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“Take Control of 1Password” Documents 1Password 4 for Mac

By now, you’ve probably heard that AgileBits has released 1Password 4 for the Mac. Josh Centers covers what’s new briefly in “1Password 4 for Mac Better Than Ever” (3 October 2013), but for full documentation of 1Password, check out Joe Kissell’s latest title, “Take Control of 1Password.”

Written with AgileBits’ support during 1Password 4’s beta period, “Take Control of 1Password” explains not only how to create, edit, and enter Web login data easily, but also how to autofill contact and credit card information when shopping online, audit your existing passwords and generate better ones, and share your passwords and other confidential data among multiple devices and with other people. Joe focuses on the new 1Password 4 for the Mac, but he also provides details and directions for the iOS, Windows, and Android versions of 1Password.

Don’t think “Take Control of 1Password” is just for new users. I’ve used 1Password for years, but I’m a little embarrassed to admit that I never took the time to learn a few easy 1Password techniques that would have made a big difference. Editing “Take Control of 1Password” was fantastic, because I finally figured out how to edit existing login data efficiently and how to use 1Password easily on my iPhone. I suspect a lot of you are also 1Password users, and unless you are already zooming through your Web logins and password housekeeping tasks, I think Joe’s advice will help you as much as it helped me.

Because passwords are the primary focus of 1Password, Joe has included a 5-page chapter that helps you generate smart, secure passwords, complete with important password Dos and Don’ts. However, to wrap your head around passwords fully, I recommend Joe’s recently updated “Take Control of Your Passwords,” our best-selling book of the year. You can get it on its own, but the best deal is a 20%-off bundle with “Take Control of 1Password.”

Back at “Take Control of 1Password,” you’ll find expert advice on these topics:

  • Meet 1Password: Set your master passcode and make first-run configuration decisions. Explore usage strategies for 1Password on your Mac, PC, iOS device, or Android handheld, and understand the different components of the software on the different platforms. Get lots of ideas for how to share your vault (or vaults!) among your devices and with other people.

  • Master logins: In 1Password, a typical login contains a set of credentials used to sign in to a Web site. Find out how to create logins, sort them, search them, tag them, delete them, and more. You’ll especially find help with editing logins. For example, if you change a site’s password from dragon7 to eatsevendragonsforlunchatyahoo, you’ll want to incorporate that into its login. Or, use 1Password’s password generator to create complex passwords, like dGx7Crve3WucELF#s.

  • Understand password security: Get guidance on what makes for a good password. An advanced topic later in the ebook covers how to perform a security audit in order to improve poor passwords quickly. (Again, for Joe’s full advice on password strategies, read “Take Control of Your Passwords.”)

  • Go beyond Web logins: For a lot of people, a primary point of 1Password is to speed up the process of signing in to Web sites. But 1Password can do a lot more. Learn about storing and autofilling contact information (for more than one identity, even), along with your credit card number and security code. You’ll also find advice on storing passwords for password-protected files and encrypted disk images, plus ideas for keeping track of confidential files, diary entries, scans of important cards or documents, and more.

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