Using 1Password

1Password glossary

Learn the meaning of different terms used in 1Password, from administrator to vault.

1Password

Application that stores and manages your passwords, credit cards, licenses, and more. 1Password apps are available for Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android. You can also use 1Password in your browser or sign in to your account on 1Password.com.

1Password account password

The one password that you must remember and enter to unlock 1Password. It’s never transmitted from your devices. No one but you should know your account password. 1Password can suggest a strong one when you sign up.

Account recovery

Administrators, family organizers, and other people with the required permissions can restore account access for someone who’s lost their Secret Key or 1Password account password. Recovering someone’s account lets them create a new password and they also get a new Secret Key and Emergency Kit. See also: Status.

Activity Log

1Password Business includes a log of everything that happens, such as permission changes, status updates, vault edits, and more. All events show a timestamp, action, and the team member who completed them. The Activity Log can be viewed by Owners, Administrators, people who are part of a group with the View Administrative Sidebar permission, and vault managers. It can also be exported for offline viewing.

Administrator

A team member who can create and archive vaults, manage permissions, invite people to the team, and initiate account recovery. The creator of each team is in the Administrators group by default and additional people can be added to the group. See also: Owner.

Emergency Kit

A PDF document containing important information required to access your account:

Your Emergency Kit is created when you first sign up for 1Password. It can help if you’ve lost access to all your linked apps and browsers, or any time you aren’t able to sign in to your account. You can download it again from your My Profile page on 1Password.com. Keep a printed copy on hand in case you need it.

If your administrator turned off Emergency Kits for your team or if you unlock 1Password with your identity provider, you won’t be able to save one.

Family organizer

A family member who can add and remove family members, manage billing, change the name of the family account, delete the family account, initiate account recovery, and more. Each family account is created by a family organizer who can then add additional ones.

Favorite

An item that you’ve marked as important. Favorites are available in the sidebar for quick, convenient access.

Identity

An item where you can store personal information like names, addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses. You can save multiple identities for yourself, such as one for home and another for work. You can even save identities for friends, coworkers, and family members. Use 1Password in your browser to fill identities into websites.

Item

Everything you store in 1Password has its own item. Items can be a password, credit card, license, secure note, or other category. Some items have special capabilities. For example, credit cards can be filled into the checkout pages of online stores. An item can only belong to a single vault at a time.

Linked apps and browsers

The 1Password apps, browser extensions, or web browsers that can access your 1Password account. An app or browser is linked using your sign-in address, email address, account password, and Secret Key. These apps and browsers are listed in My Profile.

Login

An item that contains the username and password for an online account. 1Password uses Login items to help you sign in to sites.

My Profile

A page with your account details, Emergency Kit, and all linked apps and browsers.

Owner

A team member who can manage billing, change the name of the team, delete the team, and perform all the actions of an Administrator. Each team is created by a person who becomes an owner, and additional people can be added to the Owners group.

Passkeys

Passkeys are a secure form of passwordless authentication. Passkeys consist of two parts: a private key and a public key that are mathematically linked. The private key is stored on your device and is never shared with the service you are signing in to. The public key is safely shared with the service being accessed, but is useless without the private key.

Without physical access to your device and a way to unlock it, no one can access your private key or your passkey-protected accounts. This makes passkeys immune to phishing attacks and they also can’t be guessed by an attacker. Passkeys are also convenient to use, because you can verify your identity using your device’s PIN or biometrics to sign in to a service with your passkey.

Permissions

A set of rules that determine the level of access a family or team member has to a vault and its contents. Permissions are specific to each vault and they can be adjusted only by family organizers or vault managers.

Secret Key

34 letters and numbers, separated by dashes, used to strengthen your account password. Your Secret Key is generated for your 1Password account when you first sign up. You need it to sign in to new devices, so it’s important that you always have a copy. You can find your Secret Key in any 1Password linked app or browser, as well as in your Emergency Kit.

Setup Code

A QR code included in your Emergency Kit which you can use to sign in to your 1Password account on a new device without entering your sign-in address, email address, or Secret Key. You’ll still need to enter your account password to sign in.

Sign-in address

The web address for your 1Password account. For most accounts, it’s my.1password.com. If you have a team or business account, you have a unique sign-in address that can be found in your Emergency Kit. Sign in from a browser or enter the sign-in address into the desktop or mobile apps, followed by your account details.

Status

Every family or team member’s account has a current status, which can be one of the following:

  • Invited: An email invite has been sent to join your family or team, but not yet accepted.
  • Pending Confirmation: The invite has been accepted and the new account needs to be approved by a family organizer or administrator.
  • Active: The account is ready to use and they can sign in and access family or team vaults.
  • Recovery Started: The account recovery process has been initiated by a family organizer, administrator, or owner.
  • Recovery Pending: The family or team member has taken the step toward account recovery and is waiting for recovery completion so they can sign back in.
  • Suspended: The family or team member’s access has been temporarily suspended and they won’t be able to access items in their account. Suspension is required prior to permanent deletion. Learn more about what happens when you remove a team member.
  • Deleted: The family or team member’s account has been permanently deleted. In 1Password Business, past activities for the account will appear in the Activity Log. To return to the family or team, they must be invited again.

Two-factor authentication

Two-factor authentication is an extra layer of protection for your 1Password account. With two-factor authentication, a six-digit authentication code is required to sign in to your account on a new device, in addition to your account password and Secret Key.

Vault

An encrypted container for items that can be shared with family or team members. You can create many vaults for a variety of different audiences and purposes.

Employee vault

A vault for team members that contains items related to your work that you don’t want to share with other people. It can’t be renamed or deleted. Each team member has their own Employee vault. Administrators can create reports for items in this vault and access items in it in some cases. Learn more about the Employee vault in team accounts.

Personal vault

A vault for individual 1Password accounts that contains your items. It can’t be renamed or deleted.

Private vault

A vault for family accounts that contains items only you can see. It can’t be renamed or deleted. Each family member has their own Private vault.

Shared vault

A default vault that’s shared with everyone in the family or team.

Primary vault

The default vault if you don’t have a 1Password account, created when you set up 1Password. The password for this vault unlocks your other vaults, even if you add a 1Password account to the app in the future.

Vault manager

A team member who can invite others to a vault and set their access permissions. Owners fill this role by default. Additional team members should be promoted into this role as backups.

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