Chapter 6 · 6.2
Arrange emergency access in case you are no longer around
What if you fall ill, have an accident or die? Then nobody can get to your passwords. For your business or your family, that can cause a lot of trouble. So arrange now who can get in during an emergency. Proton Pass and 1Password handle this in very different ways.
Proton Pass: emergency access with a wait time
With Proton, you choose a trusted person as your emergency contact. They can request access. If you don't respond within a wait time you choose yourself, they get access automatically. If you are around, you simply reject the request.
- Emergency access is included in the paid plans, such as Pass Plus and Pass Family. It is not in the free version. If your subscription ends, emergency access stops too.
- You and your emergency contact both need a Proton Mail address. If you signed up with your own email address (see Creating a Proton account for Proton Pass), that is not enough.
- You can choose up to five emergency contacts.
- Emergency access applies to your entire Proton account. Your emergency contact can then get into your account and also change your password. So choose someone you really trust.
- Log in at account.proton.me, go to All settings and choose Recovery.
- Find the Emergency access section and choose Add emergency contact.
- Enter your emergency contact's Proton Mail address.
- Under Access wait time, choose how long Proton waits: 1, 2, 3, 7, 14 or 30 days.
- Confirm with your password.
In an emergency, your contact goes to their own account settings, opens Recovery, and under People who trust me chooses your name and Request access. You then get a notification and can approve or reject the request. If you do nothing, access opens automatically after the wait time.
Tip: Choose a wait time that suits you: long enough to spot and reject an unjustified request, short enough to help in an emergency. Tell your emergency contact that they have been chosen and how it works.
1Password: no emergency contact, but three other routes
1Password has no emergency contact with a wait time. You arrange it in one of these ways:
| Method | How it works | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Emergency Kit | Your Emergency Kit shows your sign-in address, your email address and your Secret Key, with a box for your account password (see Creating a 1Password account on 1password.eu). 1Password itself recommends giving a copy to someone you trust, such as your partner or someone named in your will. | With your password written on it, this sheet gives full access. Keep it safe. |
| Recovery by the family organiser or team administrator | In Families, Teams and Business, an administrator can recover your account. On my.1password.eu, go to People, your name and Begin Recovery. | You then receive an email to choose a new account password. So it only helps if someone can read your email. |
| Recovery code | Since 2025, you can create a recovery code with Individual and Families. You use it to set a new account password (see Forgot your master password? What you can still do). | This also requires a code from your email. |
Do you use 1Password Families? Then make a second adult a family organiser. 1Password recommends that at least two people can recover accounts. Put the logins your family really needs in a shared vault (see Sharing passwords with your team or family). Then they can reach them without your account.
For both: the envelope
Don't have a paid plan, or want to keep it simple? Then a sealed envelope works:
- Write down which manager you use, your sign-in address, your email address and your master password. For Proton, add your recovery phrase; for 1Password, your Emergency Kit and your recovery code.
- If your emergency contact cannot access your email, also write down how they can get into your mailbox. With a WebOké mailbox, you can also give a second person access to your WebOké account (see Invite users and give them permissions).
- Put it in an envelope, sign across the seal and give it to someone you trust, or keep it in a safe or with your notary.
- If you change your master password, make a new envelope.
For your business
Make sure the most important business logins, such as My WebOké, your domain, the bank and your accounting, are not only in your personal vault. Put them in a shared vault that a second person can access (see Sharing passwords with your team or family and Proton Pass and 1Password for your business). More about a plan for when things go wrong: the lesson Your own security check and plan in the Safe Online course.