Where apps hide your files

Finding 1Password's local data folder

Updated 2026-10-28 · 6 min read

1Password 8 keeps an encrypted local copy of your items in a group container inside ~/Library. That copy is not a backup, so here is the path, what the folder does, and the supported ways to get a copy of your data.

The location

For 1Password 8, the desktop app's local data is in a group container:

~/Library/Group Containers/2BUA8C4S2C.com.1password/Library/Application Support/1Password/Data

The main file in that folder is 1password.sqlite, the database that holds a local copy of your account's items so the app works offline. 1Password's staff give this path on its community forum; its support site documents export and backups but not the folder.

What is and isn't protected: the item data in that database is stored encrypted, so the file is not a readable password list, and 1Password's design needs your account password and Secret Key to decrypt it. It is still your whole vault in one file, though, and the folder also holds the app's settings and logs. Treat it as private: never email it, upload it or attach it to a support request unless 1Password support asks you to.

1Password 7 used a different container:

~/Library/Group Containers/2BUA8C4S2C.com.agilebits/Library/Application Support/1Password/Data

If you upgraded from 7 to 8, the old folder can still be on disk, so you may see both. In a 2023 forum thread a user found the old com.agilebits files had stopped changing years earlier, and staff pointed to the com.1password folder as the live one.

List it without opening anything

This folder holds your password data. Do not open the database in an editor, paste it into a chat or upload it anywhere. Names, sizes and permissions are enough for every question this post answers:

ls -lh ~/Library/Group\ Containers/2BUA8C4S2C.com.1password/Library/Application\ Support/1Password/Data

macOS may ask whether Terminal can access data from other apps; that prompt is about this folder, and declining it simply stops the listing. To open the folder in Finder, press ⇧⌘G (Go > Go to Folder), paste the path and press Return.

Is this a backup?

No. The local database is a working copy that the app keeps in step with your account, not a backup you can restore from. A 1Password moderator on its community forum points out two limits: the database schema changes from time to time, so an old copy may need a matching app version to open, and a copy may lack documents and files that were never downloaded to that Mac. Time Machine will include the folder, which is fine, but 1Password does not document restoring that copy over a working install as a way to get data back.

Where your data really lives is on 1Password's servers. Its support page on backups says data on its servers is backed up every day, including all the vaults and items in your account, so a lost Mac does not lose your data. You sign in on a new device or at 1Password.com to get it back. The same page warns that deleting a vault is permanent and cannot be undone, and suggests archiving items rather than deleting a vault. It also notes you can restore earlier versions of an item.

Make your own copy: export

1Password's export article opens with a point worth taking: if you are keeping your data in 1Password, you do not need to export anything. Export is for moving to another app, or for a copy you hold yourself. In 1Password 8 for Mac:

1. Open 1Password and sign in to the app.
2. Choose File > Export in the menu bar and pick the account.
3. Enter your account password (or sign in with your identity provider if your account uses SSO).
4. Choose 1PUX (the 1Password Unencrypted Export format) or CSV, select Export Data, and choose where to save it.

CSV supports a limited set of fields and only exports Login and Password items. The 1PUX format is the fuller one.

Be careful with the result. 1Password says exported data files are not encrypted and are stored in plain text, so anyone who can open the file can read every password in it. Do not email it or store it online, and delete it when you are done. If you must keep it for a while, save it straight to an encrypted disk image or encrypted external drive, never to Downloads, iCloud Drive or another synced folder.

In 1Password 7, export works per vault: switch to a specific vault (you cannot export from All Vaults), then use File > Export > All Items and choose 1Password Interchange Format (.1pif) or Comma Delimited Text (.csv). Those files are plain text too. 1Password says 1Password 7 will be retired starting in early 2027, after which it will no longer reflect changes you make in your account.

1Password 7 backups and standalone vaults

1Password 7 could also keep local standalone vaults, which were never in a 1Password account. Community posts say 1Password 7 made daily backups of those vaults, only when a vault had changed, and that they sit in a Backups folder beside Data:

~/Library/Group Containers/2BUA8C4S2C.com.agilebits/Library/Application Support/1Password/Backups

Those backup files hold your standalone vault data, so the same rules apply: leave them where they are and restore them from inside 1Password 7, not by copying files over its database. If you still have standalone vaults, the supported way forward is 1Password's guide to migrating standalone vault data into a 1Password account, which you should do before 1Password 7 is retired.

Moving to a new Mac

Do not copy 1password.sqlite to the new Mac. Install 1Password 8, sign in with your account, and the data syncs down. You will need your account password and Secret Key, or another signed-in device, to add the account. Your Secret Key is printed on your Emergency Kit, a PDF that is not part of the data folder, so know where yours is before you start.

Deleting the folder

There is rarely a reason to. Removing the Data folder clears the local copy along with the app's settings and logs. 1Password downloads your items again when you sign back in, but anything that had not finished syncing would be lost. If the app misbehaves, contact 1Password support before you delete or rename anything here; it is not a cache to clear for space.

Why a normal search misses it

Group containers sit inside ~/Library, which Finder and Spotlight leave out of normal results. The folder name begins with a team identifier, 2BUA8C4S2C, followed by the bundle name, not "1Password" on its own.

Finding it next time

Typing 2BUA8C4S2C into Everywhere lists the 1Password data folders at once, old and new, and typing 1password.sqlite jumps to the database file so you can check its size and date without opening it. Press ⌘↵ to reveal it in Finder. Group containers are covered once Everywhere has Full Disk Access, and it matches names only, never what is inside an item.

Common questions

Where does 1Password 8 store data on a Mac?

In ~/Library/Group Containers/2BUA8C4S2C.com.1password/Library/Application Support/1Password/Data, where 1password.sqlite is the local database, with item data stored encrypted.

Where did 1Password 7 keep its data?

In ~/Library/Group Containers/2BUA8C4S2C.com.agilebits/Library/Application Support/1Password/Data, with local backups in a Backups folder beside it.

Can I back up 1Password by copying its folder?

Not reliably. The folder is a working copy whose schema changes between versions, and it can miss files that were never downloaded. Your account is backed up daily on 1Password's servers, and File > Export gives a plain-text copy you must keep private.

Is a 1Password export encrypted?

No. 1Password says exported files are stored in plain text, so keep them private and delete them when you are done.