How to use Excel file within 1Password on Mac and Windows?

pomme4moi

I have the trial version (3.8.20) of 1Password on my Mac. I created a new Wallet bank account entry, and dragged and dropped an Excel file into the Attachments section at the bottom on the bank account creation window. I can close 1Password on my Mac, re-open it, go to the bank account, click on the Excel file, and it opens fine. No problems.

Now I move 1Password.agilekeychain to my PC using these instructions: http://support.agilebits.com/kb/syncing/how-to-move-your-1password-data-file-between-pc-and-mac

Now I open 1Password (trial version 1.0.9.317) on my PC, and I point 1Password to "existing data file". 1Password opens, and I can see the bank account entry that I created on my Mac. I also see an icon for the Excel file that I dropped and dragged into the bank account entry on my Mac. When I click on the Excel icon, however, a Save As window opens, asking me to save the Excel file in a folder on my PC.

Maybe I am missing something, but I do not want to save the Excel file on my PC. I want the Excel file to be inside of 1Password, so that it can only be accessed thru 1Password. I want to click on the Excel file from within 1Password, have it open to edit, then re-save it back within the1Password bank account entry. Saving the Excel file to my PC provides no security whatsoever. My goal is to move the Excel file back and forth between my Mac and PC, all within the secured 1Password environment. I know that DropBox can be used for this type of syncing, but I do not want to use a cloud service.

Can anyone advise what I might be doing wrong?

MikeT

Hi @pomme4mol,

You're not doing anything wrong. That's normal because you can't make changes to encrypted files within 1Password. 1Password stores your files as encrypted files but it cannot let you make changes to it because it's not a file system. Somebody compared it to like emails, you can attach files to emails but you can't make changes to it after emailing it. You'd have to reattach the file to save the changes.

So, to make changes, you have to export the file from 1Password, make changes to it and then re-attach it to the same item while deleting the older copy. As long as you *do not* export the files to the Dropbox folder, your files are still sync'ed encrypted via Dropbox. You just have to make sure to secure delete the files on computers after you're done with them.

pomme4moi

Thanks Mike. Very helpful. In this phrase in your response "As long as you export it to the Dropbox folder", does the it refer to the 1Password.agilekeychain file?

thightower

I am gonna go out on a limb here as say it was a Mt Lion auto correct error.

Reading it myself I was under the impression he was saying that

so long as you do not export it to the Dropbox folder your files are still synced encrypted

In that if you export the file you are wanting to work on to the Dropbox folder it will sync the Document across machines and there will be not encryption protection anyone could open it etc.

I always export things to my Desktop, make changes, import them back into the keychain.
I then drag the copy still on the desktop to the trash and then securely empty the trash.

Well thats how I took it anyway. I am sure Mike will be around to make things clearer.

MikeT

Hi guys,

Tom is correct, I corrected my previous post, I apologize for that. The it was referring to the attachment file, not the data file, I also clarified that in my latest edit:

As long as you do not export the file to the Dropbox folder, your files are still sync'ed encrypted via Dropbox.