1Password 4 for Windows includes an alternate way to fill form fields when the standard method doesn’t work. This is called Auto-Type. Another nifty use of Auto-Type is with programs that aren’t web browsers. You just need to have a Login item saved with the username and password.
Full-time Auto-Type
You can set up a Login item to always use Auto-Type:
- In 1Password, edit the Login item.
- Enable the Auto-Type option and save the item.
When you visit the site in your web browser, place the cursor in the username field, then press Ctrl + \ as usual. 1Password will fill in the username and password fields with the values saved in the corresponding Login item.
Note: You must place the cursor in the username field before invoking the 1Password classic extension; otherwise, 1Password won’t fill in the fields.
One-click Auto-Type
You can use Auto-Type on an as-needed basis, typically with non-browser programs:
- Display the login form in the program, and click the username field.
- In the main 1Password program, select the Login item you want to use, and click the Auto-Type button in the 1Password toolbar.
Field-level Auto-Type
If the one-click Auto-Type method doesn’t fill in the form correctly, you can fill in the fields one at a time:
- Display the login form in the browser or other program and click the username field.
- In the main 1Password program, select the Login item you want to use.
- In the details area, click the Auto-Type icon next to the Username field. After 1Password fills in the stored username value, click the OK button in the message that appears.
- Back on the login page, click the password field.
- In 1Password again, click the Auto-Type icon next to the Password field. After 1Password fills in the stored password value, sign in.
Pre-filled fields
Some sites pre-fill form fields with placeholder text on the assumption that you’ll select and replace it with your own username or password. Such a form could prevent 1Password from correctly auto-typing your saved values, by prefixing or appending your username or password to the pre-filled characters.
If you encounter such a form, edit the corresponding Login to enable the Send Ctrl+A before Auto-Type option, and 1Password will do exactly that: select the pre-filled value in each field before auto-typing the value you saved for that field.