“Enable sync” not available for my vault

I'd like to keep a copy of my 1password.com vault in a local folder on my windows computer. I found this article on 1password website https://support.1password.com/local-folder/ but on step 3. Click next to the name of the vault and choose “Enable sync” I can't find the “Enable sync” option. Since I need to keep also a local backup of my vault, how can I solve this issue?


1Password Version: 7.3.657
Extension Version: Not Provided
OS Version: Windows
Sync Type: Not Provided
Referrer: forum-search:Enable sync windows folder

Comments

  • AGAlumB
    AGAlumB
    1Password Alumni

    @sam_one: If you are using a 1Password membership account, there are no sync or backup settings; all of that is handled automatically for your encrypted data on the server -- including item history. And besides, you'll always have your data cached locally anyway, so you can access it even offline. The only exception is Documents since they can be large files and are not downloaded automatically. But if you download them yourself, they will also remain cached locally. I hope this helps. Be sure to let me know if you have any other questions! :)

  • sam_one
    sam_one
    Community Member

    Thank you for your reply @brenty, yes I have a 1password membership but I’d like to know if can I access data cached locally also for my 1password.com vault (something like .opvault folder within %LOCALAPPDATA%\1Password\data in standalone vault)

  • Greg
    Greg
    1Password Alumni

    Hi @sam_one,

    If you use 1Password membership account and 1Password apps, your data is always cached locally on your devices, so you can view and edit it without an Internet connection. Any changes you make will become available on your other devices when you next go online.

    The local database for 1Password 7 for Windows is stored in %LOCALAPPDATA%\1Password\, but I would not recommend you to copy or move it manually. There are no local backups with 1Password membership accounts, we handle the backups for you on our servers. Our subscription service performs a continuous automated and encrypted backup of the entire database, provided by Amazon Web Services.

    I agree, it would be cool to have local backups for 1Password membership accounts, but I do not have any timeframes for you at this point.

    Let me know if it helps. Thanks! :+1:

    ++
    Greg

  • sam_one
    sam_one
    Community Member

    Thank you @Greg, very clear reply, I hope you can find some time in the future to add this feature in 1Password and above all I hope you are planning to do it in next releases 🤞🏻

  • AGAlumB
    AGAlumB
    1Password Alumni

    I think we will probably add it in the future, but it hasn't been a popular request and isn't an urgent need anyway since there are always backups being made that are far more resilient. After all, if something bad happens to data on your device, backups stored there probably won't be of any use to you either. Cheers! :)

  • sam_one
    sam_one
    Community Member
    edited April 2019

    You are right @brenty, but with local backup for 1Password account I could keep more than one backup in external hard drive or usb flash drive and restore it in the event my device crashes or worse, a malware (e.g. a keylogger) steals my 1Password.com credentials and delete my account with all my data. I know the second event is very difficult to occur but according the 3-2-1 backup strategy I should keep at least 3 total copies of my data, 2 of which are local but on different devices.

  • AGAlumB
    AGAlumB
    1Password Alumni

    It seems like a bit of a stretch that literally everything would be destroyed except your flash drive -- including your account. But I guess that's why it's a hypothetical. ;) And of course in the real world your 3-2-1 backup requirement is met simply by using 1Password on multiple devices, since your data would be on those and backed up offsite, automatically. But it's certainly something we can consider. :)

  • sam_one
    sam_one
    Community Member

    Assuming that I use 1Password on multiple devices to comply with 3-2-1 backup strategy, someone with my 1Password account credentials can access to "Authorized Devices" list and deauthorize every single device linked to my account. At this point vault stored locally in each of my device will be immediately deleted as soon as 1Password app communicates with 1Password server. Aware that this is only an hypothetical and very unlikely scenario but it's somenthing to consider in 1Password development.
    However this is just the thought of a long time 1Password user that would like to continue to best use your app.

  • AGAlumB
    AGAlumB
    1Password Alumni

    Absolutely! Thanks for your feedback on this. It's always good to get a different perspective. :)

  • 1pwuser31547
    1pwuser31547
    Community Member

    Hi @sam_one and @brenty

    On Mac OS (not sure about Windows), you can create standalone/ local vaults.

    When that’s done, the app will automatically create backups of the entire database of the local vaults on the device (MAC OS) which you can transfer to USB.

    Also you can create copies of individual vaults as OPVault files which you can sync to USB.

    So you could copy all your data that are in personal vaults to a Primary vault (or more laboriously, create additional multiple local secondary vaults with same names as your personal vaults).

    For simplicity you could make your account MP Primary local vault and secondary local vault passwords the same, as the MP for the Primary vault will now open the app, not your account password.

    This would give you the option of creating local, transferable back up files in addition to the backups on the 1PW server.

    The Primary vault can also be synced to iCloud or Dropbox, (the other local secondary vaults Dropbox only), giving you an additional back up source.

  • AGAlumB
    AGAlumB
    1Password Alumni

    I wouldn't suggest that anyone do that, given the 1Password account data is already automatically backed up more securely, redundantly, and reliably on the server, but it's certainly possible to do that. :)

  • 1pwuser31547
    1pwuser31547
    Community Member

    I was just giving a potential solution to that specific threat model that @sam_one presented.
    Aside from printing and securely storing or saving as encrypted PDF the database, is there another solution to this (albeit rare) threat?

  • I can see how this might not be considered a solution by some, @1pwuser31547, but my personal philosophy about this sort of threat is that it doesn't really require a separate backup strategy. Think about it this way. If someone did deauthorize all of your devices, how is that going to play out in reality? You're going to unlock 1Password on one device and quickly realize that, hey, all of your data is gone and you're freaking out right now. So, what's next? First, let us know. Our team is here to assist with these sorts of issues. Next, pick at least one device, disconnect it from the internet, then (and only then) unlock 1Password. No internet, no sync, no data loss. Once you've done that, your data is safe and accessible. You can export, move it to a standalone vault for safekeeping – whatever you decide. What's important though, is that your data isn't going anywhere and won't so long as you recognize what has happened and take action.

    Now, it's totally possible some folks may not understand what it means when they see that data disappear, but I'd wager folks who worry about this sort of threat have adequate knowledge to put those pieces together. Those who don't are probably not any more likely to employ a local backup plan and thus aren't terribly interested in this discussion anyway. To the extent there is such a thing as a one-size-fits-all backup plan, I think 1Password memberships come about as close to that as is reasonable and will address the concerns of the vast majority of our customers. Local backups have a role to play for sure, but their role is more in allowing you to manage your crisis plan how you see fit rather than accounting for any one specific threat.

This discussion has been closed.