Is 1Password encrypted?
Yes. Only you can read your 1Password vaults, and only the people you share a vault or item with can read what you share. 1Password never has the keys.
Checked on 25 October 2026 against 8 sources.
Made by Secria. We grade every app by the same rules. How we check
- Your passwordsOnly youSealed on your device with a key made from your account password and your Secret Key.1
- Shared passwordsOnly you and the people you share withShared vaults and item links are sealed so 1Password can't read them.2, 3
- Post-quantumNot yetOnly connections and some new passkeys use post-quantum methods; vault keys are still wrapped with RSA, and no post-quantum protection for vault contents was announced as of 25 October 2026.5, 6, 7, 8
- Who holds the keys
- Your devices, using your account password plus your Secret Key. 1Password never has them.
- What 1Password can still see
- Your name and email address, the IP addresses and kinds of devices you use, and the names of any groups you're in, but not what's in your vaults.
Email is worth checking next: Gmail, Outlook and iCloud Mail can all read your mailbox. See which email services can.
Can 1Password see my passwords?
No. 1Password says all keys are made on your devices and all encryption happens there, so it never learns your account password or keys1. Your vault is locked with both your account password and a Secret Key kept on your devices, which 1Password says means nothing it stores can be used to guess your password1.
What its servers hold in readable form is account information, like your name, email address and the devices you use4.
How does 1Password keep shared passwords private?
Each vault has its own key. To share a vault, your app locks a copy of that key for the other person, so only they can open it2. 1Password's servers never have the key2.
You can also share a single item with a link. The key to open it sits in the part of the link that never reaches 1Password, and you send that link yourself3.
Is 1Password quantum-safe?
Not fully. In 2026, 1Password added post-quantum key exchange to its connections, first for its web app in March and then for all its own apps by September6, 7. In October it began supporting post-quantum passkeys for sites that accept them8.
The keys that lock your vaults are still shared and stored using RSA, which a large quantum computer could break5. No post-quantum protection for vault contents was announced as of 25 October 2026.
How 1Password compares
Sorted by how many parts are sealed by default, then by how many can be. Ties go A to Z.
Sources
- Key security features (1Password Security Design White Paper), 1Password. Read on 25 Oct 2026.
- How vaults are shared securely (1Password Security Design White Paper), 1Password. Read on 25 Oct 2026.
- How items are shared with anyone (1Password Security Design White Paper), 1Password. Read on 25 Oct 2026.
- Server infrastructure (1Password Security Design White Paper), 1Password. Read on 25 Oct 2026.
- A deeper look at keys (1Password Security Design White Paper), 1Password. Read on 25 Oct 2026.
- A first step toward post-quantum security, 1Password. Read on 25 Oct 2026.
- How we deployed post-quantum TLS without any code changes, 1Password. Read on 25 Oct 2026.
- Launching post-quantum safe passkeys, 1Password. Read on 25 Oct 2026.
Changes to this answer
- First published.