About your Secret Key | 1Password (2024)

Your Secret Key keeps your 1Password account safe by adding another level of security on top of your 1Password account password.

About your Secret Key | 1Password (1)

Your Secret Key is 34 letters and numbers, separated by dashes. It’s stored on devices you’ve used to sign in to your account, and in your Emergency Kit. Only you have access to it. Your Secret Key works with your 1Password account password – which only you know – to encrypt your data and keep it safe.

Your Secret Key is:

  • Yours. Everyone has their own unique Secret Key.
  • Secret. Your Secret Key was created on your own device. We have no record of your Secret Key and can’t recover it.

Your Secret Key is not:

  • A license key or serial number. It’s an encryption key that’s unrelated to your purchase.
  • A backup code. It doesn’t let you sign in if you forget your 1Password account password.

Learn where to find your Secret Key.

Protect your Secret Key

About your Secret Key | 1Password (2)

No one can access your 1Password data without your Secret Key. That includes you, so make sure you’re always able to find it.

  • Keep it secret. Don’t send it to us or make it public.
  • Keep it safe. Save your Emergency Kit, which contains your Secret Key. Then you’ll be able to find it, even if something happens to your devices.

Learn how to save and protect your Emergency Kit.

How your Secret Key protects you

About your Secret Key | 1Password (3)

Your Secret Key and your 1Password account password both protect your data. They’re combined to create the full encryption key that encrypts everything you store in 1Password.

Because you need to memorize your account password, it can only be so strong – about 40 bits of entropy on average. Your Secret Key doesn’t need to be memorized, so it can be much stronger. It has 128 bits of entropy, making it infeasible to guess no matter how much money or computing power an attacker has available.

These differences in entropy and memorability allow your Account Password and Secret Key to protect you from different kinds of threats:

  • Your 1Password account password protects your data on your devices. Someone who has access to your devices or backups won’t be able to unlock 1Password without your account password, which only you know.
  • Your Secret Key protects your data off your devices. Someone who attempts a brute-force attack on our servers won’t be able to decrypt your data without your Secret Key, which we never have.

Like your account password, your Secret Key is never sent to us. But because you can’t memorize your Secret Key, 1Password stores copies of it for you, so you can:

  • Unlock 1Password without entering your Secret Key every time. It’s stored in the 1Password apps and browsers you’ve used to sign in to your account on 1Password.com.*
  • Have peace of mind if you lose a device. Encrypted copies of your Secret Key are stored in your device backups and keychains to provide data loss protection. If you have iCloud Keychain turned on and lose your Mac, iPhone, or iPad, you can restore from a backup and unlock 1Password with just your account password. It’s the same for Android backups.

*You won’t be able to find your Secret Key in Safari unless you sign in to your 1Password account at least once every 7 days.

Learn more

Your Secret Key starts with eight characters that are known to us, which we use to aid in troubleshooting. The first two characters are the version number, and the following six characters are the identifier. For example: A3-ABC123.

The Secret Key was called the “Account Key” in previous versions of 1Password, and may still be labeled that way in your Emergency Kit. They are one and the same.

To find out more about the format of the Secret Key and how it is used in encryption, check out our 1Password Security Design White Paper

Published:

About your Secret Key | 1Password (2024)

FAQs

What is an example of a secret key? ›

Because a single key is used to encrypt and decrypt data, secret key cryptography is sometimes referred to as symmetric cryptography. Data Encryption Standard (DES), triple-strong DES (3DES), Rivest Cipher 2 (RC2), and Rivest Cipher 4 are examples of cryptographic algorithms (RC4).

What is secret key in password? ›

Your Secret Key protects your data off your devices.

Someone who attempts a brute-force attack on our servers won't be able to decrypt your data without your Secret Key, which we never have.

What is the purpose of the secret key? ›

In symmetric cryptography a secret key (or “private key”) is a piece of information or a framework that is used to decrypt and encrypt messages. Each party to a conversation that is intended to be private possesses a common secret key.

How to recover secret key 1Password? ›

You can find your Secret Key and Setup Code in your Emergency Kit, which may be saved on the device you used to create your 1Password account. If you don't remember saving your Emergency Kit, look in your Downloads folder for a PDF file named “1Password Emergency Kit”.

How do I create a secret key? ›

There are two ways for generating a secret key in Java: generating from a random number or deriving from a given password. In the first approach, the secret key is generated from a Cryptographically Secure (Pseudo-)Random Number Generator like the SecureRandom class.

What is an example of a secret? ›

SecretsDescriptions
hobbyHave you ever hid a hobby or possession.
illegalEngaged in something illegal (other than drugs or stealing).
lack sexKept secret a lack of having sex (i.e., that you are not, or were not, having sex at some point).
lieHave lied to someone.
34 more rows

What are secrets and keys? ›

A secret is anything that you want to tightly control access to, such as API keys, passwords, or certificates. A key is a cryptographic key represented as a JSON Web Key [JWK] object. Key Vault supports RSA and Elliptic Curve Keys only.

Where is secret access key? ›

1 Go to Amazon Web Services console and click on the name of your account (it is located in the top right corner of the console). Then, in the expanded drop-down list, select Security Credentials. 2 Click the Continue to Security Credentials button. 3 Expand the Access Keys (Access Key ID and Secret Access Key) option.

Do you want to know a secret key? ›

The song is quite securely in E Major in spite of a firm modulation to the axis of A Major/f# minor during the bridge. Allusions to the parallel minor key of e in both intro and verse provide a touch of pathos as well as harmonic variety.

What is the master secret key? ›

The master secret is the key used to encrypt all the information stored in the SSO database.

What is the summary of the secret key? ›

The Secret Key follows the ambition of Agatha Oddly; a thirteen year old girl who loves solving mysteries;she has even started a Detective Agency with her best friend,Liam-but her big break comes when she sees on old woman run down by a biker-and finds a tattoo of a key on her arm.

What are three ways to recover passwords? ›

How to recover passwords
  • Search your web browsers.
  • Search your email inboxes.
  • Search through cloud-based services.
  • Search for files on your computer's hard drive.
  • Collect passwords from your mobile device.
  • Search for passwords around your home.

What keys do you press to reset your password? ›

Press CTRL-ALT-DELETE. The Windows Security dialog appears. Click Change Password.

How do I recover my encryption key password? ›

You can request an administrator to recover a lost or forgotten password for an encrypted device. A administrator can recover a password encryption key for a user that has access to the client and the encrypted storage medium.

What is an example of a private key? ›

Private key encryption is often used to encrypt data stored or transmitted between two parties. For example, when you log in to a website using a username and password, the password is often encrypted using a private key before it is transmitted to the web server.

What is an example of a special key? ›

A special key, in the context of computing and technology, refers to a keyboard key that performs a specific function beyond the standard alphanumeric input. Examples of these include keys like Control (Ctrl), Alt, Shift, Function (Fn), Escape (Esc), and the Windows key on a Windows-based computer.

What is an example of a security key? ›

YubiKey is a good example of a security key. It offers hardware-based authentication solutions and is resilient against phishing attacks.

What is an example of a key code? ›

Example: padlock blind code W123 translates to bitting code 25313, to which the locksmith would cut the key with his code machine by setting it to 25313. The bitting code is used in conjunction with a key's Depth and Spacing Number to completely determine all relevant information regarding the key's geometry.

References

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