Your Mac may sometimes fail to open or update 1Password. When this issue occurs, you may also get an error message that says multiple copies of 1Password were found on your Mac. Restarting your Mac doesn’t make the error go away. If you want to permanently get rid of it, follow the troubleshooting steps below.
Why Do I Get “Extra Copies of 1Password Found” Alerts?
This alert indicates your Mac has created multiple copies of your 1Password data. There are so many copies available that the app is unable to decide which copy to use. As a result, the app can’t decide which is the correct copy of 1Password. 1Password often shows the “Extra copies found” warning to prevent users from upgrading the ‘wrong’ copy of the app and mix data from old and new app versions.
What to Do When Your Mac Finds Extra Copies of 1Password
Remove Extra Copies of 1Password
One of the quickest ways to eliminate this error is to manually delete the extra copies of 1Password from your MacBook. Rest assured, deleting these copies won’t negatively affect how the app is managing your passwords. You won’t lose your saved passwords, data, and so on.
Don’t Use Uninstaller Apps
The temptation to use uninstaller apps to get the job done may be strong. However, keep in mind that uninstaller programs often delete all the data and files related to the 1Password copies you’re deleting. This could result in accidentally deleting all your 1Password data.
Once again, you need to manually hit the “Move to Trash” option to remove unnecessary copies of 1Password. The whole process should not take more than a couple of minutes to complete.
You can also click on the magnifying glass icon next to each copy to open the respective copy in Finder. You can then move the copies from Finder to the Trash.
Remove 1Password App from All Backups
If 1Password detects extra data copies on your backup drivers, that could also trigger the alert. To prevent that from happening, you need to exclude the app from your backups. Rest assured, your data is stored separately from the app, and you can always back it up. However, you should mount backups only when necessary.
As a matter of fact, 1Password recommends that users exclude the app from all backups. That includes Time Machine, Carbon Copy Cloner, and other backup solutions that you may be using. If you need to restore a previous data copy, you can download one from 1Password’s servers.
For example, if you’re using Time Machine, you set an exclusion rule within Time Machine for the 1Password app.
How to Exclude 1Password from Time Machine
- Click on the Apple menu, and go to System Preferences.
- Then click Time Machine, and select Options.
- Hit the Add button.
- Select 1Password to add the app to the list of excluded items.
- Save the changes.
Conclusion
If 1Password is throwing an “Extra Copies of 1Password Found” error, manually delete the extra copies from your Mac. Don’t use uninstaller apps to remove the copies automatically. To prevent the error from popping up again, you need to remove the 1Password app from all backups. Did these solutions help you fix the problem? Let us know in the comments below.
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