Question

“Unlock with device” does not seem to work on Mac

Forum|Forum|8 days ago
September 2, 2026
7 replies
13 views

I would like to type my master password once per day, and thereafter have 1Password stay unlocked as the Mac is unlocked. I have the impression that “Unlock app with Mac password” and “Unlock with device” should mean that. However, for the last few months (I do not remember exactly when the changed options were released), I find myself needing to type the password multiple times per day on the same device.

I am on macOS 15.7.9 and currently use 1Password for Mac 8.12.34 (81234034). Here is a screenshot of my relevant settings:

Here is a simple recipe for demonstrating what does not work as I expect.

Begin with 1Password unlocked and in focus.
Select Apple menu () → Lock Screen.
Log in again into the Mac using the Mac password.

Result: the Mac logs back in with 1Password in focus and logged out. It says, “That didn’t work. Please try again.” Which, by the way, is what I always see on the lock screen. I don’t know if that is what is supposed to happen for everybody on the log out screen even before I try the password, or whether it is a clue that something somewhere is amiss.

Anyway, I would be glad if I can restore the behavior to need to type the master password once a day. In fact, the description of the “Balanced” preset says just that: “Unlock 1Password once a day, then it unlocks with your device.” It is unclear why choosing this preset sets “Unlock with device” from 1 day to 8 hours and “Require account password” from 1 day to 30 days. Regardless, even if I try applying that preset without editing it, including those settings that seem to conflict the description, and then retry the recipe above, I still get the same result.

macOS

1P_Dave

1Password Employee

Hello @garrettm30! 👋

Thank you for reaching out! Before I continue, I’ll explain what both of the features that you’ve mentioned are:

Unlock with device: This allows 1Password to unlock automatically when you unlock your Mac so that you don’t have to unlock it separately using your account password or some other method. Sometimes, you’ll be asked to manually unlock 1Password instead of using your device to unlock 1Password such as when you first open or restart 1Password for Mac.
Require account password: The amount of time before you’re asked to enter your password again if you unlock using your device, Touch ID, or Apple Watch.

Since you have “Require account password” set to “After 1 Day” you’ll need to enter your account password at least once a day and I recommend setting this to a longer time period if you’d like to avoid entering your account password so often.

Since you see the error “That didn’t work. Please try again.” it appears that something is preventing 1Password from unlocking when you unlock your device. Before we troubleshoot further, can you try these steps:

Restart your Mac.
Open and unlock 1Password.
Right-click on the 1Password menubar icon at the top of your screen and click Lock.
Lock your Mac.
Unlock your Mac.

Does 1Password unlock? Or do you see the same error message? And can you tell me if you’re able to unlock 1Password using Touch ID?

-Dave

G

garrettm30Author

Thank you for your answer and your help.

First, I carefully read and reread your explanation of the two features, which was helpful to confirm that they are intended to work as I understood them.

Second, I understand about setting “Require account password” to “After 1 Day” would mean I would need to enter it at least once a day. That is according to my preference, and I feel free to set it longer if I feel it gets bothersome to me.

So now onto the specific problem, which is that 1Password is not unlocking with the device in any circumstance.

I have tested your troubleshooting recipe precisely:

Restart your Mac.

Open and unlock 1Password.

Right-click on the 1Password menubar icon at the top of your screen and click Lock.

Lock your Mac.

Unlock your Mac.

Does 1Password unlock? Or do you see the same error message?

No, immediately following step 5, 1Password remains locked, with the screen to enter my password and under the password field the message “That didn’t work. Please try again.” In fact, I also saw the same message in step 2 immediately upon opening 1Password after restarting the Mac, even before I tried to enter the password. I also saw the same message after step 3 as a result of locking 1Password. If I am not mistaken, I believe I always see this message on every login screen, including the one in the Safari

And can you tell me if you’re able to unlock 1Password using Touch ID?

I have a 2019 iMac. It does not have Touch ID.

Since you ask, that does make me think: the 2019 was the last iMac that did not have the T2 chip with the Secure Enclave.

In case it helps, I have grabbed the 1Password debug log starting from an app start up to seeing the screen with “That didn’t work…” I have culled the noise, because it is much longer, but hopefully I have captured a helpful comment. For example, I see several things about missing the enclave.

INFO  2026-09-03T21:30:24.912Z  Client starting.
INFO  2026-09-03T21:30:25.103Z  1Password for Mac/81234034 (EN_US)
INFO  2026-09-03T21:30:25.103Z  system locale: en-US
WARN  2026-09-03T21:30:25.103Z  Device UUID missing; omitting device UUID for pre-reg features request
INFO  2026-09-03T21:30:25.152Z  Core DB Integrity Check Succeeded (version 61)
INFO  2026-09-03T21:30:25.163Z  Resources DB Integrity Check Succeeded (version 3)

INFO  2026-09-03T21:30:25.170Z  BiometricStatus { policy: BiometricsOnly, method: NoneAvailable, availability: NotAvailable }
ERROR 2026-09-03T21:30:25.183Z  Keychain error status: -925564055
ERROR 2026-09-03T21:30:25.184Z  Unable to create random key (Secure Enclave)
ERROR 2026-09-03T21:30:25.184Z  ProtectingSecret(DeviceMissingEnclave)

INFO  2026-09-03T21:30:25.275Z  SSH agent configured
INFO  2026-09-03T21:30:25.281Z  Native messaging manifests installed for browsers
INFO  2026-09-03T21:30:25.600Z  Device-based Unlock enabled
INFO  2026-09-03T21:30:25.669Z  SSH Agent started
ERROR 2026-09-03T21:30:25.669Z  SSH agent config watcher: PathNotFound

INFO  2026-09-03T21:30:26.207Z  System unlock is enabled: true
ERROR 2026-09-03T21:30:26.211Z  ProtectingSecret(DeviceMissingEnclave)
INFO  2026-09-03T21:30:26.211Z  Sys auth status: NotAvailable(Enclave(DeviceMissingEnclave))
WARN  2026-09-03T21:30:26.218Z  Biometry is unavailable: Enclave(DeviceMissingEnclave)

1P_Gem

1Password Employee

Hi @garrettm30, thanks for these additional details! When these settings are enabled, the unlock secret is stored in the Secure Enclave. The lack of one could definitely explain why this isn’t working as intended for you.

However, based on your original post it sounds as if this worked for you in the past - is that correct, or did you mean that it hasn’t worked at all since these settings first appeared?

G

garrettm30Author

I am not entirely certain, but I feel like they have not been working since the security settings were revamped with presets and such, perhaps a few months ago. I vaguely remember around that time that 1Password mentioned something about migrating my settings, and it offered me the presets and the option to customize. I hope that is enough detail for you to identify from my imperfect memory.

Before that time, 1Password 8 did not require me to enter my password every time I unlocked my Mac. I would like to have that capability again.

1P_Gem

1Password Employee

Hi @garrettm30, thanks for these details!

Could you email in to support@1password.com with a link to this thread, and your forum username? I’d like to have our support team look into this, to see if there’s a way to get things working the way it used to for you.

You’ll receive a reply with a Support ID number. Post that here so I can connect the dots. Thanks!

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