AgileBits released 1Password for Windows version 4 today. Some quick first impressions:
- The browser extensions are the real sweet part of this update. As the AgileBits blog summarizes, “[y]ou can drill down to view vault items, search your vault, access your Favorites, change extension settings, and, of course, it’s still just a single click to open a new site, fill your credentials, and login.”
- Folders and favorites now sync between platforms. If this was present in version 3, I missed it. I noticed for the first time today that folders created on my iPad and Mac were showing up in the Windows app. In the past, my Windows install sort of sat on an island of its own with respect to folders and favorites. No longer.
- Multiple vaults. For some time, I’ve wanted to cull out rarely used passwords, and put them into a separate vault. I’ve held off, since using multiple vaults was cumbersome, if not impossible, on Windows. It’s easy now.
- Watchtower support. On the Mac version, AgileBits introduced a feature that alerted you to sites where you had a login, and where the site had a security issue. That is now in the Windows app. Unfortunately (through no fault of 1Password), the list of sites is pretty long.
- The Windows app still isn’t as visually appealing as the Mac or iOS apps.
- I still can’t get universal unlock to work. Even if the Windows desktop app is open, I still need to login via the browser extension. This has been a problem for me going back to when I started with 1Password at version 3.
- If you purchased 1Password for Windows in 2013 or later, the upgrade to version 4 is free.
Should you upgrade? If you are using 1Password on multiple platforms, it is definitely a worthwhile purchase. The ability to use multiple vaults, and also to sync your folders and favorites between platforms, is a great addition.
Beyond that, you’ll really need to review the feature list, and compare it with how you use the app. Don’t just base the decision on how you use it now, though, but also on whether the new version will get you to use the app differently. I predominantly use the Mac version of the app, and just use the Windows version to fill passwords in Chrome. As I dig into this new version, that might change.
Oh, and if you’re not using a password manager at all, then go get it now. Or go get some other password manager. Just do something. You’re tempting fate if you don’t have a strong and secure system for generating unique passwords for all of your logins.
