet businesses' needs, and 1Password for Families is simpler and more affordable for...well, families. :)

I hope this helps. Be sure to let us know if you have any other questions! :)

scottmartin

I occasionally need to access my passwords from places like work or when traveling where I don't want the terminal to remember my login information. If you're using Teams/Families as a replacement for the loss of 1PasswordAnywhere, keep in mind that you WILL need your Account Key as well as your master password EVERY time you log into your account from a web browser that you don't normally use. This requires you to either slightly weaken your security by carrying around a copy of your Account Key or try to remember it off the top of your head. While this is more secure, both are far more inconvenient than a standard 2 factor authentication system.

AGAlumB

I occasionally need to access my passwords from places like work or when traveling where I don't want the terminal to remember my login information. If you're using Teams/Families as a replacement for the loss of 1PasswordAnywhere, keep in mind that you WILL need your Account Key as well as your master password EVERY time you log into your account from a web browser that you don't normally use. This requires you to either slightly weaken your security by carrying around a copy of your Account Key or try to remember it off the top of your head. While this is more secure, both are far more inconvenient than a standard 2 factor authentication system.

@scottmartin: That's an excellent point! But keep in mind that the very act of entering or accessing sensitive information on a machine someone else controls puts you at risk — potentially much more so than having the Account Key hidden somewhere surreptitiously on your person. And if you have an iOS or Android device with you...well, there's an app for that! :pirate: