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A
aguther
May 31, 2025
Question

Start 1Password minimized and locked on boot

  • May 31, 2025
  • 2 replies
  • 1555 views

On Windows, 1Password currently starts very prominent on boot. When the application opens, it requests to be authenticated, and it always opens the UI.

This is very intrusive from my point of view as 1Password is not always needed right away and you must close the window every time.

My suggestion is to add an option to allow 1Password to be started in the background, minimized and locked.

This has the following advantages:

  • Backwards compatible / No change for users that like the current behavior
  • When option is activated:
    • 1Password starts silent in the background
    • consistent behavior when screen was locked
    • no prompt to authenticate with 1Password on boot
    • no need to close 1Password Window on every boot
    • authenticate when first time needed

2 replies

AJCxZ0
AJCxZ0
June 4, 2025

Please update the `1password.desktop` files in the 1password packages to provide the ability to launch the application in each of the available ways. This achieved by including Actions.

Here is an example* based on the file currently included.

[Desktop Entry]
Name=1Password
Exec=/opt/1Password/1password %U
Terminal=false
Type=Application
Icon=1password
StartupWMClass=1Password
Comment=Password manager and secure wallet
MimeType=x-scheme-handler/onepassword;
Categories=Office;
Actions=Silent;Lock;Quick Access;Toggle Main Window;

[Desktop Action Silent]
Name=Silent
Exec=/opt/1Password/1password --silent

[Desktop Action Lock]
Name=Lock
Exec=/opt/1Password/1password --lock

[Desktop Action Quick Access]
Name=Quick Access
Exec=/opt/1Password/1password --quick-access

[Desktop Action Toggle Main Window]
Name=Toggle Main Window
Exec=/opt/1Password/1password --toggle

This results in an additional menu entries from the launcher, enabling the application to be run in each of currently available modes, most usefully autorun with `--silent`.

Please also fix or explain the inclusion of two unnecessarily slightly different `1password.desktop` files in the package.

$ diff /opt/1Password/resources/1password.desktop /usr/share/applications/1password.desktop
9c9
< MimeType=x-scheme-handler/onepassword;
---
> MimeType=x-scheme-handler/onepassword;x-scheme-handler/onepassword8;

*[Licensed to 1Password to use freely with or without modifications in all universes until the ends of time (however many there may be) with or without attribution.]

AJCxZ0
AJCxZ0
June 4, 2025

This desirable behaviour can be achieved fairly easily on Linux platforms by updating the `1password.desktop` file to include an additional Action. to launch 1password with the --silent option.

[Desktop Entry]
Name=1Password
Exec=env ELECTRON_OZONE_PLATFORM_HINT=auto /opt/1Password/1password %U
Terminal=false
Type=Application
Icon=1password
StartupWMClass=1Password
Comment=Password manager and secure wallet
MimeType=x-scheme-handler/onepassword;
Categories=Office;
Actions=Silent;

[Desktop Action Silent]
Name=Silent
Exec=env ELECTRON_OZONE_PLATFORM_HINT=auto /opt/1Password/1password --silent

This results in an additional menu entry - Silent - from the launcher, enabling the application to be run without being prompted for a password and the interface appearing. The user is prompted for the password only when they want to use the application.

While incidental to this issue, it is complicated by the still-not-fixed-after-years first run bug which results in a window offering to report the "unexpected" failure and the inclusion of two unnecessarily slightly different `1password.desktop` files in the package.
Ideally 1Password would update the file to include this and maybe other Actions (e.g. Lock, Quick Access, Toggle Main Window) in a single desktop file, but failing that users should put their own `1password.desktop` file in $XDG_DATA_HOME/applications/ (usually `.local/share/applications/`) and linked to $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/autostart/ (usually `~/.config/autostart/`) to start automatically with the desktop.

Someone familiar with Windows might describe how to do this on that platform.

A
agutherAuthor
June 4, 2025

That was a helpful tip, as it turned out to be the same on Windows!

Here is how it can be done:

  • Create a text file with the following content:

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run]
"1Password"="\"C:\\Users\\<USERNAME>\\AppData\\Local\\1Password\\app\\8\\1Password.exe\" --silent"
  • Important: replace <USERNAME> with your actual username.
  • Save the file
  • Double click on the file in File Explorer to add the entry to the registry

 

The other way is to open the key "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run" in the registry editor and edit the entry manually if 1Password is already configured for automatic start.

Drawback of this solution:
It only works if 1Password does not manipulate the entry itself after an update or similar. Then it needs to be reapplied.

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