Forum Discussion

acola's avatar
acola
New Contributor
2 months ago

Unlock 1Password Mac app via QR code scan from mobile device (like browser extension authorization)

When the 1Password browser extension needs authorization, I can scan a QR code with my phone's 1Password app and approve the request — this is seamless and secure. I'd love to see this same capability extended to unlocking the native Mac (and Windows) desktop app.

Current pain point:

When 1Password on my Mac is locked and requires my master password, my only options are:

  • Type the full password manually
  • Use Touch ID (if my Mac has it)

Since I use a strong, randomly-generated master password that I rarely type, I often need to open 1Password on my phone, find the password, and manually transcribe it, which is slow and error-prone, or copy and transfer it via Universal Clipboard, then paste it into the unlock field and submit.

Proposed solution:

When 1Password Mac displays the unlock screen:

  1. Show a "Scan QR code" option alongside the password field
  2. I open 1Password on my phone (already unlocked via Face ID/Touch ID)
  3. I tap a "Scan to unlock another device" option
  4. I scan the QR code on my Mac screen
  5. 1Password Mac unlocks via secure device-to-device authentication

This mirrors how apps like Steam, WhatsApp Web, and Telegram handle cross-device authentication, and is similar to 1Password's existing browser extension authorization flow.

Even better, if a direct device-to-device communication (e.g. via Bluetooth or local network) could allow 1Password on my phone to automatically detect and unlock 1Password on my Mac, without even needing to scan a QR code, that would be the ideal experience.

Security considerations:

This wouldn't weaken security — it would still require:

  • Possession of an already-authenticated device
  • Biometric authentication on the phone
  • The secure encrypted channel 1Password already uses for QR-based sign-in

 

1Password Version: 8.x

OS Version: macOS

1 Reply

  • Hello acola​! 👋

    Thank you for the feedback! Just to clarify, both the browser extension and the desktop app already include the ability to sign in using a QR code however this only applies when you're first authenticating your 1Password account and not to subsequent unlocks:

    After authenticating your account, you can then unlock 1Password for Mac using one of the following unlock methods: 

    That being said, the team is always interested in improving the user experience when it comes to unlocking 1Password. We're currently beta testing passkey unlock for 1Password which sounds like it may provide you with the experience that you're looking for. With passkey unlock, you can unlock 1Password using a passkey on your mobile device by scanning a QR code on your Mac. You can read more here: Unlock 1Password with a passkey (beta)

    -Dave