Will dropbox sync allow me to repopulate my vault after "starting over"?

gfried
gfried
Community Member
in Mac

I'm traveling and lost my master password. I sync with dropbox. If I "start over", erasing all local backups, will I be able to use the data in the vaults stored on dropbox?

1Password Version: 6.3
Extension Version: Not Provided
OS Version: 10.10.5
Sync Type: dropbox
Referrer: forum-search:can I refill my vault from dropbox sync?

Comments

  • Pilar
    Pilar
    1Password Alumni

    Hi @gfried,

    I'm sorry to hear that you've forgotten your Master Password! You can start over with an empty vault and in the process you'll be creating a backup of your data as well, so everything will be there and ready to use when you've gone through the process. In addition to that, you're right the data saved on Dropbox can also be used to restore 1Password with a new Master Password. To start over you need to follow the instructions here: https://support.1password.com/starting-over/?mac

    Please let us know if everything goes well for you and if there's anything else that we can help you with :chuffed:

  • gfried
    gfried
    Community Member

    Pilar -

    Thanks so much for your response.

    When I "start over", if I try to use the data stored in dropbox - dropbox/1password.agilekeychain - i'm prompted to login using (I assume) the existing master password (which I don't have.)

    So I went ahead and created a new vault, but when I try - through preferences - to sync with the dropbox vault, i'm prompted for the "vault password" which I don't know.

    Any way around this?

    Thanks,
    Gabe

  • gfried
    gfried
    Community Member

    Pilar -

    I'm also confused about how my iOS vault is syncing, or whether it is at all. Here are screenshots from the settings/syncing. No sync method seems to be selected (and if I try either icloud or dropbox sync, i'm asked to merge vaults and then challenged for the "vault password.)

    At this point i'd settle for using the vault that exists on my phone as the master, syncing that somewhere, and then using it on my desktop. I'd lose a few months of data, but unless I can bypass the vault pw, maybe this is the best option?

    Thanks for your help. This is unsettling stuff!

    (https://us.v-cdn.net/5020219/uploads/editor/6x/nd7fs8c78qam.jpg "")

  • Megan
    Megan
    1Password Alumni

    Hi @gfried,

    When I "start over", if I try to use the data stored in dropbox - dropbox/1password.agilekeychain - i'm prompted to login using (I assume) the existing master password (which I don't have.)

    Unfortunately the only way to access your 1Password data is with your Master Password. We have a support article that can give you some tips that might help you remember it: I lost or forgot my Master Password, but there is no way around the Master Password.

    If you have 1Password on your iOS device, and your data was synced between Mac and iOS, the same Master Password should be used to unlock 1Password in both places. Have you tried unlocking 1Password on your Mac with the Master Password you’re using on 1Password for iOS?

    I'm also confused about how my iOS vault is syncing, or whether it is at all. Here are screenshots from the settings/syncing. No sync method seems to be selected (and if I try either icloud or dropbox sync, i'm asked to merge vaults and then challenged for the "vault password.)

    Thanks for those screenshots! You are correct, 1Password for iOS is not currently set up to sync. We can work that out though.

    At this point i'd settle for using the vault that exists on my phone as the master, syncing that somewhere, and then using it on my desktop. I'd lose a few months of data, but unless I can bypass the vault pw, maybe this is the best option?

    If you are unable to remember the Master Password for 1Password on your Mac, then our best option is to ensure that the data from your iOS device is all synced up to your other devices. To do that, we’ll remove the current 1Password.agilekeychain file from Dropbox:

    1. On your Mac, open a Finder window to your Dropbox folder.
    2. Drag the 1Password.agilekeychain file to your desktop. (Once you’re certain that you cannot recall your Master Password, this file could also be deleted, but keeping it on your desktop is a nice interim ‘just-in-case’ measure.)
    3. Allow Dropbox to fully sync.
    4. On your iOS device, open 1Password.
    5. Follow the steps to set up sync.

    This time you should not be prompted to merge data, instead, 1Password will create a shiny new datafile for you in Dropbox. Then, all we need to do is point 1Password for Mac at this new file. Please note, you will be prompted for the Master Password of the vault in order to unlock the data on your Mac.

  • gfried
    gfried
    Community Member

    Megan -

    Thanks so much for your help. I've removed the agilekeychain file from my desktop dropbox folder, and am now syncing via dropbox from my iOS device.

    One point of confusion: when I try to sync from my mac, which "master password" should I use - the one that currently works on iOS, or the new one I created on the mac when I "started over"?

    Another question: I have 1pass on a work machine as well. In changing the MP on my personal laptop - the one that started this issue - does that also change the MP for the other machine? In other words, if both machines had been using dropbox backup, does starting over/changing the MP on one affect the other? I'm afraid you'll say "yes" and that in starting over on one i've lost any chance of accessing the data on the other.

    Thanks again. This app contains my life, so you guys are life savers right now.

  • Megan
    Megan
    1Password Alumni

    Hi @gfried,

    One point of confusion: when I try to sync from my mac, which "master password" should I use - the one that currently works on iOS, or the new one I created on the mac when I "started over”?

    Your one Master Password should be the only password you ever have to remember. It’s our goal here at 1Password. So, you should be unlocking 1Password with the same Master Password across all devices.

    If you set up 1Password on your Mac with a new Master Password, then we have 2 options here:

    1. Start Over again, and this time, instead of creating a new vault, simply point 1Password at the existing datafile in Dropbox (that we just created on your iOS device). You will be prompted for the Master Password to unlock the vault.
    2. Set your current vault to sync with the datafile in Dropbox and then change the Master Password on your Mac to match the one you’re using on iOS.

    Another question: I have 1pass on a work machine as well. In changing the MP on my personal laptop - the one that started this issue - does that also change the MP for the other machine? In other words, if both machines had been using dropbox backup, does starting over/changing the MP on one affect the other?

    Changes to your Master Password will sync across devices. You can learn more about how this happens in a DevBits post on our blog, but the important thing is that you should be unlocking 1Password with the same Master Password on all devices.

    Does your work machine currently have a different Master Password than you are using on your other devices?

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