I love Keychain. For years, it has been a massive timesaver when it comes to setting and recalling passwords and keeping my credit card details just a click away.
However, I’m acutely aware that it is neither the only nor the best password manager out there. It certainly isn’t the most flexible or feature-packed.
It had been on my mind to expand my horizons a little in this area – particularly as I start to take more comprehensive steps into the world of Windows and, consequently, a cross-platform life.
Then, news of 1Password 8 for the Mac dropped, and the internet went a little bit mad – including the portion of it I’ve carved out for my own ramblings.
So, I’ve decided to switch to 1Password. I want to see what the fuss is all about and what I’ve been missing out on during my time with Keychain.
Why I stopped using 1Password
I was actually a 1Password user many years ago. Although, not for long.
Again, it was Keychain’s fault. Once I went Apple-only with all of my devices, I realised that their built-in password manager was by far the most convenient. So, 1Password was unceremoniously dropped.
I’d argue that Keychain remains the most convenient for many people in my position. This is mainly because it is baked so deeply into an ecosystem over which Apple has ultimate control. There are no additional apps to download, and nothing more than a simple switch to flick ‘on’ if you want to use it.
This isn’t the case with third-party password managers like 1Password. By their very nature, they require a dedicated app to be installed on each of your devices, followed by a browser extension. It’s yet another little icon in your menu bar and something else that needs installing on each new device.
For me, Keychain’s convenience subsequently won the day.
But convenience doesn’t always result in the best solution.
Heading towards 1Password 8
I’ve been lucky enough for AgileBits (the team behind 1Password) to provide me with a licence to try out. And I’m not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, so I’m diving in wholeheartedly.
More importantly, I want to see how 1Password 8 compares to the current version. Will the transition to Electron result in the issues that have been predicted by 1Password’s legion of Mac fans? Or is it nothing more than hot air?
I already use several Electron apps, including Discord, Teams, and Zoom. All three run daily on my M1 MacBook Air, whose battery life remains stellar. I don’t really notice or care for the various Electron shortcomings noted by others, therefore I’m fascinated to see if there’s any measurable difference when 1Password 8 arrives.
Transferring from Keychain to 1Password
I won’t lie – I certainly wasn’t relishing the idea of switching password managers.
The thought of transferring all of my passwords from Keychain to 1Password was a little daunting. Obviously, there isn’t a batch export/import feature (that would be hilariously insecure, given the data we’re dealing with here), therefore it was always going to be a manual affair.
Thankfully, I’ve discovered a neat trick, which is making the process more bearable – if a little long-winded.
By leaving Keychain switched on and having installed 1Password, I’ve discovered that I can keep the former as my primary password input method (via Touch ID), and allow 1Password to store the details after I’ve logged in. It’s pretty seamless and means I’m gradually populating my 1Password database throughout the week as I log into each website and web app.
This does mean I’m a couple of weeks away from the full switch, but I really can’t be bothered to sit down and transfer all of my passwords in one hit. So, for the time being, my MacBook Air is the transition device.
Once all passwords (and credit card details) are in 1Password, I’ll then install it on every other device, switch off Keychain… and head into a brand-new world!
Stay tuned…
I’m looking forward to trying out 1Password and will, obviously, keep you guys updated with my progress and thoughts.
But I’m curious – what password manager are you using, and why?
This post includes affiliate links
Keychain kind of guy. Can live with the fact that Apple have control of my passwords. Not happy with giving those details to a third party. Specially as they could (and will) be bought up by google.
I’m a keychain guy simply because it just works across everything. I’m not one who fancies installing browser extensions either. Can’t for the life of me figure out what additional features a third party service could offer and I’m too lazy to find out myself. I’ve got your blog for that.
And my name only has 1 ‘n’. I’m still on a 2017 keyboard.
I use 1Password and love it. Used to use Lastpass before the free version changed but I prefer 1Password by far. Much more modern UI and has many more features in terms of different types of information it can store and formats.
I don’t use Keychain because I’m not all in on Apple and need the flexibility of using my password manager for both Windows and iOS.
1password does not show you your own password before trying to access your account.
I changed to BitWarden which does and half price.
Much better/easier !!!
PS:Your sites the “Best!!”
Ah, thanks!
[…] this month, I revealed that I was switching from iCloud Keychain to 1Password, and I’m happy to report that I’ve completed the […]
I have been a 1Password user for years now. My main reason I use it is for the cross platform life. All my personal stuff is Apple, but my work life is in the Windows world. Even if I wasn’t in the Windows world, I would probably still use 1Password. Love this app!
[…] used to be an iCloud Keychain user until I discovered 1Password, which has completely transformed the way I think about password management and securing my digital […]
[…] actually my password manager of choice, having switched to 1Password last year from Apple’s […]
[…] why on earth I decided to jump into the beta testing phase for 1Password 8 on the Mac. You know, 1Password – the platform I task with storing my most confidential, personal, and important […]
[…] I decided to try out 1Password again, and boy have I been missing […]
[…] a complete 1Password convert – I no longer use Keychain on the Mac. I’m also yet to dive into the beta version of […]