10 productivity hacks to help you get the most out of 1Password

1Password was created back in 2005 to make filling logins quick and effortless. In the years since, we’ve helped individuals, families, and businesses secure their data with 1Password’s renowned security model and state-of-the-art engineering. But we’ve also never lost that foundational drive to make things easier.

So how can you use 1Password to supercharge your productivity?

On this week’s episode of Random But Memorable, Allie Dusome, Product Marketing Manager at 1Password, joined us to answer this question. She’s an expert on all things related to our password manager and has contributed to multiple initiatives including the recent redesign of our admin dashboard.

In our latest episode, Allie shares her favorite 1Password productivity hacks – the little habits and shortcuts that make everything from booking flights to solving family technology issues easier. Here are 10 of the best tips from the conversation.

1. Use 1Password to autofill your identity info

1Password can autofill all kinds of information  for you – the most common being usernames and passwords. However, many websites will also ask for your identity information – like your name, address, or date of birth – when you sign up or purchase an item. 1Password can save you even more time here!

As Allie says, “Autofill is your best friend.” She also shares a tip for creating your identity items:

“Make sure that your name is how you want it to appear when you’re filling out those forms online. Then make sure your address and email address are accurate too.” 

You should also double-check that your home state appears on the correct line in the 1Password item.

Taking a moment to set up your identity item properly will ensure your information autofills in the correct form fields, allowing you to breeze through website sign-ups and get on with your day.

What to do: Create an Identity item in 1Password and fill in any details you’d like 1Password to autofill for you in the future.

 

2. Use keyboard shortcuts (and customize them!)

Keyboard shortcuts, or hotkeys, are the secret advantage of power users everywhere.

Here’s a few of our favorite (customizable) hotkeys to get you started:

• Shift-command/ctrl-X: Open the 1Password browser extension.
• Shift-command/ctrl-space bar: Open the 1Password app on your desktop.
• You can also customize your hotkeys if the default key combination is already being used by another app on your device.

See a full list of 1Password keyboard shortcuts.

What to do: Learn a few 1Password keyboard shortcuts and try them out!

3. Use unique links to share items with people who don’t have 1Password

Shared vaults provide a powerful way to share items between family members. But what happens when you need to share information with people who don’t use 1Password? 

This is where 1Password’s unique sharing links come in. You can share items with a babysitter who needs your front door code, or a contractor who needs short-term access to a team resource. It only takes a few clicks and is more secure than sending passwords and other sensitive information over text or email.

1Password also lets you set an expiry period for the link. Just because you’ve granted someone access to an item doesn’t mean they need it forever!

What to do: Create a unique link and share an item with a trusted person who needs access to the information.

4. Use QR codes to share your Wi-Fi password with guests

Rejoice! Your guests no longer need to painstakingly enter long network passwords on their mobile device. And you don’t have to dive through a nest of cables to read the back of your Wi-Fi router anymore.

Just create a Wireless router item in 1Password, enter the network name and network password, and select save. 

Your guest can now log in to the network simply by scanning the QR code from your screen. 1Password will sign them into the network instantly, with no need for typing on their part (or wifi router spelunking on yours).

What to do: Create a Wireless router item in 1Password, and save the network name and password in the appropriate fields.

5. Accelerate your desktop workflows with Quick Access

1Password’s Quick Access speeds up your desktop workflows. You can use it to locate your items without opening the full 1Password app, accelerating your sign-in process. 

With the related Universal Autofill feature on MacOS, you can also autofill login information into native macOS apps.

Our own Michael Fey, Head of Password Manager of Development, says, “You can fill passwords [into native macOS apps] right from it, and 1Password integrates with the system to fill your stuff anywhere. You can put your username and password into any app, whether it’s in a browser or not… it’s a really intelligent feature we built, that I love.”

What to do: Select shift-control-space on Windows, or shift-command-space on MacOS to invoke Quick Access.

On MacOS, set up Universal Autofill, then use command-\ to invoke it.

6. Save padlock codes for suitcases, bike padlocks, and school lockers in 1Password

What’s the combination for that bicycle lock you bought a while ago? You can use 1Password to safely store combinations for physical objects like:

• A family travel suitcase which is secured with a padlock
• A combination lock for a gardening shed
• A steering wheel lock for the family car

What to do: Save your lock combination as a password item in 1Password.

7. Developers: store SSH keys and other secrets securely

If you’re a software developer or work in a technical role, there are even more ways 1Password can unlock your productivity. 

SSH keys, API keys, and other secrets can all be saved in 1Password. Use secret references to load secrets from 1Password into your projects, keeping sensitive information safe and helping you ship code securely.

As Fey notes in this week’s episode, you can even sign your code commits with 1Password – and authorize it with biometrics via TouchID and Windows Hello!

It all works out-of-the-box; no additional features or add-ons required.

What to do: Check out 1Password Developer for tips on how to get going with secrets management in 1Password.

8. Streamline your travel bookings

Simplify travel bookings by storing your passport information, frequent flyer number, and TSA pre-check numbers in 1Password.

As Dusome notes, “A lot of times, the checkout is timed. Sometimes you only have five minutes to check out. And [1Password] makes that process easy. You’re checking out in seconds and things are accurate.”

With 1Password autofill, you don’t have to go back and forth between browser tabs, look for a frequent flyer number in an email, or grab cards from your wallet. You can just fill the information in the website form and breeze through the airline operator’s checkout process.

What to do: Save one of your important travel documents (like a passport or known traveler number) in 1Password as a passport item.

9. Adopt tags to make working with items even easier

Over time, you may end up with hundreds (or thousands!) of items in 1Password. Tags provide a handy way to organize and sift through all of this information.

Tags let you categorize items so you can quickly find them when a standard search query isn’t suitable. 

One way is to organize your tags by topic. For example: you might have multiple insurance providers for your home, car, health, and pets. You could add an "insurance" tag to these items to make surfacing them easier.

There’s no hard-and-fast rule about how to use tags, and you don’t have to use them to get value from 1Password. But for the right use cases, they’re magic.

What to do: Create some tags in 1Password to organize your items by topic.

10. Consider changing your default vault for saved items

Did you know you can change the default vault that your saved items are added to?

As Dusome points out, this can be helpful when assisting family members with technology-related issues. By changing the default saving option to a shared vault, you’ll be able to access the credentials they need help with.

What to do: Unlock 1Password in your browser. Then, right-click the 1Password icon in your browser toolbar, and select Settings > Autofill & save. Under New items get saved in, choose the vault where you want to save your items going forward.

These are just a few ways you can use 1Password to boost your productivity and security. Take some time to explore the apps and discover more ways to use 1Password to your advantage. 

Do you know of any 1Password productivity hacks we didn’t mention here? Share it in our episode discussion thread!