How To: Create multi-page Logins
Some websites like banks or business admin portals employ multi-page login systems, usually as a security precaution. The theory is that these systems make it more difficult for a malicious hacker to use scripts and other tools to try and break into someone's account. It is possible for you to still use 1Password with many of these sites, though you will have to create multiple Logins — one for each page of the site's login process.
The best practice we have found for multi-page login systems is to develop some kind of a naming scheme for each one, like "Bank 1," "Bank 2," "Bank 3," etc. This will keep your Logins organized and easy to use for each step of the process when you want to log back in.
Before we get started, click the 1P button in your browser's toolbar and ensure that the "Autosave Logins" option is enabled.
How to create your multi-page Logins
Step 1: Save the first Login
Many multi-page login sites ask for your username on the first page, and occasionally some kind of secret question as well. Some even randomize this secret question each time you visit. To begin the process, enter your username and answer any secret questions, press Return, and the Save to 1Password bar should appear at the top of your browser.
This is where your naming scheme comes in handy. Instead of just clicking "Save" in the Save to 1Password bar, name your first Login "Bank 1," or perhaps "Bank 1 - birth date" in order to associate it with one of your bank's random question.
Each time you get a different question at this page, you can create a new Login and name it accordingly, like "Bank 1 - First Pet's Name," "Bank 1 - Anniversary date," "Bank 1 - Favorite book," and so on.
Step 2: Save your second Login with your naming scheme
The second page of many multi-page login systems will ask for your password. Some display a "trust word" or "secret image" that you had to pick when you first registered. It is good to pay attention to these systems, though to ensure that you are not at a malicious site, always be sure to verify that the URL in your browser's address bar is correct.
Enter your password and any other information your bank requests on this page and hit Return to log in and make the Save to 1Password bar appear at the top of your browser. To maintain your naming scheme and ensure these Logins are easy to use the next time you want to log in, use your naming scheme again. Edit this Login's name to "Bank 2," or "Bank 2 - Trust Word." Make it relevant to the second step in your login process.
Step 3: Rinse, repeat
Because the length and complexity of these multi-page login systems can vary greatly, our best advice is to simply rinse and repeat. Use your naming system for as many Logins as you need, and keep them organized for the next time you need to log into the site.
How to use your multi-page Logins
The next time you visit your multi-page login site, you will simply need to use each of the logins that you created earlier in order of the login process. To make this as seamless as possible, click the 1P button in your browser's toolbar again and be sure that the "Autosubmit Logins" option is enabled.
To begin logging in on the site's first page, click the 1P button in your browser's toolbar and pick the relevant "Bank 1" login (to work even faster, you can also use the keyboard shortcut Command+\ which uses your browser's Edit > Login with 1Password menu command). This should fill your username and any secret questions into the fields on the first page and automatically submit the form for you.
Follow this process with each subsequent page, picking your "Bank 2" and "Bank 3" Logins for each step.
Tips and things to know
- For the login boxes on some multi-page sites, the designer or organization may have used Flash, a multimedia web technology from Adobe. Unfortunately, Flash is not a web standard and does not work with external plugins or technologies like 1Password, so we cannot fill Flash-based forms.
- As a security precaution, some banks or other organizations may go to great lengths to design their website and make their login system so complex as to prevent 1Password from being able to fill their forms. This is certainly not typical, and we investigate these sites as they are reported. However, in some rare cases, even after our best efforts, there may be no way to let 1Password fill a site's forms. The best thing to do is to contact the organization and ask them to improve their site design and login system as to focus on stronger passwords and better accessibility for 1Password.