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How To: Start fresh with a new data file (Agile Keychain)

dteare
dteare Agile Founder
in Knowledge Base & FAQs

1Password creates your data file using the password you provided when you first launched the application. This password is not kept anywhere, and it is never logged. Furthermore, there is no “back door” mechanism to recover your data or password. This approach is very important in order to be able to say that 1Password keeps your data safe and secure. However, because of it, once your password is forgotten, there is nothing we can do to help you recover it.

Before deleting the data file and starting all over, you should verify that you are not overlooking one of these common occurrences.

Once you have tried all the passwords you can think of and the suggestions in the 1Password User Guide, there is nothing you can do but start over. Fortunately, there are a couple ways to retrieve your data afterwards.

  • If you've been using Dropbox to sync your data with 1Password for iOS, just set up Dropbox syncing again, and your data will start syncing to your Mac automatically.
  • If you've previously synced your 1Password data with 1Password for iOS via Wi-Fi, you can easily restore your data during the next Wi-Fi sync.

Syncing is bidirectional, so your new, empty 1Password data file on the Mac will receive whatever 1Password data your mobile device may currently have. Even if it is somewhat out-of-date that may be better than nothing at all.

Starting Over

  1. Open 1Password.
  2. Select File > Backup Data File from the menu bar to create a “safety net”.

  3. Note the location of your data file. You can find the location of your data file by looking in 1Password > Preferences > General. You'll need this in a moment. (If you cannot access 1Password's preferences for some reason, we'll try the default location.)

    Data File Location in 1Password's Preferences

  4. Quit 1Password and all running web browsers.

  5. Navigate to the location of your data file in Finder. If you were unable to access 1Password's preferences, please try the default data file location:

    Home > Library > Application Support > 1Password > 1Password.agilekeychain

    Note: If you're on Lion, the Library folder is hidden by Default. To reveal it, open Finder and go to the Go Menu, press the Option key on your keyboard and then select the Library to view your Library folder.

  6. Move the 1Password.agilekeychain data file to your desktop. You could delete the file, but to be safe it is best to simply set it aside for a moment until you have verified that everything is working well.

  7. Open 1Password and follow the setup instructions.

A new, empty data file will be created for you automatically after you create a Master Password. We have a blog post with some tips on creating a strong, memorable Master Password if you would care for some pointers.

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