After using 1Password for several years, all sensitive information is stored there. Yes, from the Windows Live account I’ve never signed in, my brother’s Facebook recovered password that I’ve saved just in case he forgets again, and the router password I’ve configured for my sister. It’s no longer just about my accounts.
Hundred of accounts are stored in my 1Password Primary Vault. I skim through them, counting the number of accounts I don’t use in the past year, and during my spare time, I decide to clean up this old security vault.
I’ve been looking for a better way to manage my 1Password saved items. The first step is to have separate storage for a different types of information.
1Password 4 introduces a new storage system known as multiple vaults. This new feature allows me to keep my personal and business information separated.
I used to distinguish items under one service by including the username in the title — like “Facebook | Sayz Lim” and “Facebook | Brother Who Doesn’t Remember His Password”. Using multiple vaults, I can create a vault designed for the people I’ve helped create their accounts.
There are four vaults that I recommend each 1Password user to have. The default one, called Primary Vault, along with Business Vault, is a must-have. Additionally, you want to create Family Vault for the family members who can’t store manage their logins.
Primary Vault
Like how you store items in 1Password, Primary Vault is used to store all your personal information. Therefore, all saved items in here should belong to you and only about you. Also, it should be personal, which means your business email address shouldn’t be found in this vault.
Business Vault
Business Vault, on the other hand, is where you store all information related to your business. You can also replace Business Vault with your employer’s company name. If you’re in a team that shares the same account, it’s recommended that you create a separate vault where you can share the vault with each other. You can later sync the shared vault to keep everyone updated.
Archive Vault
2021-07-06 1Password introduced the Archive where you can archive unused items. I recommend moving items in Archive Vault to Primary Vault and audit them again.
Audit all your saved login items. Sven Fechner, on his blog, simplicitybliss, has written a detailed tutorial to create smart folders that filter out saved logins that are not used in the past year. Like him, I recommend you either delete the unused accounts or move them to this vault.
1Password hasn’t built a feature to move saved items between vault. One way to move the saved items is by exporting the selected items to the desktop, followed by deleting the items from the original vault. Once you’ve verified the exported items are correct, switch to your destination vault and import the items into the vault.
Update 2014-03-10 1Password has the feature to copy items between vaults all this time. You can find the option in Item » Share » (Your Vault Name). Make sure to delete the items in the original vault to prevent duplicates.
Family Vault
Welcome home, superhero! This vault is where all the forgotten passwords shall be recovered. This is also one of the reasons why your family treats you as a computer genius. So, hurry, move all their accounts to this vault and use the naming convention I’ve shown in the fifth paragraph.
Switching between vaults can be troublesome. To make it easy for you, assign a shortcut to call 1Password mini and press Command-Comma (,) to show all the available vaults. It’s a great way to change between modes, like only using Business Vault during working hours or Primary Vault once you’ve returned home.