Using MobileMe to Sync the OS X Keychain
We recommend that you avoid using MobileMe for syncing your 1Password Keychain. In the event you want to use MobileMe despite the risks, the steps below provide detailed instructions for configuring MobileMe syncing of the 1Password keychain.
MobileMe Keychain Syncing
Apple has added MobileMe support directly into the OS X Keychain. You can use this feature to sync your 1Password keychain across your Macs. This is provided directly by Apple and 1Password does not include any MobileMe related code.
Important Warning: Your Mileage May Vary
In theory MobileMe/.Mac syncing should work perfectly, and for many people it does, but sadly many others have experienced issues. Issues include being unable to sync anything, duplicated items, and even loss of data. Please do not take our word for it; look instead at a few of the millions of Google search results for MobileMe Problem or some of the 2.5 million results for .Mac Keychain problem.
Since MobileMe syncing was inherited “for free” from the OS X Keychain Services, there is little we can do to help if you encounter problems. We have collected several tips from users for fixing some MobileMe issues, but at the end of the day if none of those work all we can do is direct you to call Apple.
It is critical that synchronization of password information is handled in a robust and reliable fashion. We therefore recommend avoiding MobileMe syncing completely. Instead, you can rely on one of the many robust syncing solutions available. Here are the available sync solutions and things to consider.
Requirements
Assuming you read the warnings and accept the risks, you are ready to configure your 1Password Keychain to sync over MobileMe.
To use MobileMe syncing you must first enable it on all your Macs. You must also be using the OS X Keychain as the Agile Keychain does not provide tight MobileMe integration, albeit it does support syncing using iDisk.
Enabling MobileMe Keychain Syncing in System Preferences
To enable MobileMe syncing of keychains, go to the System Preferences > MobileMe window and then select the Sync tab:
Enable the Synchronize With MobileMe and Keychains checkboxes.
Enable the 1Password Keychain to Participate in Syncing
By default MobileMe will only synchronize the login keychain. You can tell it to sync the 1Password keychain by going to 1Password > Preferences > Keychain and clicking Change Auto-Lock and .Mac Settings. This will bring up Apple’s OS X Keychain customization window:
Enable the Synchronize this keychain using .Mac checkbox.
Setup Complete
In theory that should be all the setup that is necessary. If the syncing does not occur, refer to the Frequently Occurring Problems section below.
Frequently Occurring Problems
We have documented several common issues with MobileMe keychain syncing. If MobileMe does not sync your 1Password keychain, start by reading that thread.