How to setup cloud syncing for Password Agent
First we must realize that there is no foolproof way to have your Password Agent data file(s) synced between Windows and mobile devices, as Password Agent stores data in disk files and these must be copied from one place to another and back, and since the files are encrypted they cannot be easily merged automatically on file conflicts etc. Taking account the following we can still get cloud sync to work reasonably well.
To sync Password Agent data files from Windows computer to cloud you need 3rd party “cloud software” like Microsoft OneDrive, Google Drive etc. Password Agent itself does not access the internet for your own good.
Detailed setup and usage instructions
Microsoft OneDrive
We currently recommend Microsoft OneDrive as first choice because it is already installed on most Windows 10/11 computers, it is integrated with Windows operating system, supports Windows Cloud API and it also offers very easy way to revert to older file versions in case of file corruption.
How to use Password Agent with Microsoft OneDrive
Google Drive
Please note that Google Drive Windows client does not support Windows Cloud API and uses custom kernel driver. It is also quite bloated, with close to 10 additional processes running on the background. Since it does not support Windows Cloud API, there is no integration with Password Agent – files on cloud drive folder are treated as normal files and Password Agent cannot notify you when file is out of sync.
How to use Password Agent with Google Drive
ownCloud and other 3rd party cloud sync software
You can also use other cloud syncing software. If you have your own server you can set up personal cloud server with ownCloud open source software, which works well with Password Agent. 3rd party programs typically work about the same as OneDrive listed above, so you can follow OneDrive “how-to” to get impression on how to set up sync. It is highly recommended to use software that integrates with Windows Cloud API (like ownCloud).
Things you should know and keep in mind
Files unlocked with master password cannot be updated by cloud software
On Windows, cloud client software can update local file from cloud only when the local file is not currently in use by Password Agent. In-use means the file is unlocked with master password. By default Password Agent locks all in-use (unlocked) files after 10 minutes of inactivity, but you may have changed that behavior by program settings. You should set setting “User inactivity action” to “Lock open files” (or “Lock open files and minimize”) and “User inactivity timeout” to some reasonable value, like 10 or less minutes. When you know you have modified your cloud file on another device and the file is also open/unlocked in Password Agent, then lock the file in Windows for it to be updated by cloud software (may take some time). Last modified time on Password Agent status bar tells when the file was last updated, this will be automatically updated for locked files (enter master password screen). Password Agent 2024.11.22 or newer have built-in functions that notify if file gets out of sync, but these only work when you use cloud client software that supports Windows Cloud API (like OneDrive or ownCloud).
Also, if you want to update your data mostly from mobile device and often, then you can also open files in Windows version read-only. Files opened in read-only mode will be writable for cloud client software all the time. You can select Open read-only checkbox on unlock screen of a file or change program setting to have it selected by default, so you can opt out if needed.
Use mainly one way syncing to minimize potential file conflicts
The most foolproof way to setup sync between multiple devices is one way syncing. You always update data file on certain “master” device only and updated file is saved or copied to cloud, where other devices can access always latest version of the file. This warrants that you work on one file only and minimizes possibility of having multiple different versions of the same file, on multiple devices. If that is not the case you’ll need to very carefully monitor file times to be sure updates made in another device are already downloaded, before making changes to a file.
Old backup files may slow down sync
When saving data file Windows version of Password Agent keeps previous versions of the data files as a backup, but renames these to have extension .oldN (where N is a number). By default few older versions are kept, just in case you need to revert to older data file. That is good when used with classic, non-cloud files, but in cloud folder they become somewhat problematic, because each time you modify a file, all these old version files also change, which means multiple files need to be synced each time you make a single modification to your file. If your files are large (contain attachments) and connection is limited, then the process may become slow. If that is the case you can reduce the number of old files to keep (see Settings/Backup) to 1 so there is less old files to copy with each file update.
From version 2024.11.22 you can also completely disable keeping .old files (setting count to 0), if needed, but we recommend to keep at least 1 old file.
When updating cloud file you can make local backup copy automatically
In Windows, Password Agent can make automatic file copy to backup location(s) after updating/saving file. That allows you to keep additional local copy outside the cloud software’s virtual folder. For this you can specify backup location(s) using Password Agent setting After saving copy file to these directories (if more than one separate with semi-colon).