Why I Use 1Password

Are you still not using a password manager? I switch to using 1Password nearly a decade ago, and not a single day has gone by since when I didn’t use the app at least once. I trust 1Password with my entire digital life, and you should too.

Why I Switched to 1Password

Many years ago, I used basically the same password everywhere. I know, I know, that’s a terrible idea—yet I still did it. However, when I got a job as a computer repair technician in 2016, the owner gave us all 1Password accounts.

This let him share company login info for various tools with everyone in a secure method. It was at that moment I was hooked.

After using 1Password for a while at work, I ended up getting my own 1Password account because I wanted to use it for my personal logins too. I loved that 1Password worked on my iPhone, my Android smartphone, iPad, MacBook Pro, Windows desktops, and even just the web. It worked everywhere I needed it, and I never had to worry about remembering a password again.

Shortly after I started using it, I ended up getting my entire family onto 1Password with their family plan. It was nice to be able to share logins between myself, my parents, and my brother as needed—without having to share all my passwords.

I became a die-hard 1Password fan, and I began telling all my friends they should switch to it too. Not because I got kickbacks, not because I was an affiliate, but because it was a simple-to-use tool that actually helped me secure my entire digital life.

I Store More Than Just Passwords

Since well before I used 1Password, I’ve worked with servers both locally and remote. I would have to find ways to make semi-secure passwords for databases, SSH logins, and more, all without a proper password manager.

When 1Password entered the picture, I was able to easily start creating secure passwords for my servers. All of a sudden, my databases, SSH credentials, and more became much more secure—all without me having to remember 36 random characters.

Not only did I start storing server credentials in 1Password, but I also put all my credit card information into 1Password. This allowed me to use one-click credit card filling on any device, even if that information wasn’t stored in Chrome.

Prior to 1Password, I did use Chrome to store a lot of my passwords and credit card info. This worked fine if I was on my desktop or laptop, but on my iPhone or iPad I was out of luck. I simply refuse to use the Chrome browser on iOS, as I prefer Safari, since it’s more optimized for mobile and usage on iPhone.

Using 1Password, I’m able to sync all my passwords, credit card info, and other stored information everywhere, regardless of what browser I’m using. It has become an invaluable tool for me.

This is one of the biggest selling points of 1Password to me. The fact that you’re able to store passwords, SSH keys, credit cards, and even passkeys or two-factor authentication codes all in one central (and secure) place is the ideal scenario. If you’re anything like me, and frequently forget various pieces of information, 1Password likely has a way to store that information securely where you just need to remember one password (hah) to access it.

Sharing Passwords the Smart Way

I’ve already talked about sharing passwords, but I want to expand on why this is a core reason that I continue to use 1Password.

In the past, sharing passwords typically involved sending someone a password in some way. Whether it was via email, text, Facebook Messenger, or even spoken out loud, the password would have to have been shared in some form of insecure way.

Not only that, but, without a password manager, there’s a good chance the password you were sharing would let the recipient into your other accounts if they figured that out. All around, 1Password makes password sharing more secure.

Now, when it comes to actually sharing the password, 1Password does it in a very smart way. All of your passwords and other information is stored within something called a vault. You can have multiple vaults on your account to keep stuff segregated if you’d like.

How I use vaults helps me with sharing. I have one vault that’s shared between my wife and I, and then another vault shared between the rest of my family and I. This means I can move a login into one of those vaults, and it immediately becomes available to the person with whom I’m sharing with.

This is extremely useful for my wife and I. There are often times when one of us needs a password for the other’s account, whether it’s for paying a credit card bill, managing an account, or anything else. Being able to just move a password or credit card into the shared vault and the other person immediately having access makes this so much easier and more secure.

Add to that the fact that 1Password is generating long, random strings of characters as a password, and each password is now unique. Gone are the days of easy-to-remember passwords that are used on multiple accounts and being sent via email. 1Password has enabled me to share logins and other information extremely securely.

This is another huge selling point of 1Password. I highly recommend using secure and unique passwords for all services, and sharing them can be a bit of a pain in the butt to do without software like 1Password. In fact, even if you don’t want to share a vault with someone, 1Password offers a way to securely share a login with anyone. This is a pretty game-changing feature, and could be the one that tips the scales in 1Password’s favor in the choice of which password manager you use.

With the password-sharing feature, you’re able to generate a link with an expiration date, which can be limited to people with a certain email address for further security. This link can be sent however you want, and it’ll stop working after the amount of time you set. By having the link expire, you can ensure that the information isn’t always accessible via the link, while it can be set out long enough that the person you’re sending it to can safely store it themselves.

Security That Speaks for Itself

I basically store my entire digital life in 1Password, so what if 1Password gets hacked?

Well, I’m fairly confident in their security practices. LastPass has been breached many times, and their security is questionable, to say the least. 1Password, on the other hand, hasn’t been breached. Not to say that it’s impossible, but it’s not happened yet.

Related

How Safe Are Password Managers?

Thinking about using a password manager? You should. Here’s why they’re safer than the alternative.

This is due, in part, to the extreme security measures that 1Password has taken. In fact, 1Password is audited by third parties to make sure they’re as secure as they can be. Other password managers are, too, but 1Password is just my manager of choice.

Because of this, and the extreme two-factor authentication 1Password has, gives me the utmost trust that my data is safe. At least, safer than in Chrome or without a password manager at all. In fact, the only person who has access to the data in your 1Password account is you. The 1Password team has no way to access the contents of your account. If you lose your master account token, then you’re also locked out of your account forever. While this is an extreme measure, it also helps build my trust in how secure 1Password is, too.

“…in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” This quote by Benjamin Franklin rings true even in the world of modern-day cybersecurity. There’s no way to be 100% secure when using anything, but I do believe 1Password is one of the most secure password managers out there.

Even pen and paper isn’t secure, as someone could simply steal the pen and paper. An encrypted Excel document isn’t perfectly secure, as the encryption could be broken. Even storing the passwords purely in your mind isn’t a perfect solution because that means they’re easy enough to remember, making them easy enough to crack.

All of this lends to why I choose 1Password as my password manager of choice. It’s secure, easy to use, and makes sharing passwords with others a simple task. If you’re looking for a new password manager, it’s hard to recommend anything else besides 1Password. It’s just so simple to use, feature-packed, and even works great in a family setting.