1Password not working because "Extra copies of 1Password found"

desertman

Since two days I get every time I want to use 1Password 6.3 the first time after a restart the error message "Extra copies of 1Password found" and the request to delete these "extra copies" - otherwise 1Password would not work.

Yes, I do have an extra copy of 1Password on a second hard drive - because I make backups of my boot drive, not only with Time Machine but also additionally with Carbon Copy Cloner (which means I have actually two extra copies - one on the Time Machine disk and one on the Carbon Copy Cloner disk). I am doing this since many years (but I'm getting this error message only since two days). The only way out is to unmount the Carbon Copy Cloner disk and to mount it again after I used 1Password the first time. For the rest of the day it then does not matter anymore that I have "extra copies" of 1Password somewhere on a other hard drives on my Mac.

Why is 1Password not able to recognize that I am starting the "right" copy of 1Password from my boot disk and ignore the copy from the Carbon Copy Cloner disk (like it apparently ignores the copy from the Time Machine disk)? Can this be fixed, please?

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

Stephen_C

@desertman this knowledge base article covers the situation:

If you see "extra copies of 1Password found"

Note the section about backup drives. The solution (if you wish to have the backup drive permanently connected) is to:

• delete any copy of the 1Password app file (only) from the backup drive; and
• exclude the 1Password app file from any further backups (because, of course, you can always re-download it if you need to).

Provided you don't use any app cleaner tool when deleting the app file none of this will interfere with your 1Password data.

Can this be fixed, please?

Only if Apple fixes the launchd service: see this AgileBits' post.

Stephen

weavermedia

@Stephen_C I have a similar situation and I'm curious why the copy on the Time Machine disk doesn't cause the same issue?

Wouldn't it be possible to have a preference in 1Password for 'Application Volume'? It could then ignore apps found on other volumes.

@desertman The solution I found is to use a script to mount the clone drive before backup then eject it after. I'm using Super Duper which allows running of scripts before the backup but I'm sure CC will allow similar.

Stephen_C

@weavermedia:

I have a similar situation and I'm curious why the copy on the Time Machine disk doesn't cause the same issue?

The problem is that sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn't. The launchd service seems to have a mind of its own. Sometimes, even in a situation like yours, all works well but then sometimes, quite unpredictably, it all goes haywire. That's why AgileBits always recommends tackling the situation before it becomes a problem.

Wouldn't it be possible to have a preference in 1Password for 'Application Volume'? It could then ignore apps found on other volumes.

I am by no means an expert (merely a volunteer on here) but there have been many AgileBits' posts saying this can't be done: see, for example, this post. If you want more (and there's plenty!) just search the forum for launchd.

The solution I found is to use a script to mount the clone drive before backup then eject it after. I'm using Super Duper which allows running of scripts before the backup but I'm sure CC will allow similar.

With CCC (which I use) it's even simpler to exclude a single file from a backup—although I'm also sure what you advise would also work.

Stephen

nmott

@desertman @weavermedia Stephen has hit the nail on the head, on all counts. Please let us know if there's anything else we can help with! :)

weavermedia

@Stephen_C @nmott Thanks for the info but selecting to not backup certain files is not a practical solution for me, or anyone else making a bootable clone.

The whole point of keeping a bootable clone is to enable a fast switch to a working drive if the primary drive fails.

Having certain files or applications absent from this clone would mean an interruption in workflow.

I'll stick to my easy mount/unmount solution until 1Password has a way to ignore duplicate applications.

AGAlumB

@weavermedia: While I don't think that a 30 second trip to agilebits.com/downloads is a huge hit to productivity, you can always simply ignore the prompt and continue with the upgrade anyway. No harm will come to you!

However, if OS X does happen to launch(d) the wrong copy of 1Password mini at some point, just Command Control Quit the app, and relaunching it should resolve the issue.

Unless Apple makes significant under-the-hood changes to OS X, 1Password cannot and will not have "a way to ignore duplicate applications". It already does ignore extra copies (except to inform you of them); it's launchd that manages this -- and gets a bit overzealous -- and 1Password has no control over that. :(

weavermedia

@brenty Not sure what you mean by 'continue with the upgrade anyway' - in this instance I'm talking about bootable clone drives, not upgrades.

Agreed about Apple needing to make improvements to launchd. Lots of folks feel the same way! ;)

By the way, why is it only 1Password that I have this issue with? No other apps show me this 'duplicate apps found' message when I run updates.

danco

It is actually a known issue with other apps. Among other places, it is discussed in the Carbon Copy Cloner manual.

I think the reason you only notice the problem with 1PW is that for most programs it does not matter which copy launchd chooses to launch, whereas with 1PW it can matter.

AGAlumB

@weavermedia: Ah, I guess I'm pretty confused then. 1Password warns if it finds multiple copies during the update process, which is what I thought you were referring to. That's why I suggested clicking the "Upgrade Anyway" button to proceed. 1Password doesn't care if there are multiple copies, but we do since they can cause trouble if OS X launches the wrong one. That's what I was referring to. Sorry for misunderstanding!

danco also makes a great point: for security reasons, 1Password can only connect to its "mate" mini from its own app bundle. Otherwise it would be easy for a malicious "mini impersonator" to connect, and no one wants that. In most cases with other apps this really isn't a concern, because they're not handling our sensitive data the way we depend on 1Password to, or interacting with the OS at a deep level.

Helmi

Is there any update on this? Just faced this error for the same reason (bootable clone backup using CCC).

I tried excluding the clone drive from spotlight indexing and it worked the next time I tried. Don't have any proof but maybe that helps.

Also I thought about automatically unmounting the clone copy as long as there's not backup running (which happens once a day). Probably that might be a good solution, too. Still have to try though.

danco

@Helmi either of your solutions may work, though the second is better. And you can just exclude 1PW from the backup (the data will still be backed up) which is even better.

Helmi

Excluding from backup isn't an option - and you shouldn't ever recommend people to do so.

1. Having one backup may be a problem later (every backup has a chance to fail and I have seen this twice this year)

2. In this case it's a bootable backup that is only here to have a quick chance to boot another copy of the system with everything available instantly. There may not be a reason to have this for anyone but it's important for me that I don't make any exceptions here which would mean I would have to work on installing single tools after booting from that clone. Especially when this is about essential tools like 1password.

Thanks anyway for your advice.

AGAlumB

Is there any update on this? Just faced this error for the same reason (bootable clone backup using CCC).

@Helmi: This isn't an "error". It's an informational dialog where you can choose from three options, depending on your preference.

Excluding from backup isn't an option - and you shouldn't ever recommend people to do so.

I would agree with this statement if I ignored the context completely. But the fact is that anyone can download nearly any version of 1Password again, for free, from our update site:

AgileBits update server

But again, that's not the only option. You can also exclude the app, but include a zipped copy of it (which macOS will never launch) in your backup. Or you can simply click to continue anyway. No one will snitch on you. I do it all the time, having more than my fair share of 1Password versions lying around. ;)

danco

And I should point out that I am not an AgileBits employee, just an interested user, so it is not AgileBits suggesting that you should exclude 1PW from the backup.

I had thought of suggesting keeping a zipped copy of 1PW and backing that up. The extra work involved in reinstalling 1PW would then be minimal. But it's your choice which method works best for you, the crucial point is that if you don't back up the 1PW PROGRAM the 1PW DATA is still there.

AGAlumB

the crucial point is that if you don't back up the 1PW PROGRAM the 1PW DATA is still there.

I agree completely. The most important thing is having a backup of our important data. Everything else is secondary.