I have replaced a desktop computer with an AIO PC. I had copied the Bitwarden password so that when I installed Bitwarden on the AIO I could access the saved passwords I had in the vault. However, after installing Bitwarden on the AIO I entered my email address and then I was asked for a Master Password. I have never had a Master Password, so I tried the one I had copied and it did not work. What do I do now?
Hi dgb278, welcome to the community!
One thing to try when you are logging into the desktop app, make sure that the dropdown matches the environment where your account was created.
Also, see this guide for a whole bunch of suggestions, including how to keep this from happening again.
A master password is a requirement for creating a Bitwarden vault, so you do have one, even if you have forgotten it. It is possible that the “Bitwarden password” you have been using to access you vault is actually a “PIN” (an alternative password used to unlock a Bitwarden app that was previously logged in using the master password).
Do you still have access to your old desktop PC, and if so, can you still access your Bitwarden passwords there? If so, please specify what client apps you use to access the Bitwarden vault (i.e., Desktop app, browser extensions, mobile app, and/or CLI).
Thanks for the welcome and to the members who responded to my problem. I have been dealing with some family illness and have not had a chance to check out the suggestions yet, but I will soon, hopefully.
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Micah, I tried both the bitwarden.eu and the bitwarden.com from th drop down menu but neither worked for me. In November 2024 I requested a Master Password hint from Bitwarden, but the response was that I had not recorded one. The password I have been using since setting up my new PC is the one that was saved to Google Passwords, so I assumed it was the correct one. Thank you for your advice.
GRB, I mis-read an email I received from Bitwarden when I asked for a Master Password hint last November, 2024. It wasn’t that I didn’t have a Master Password, it was that Bitwarden did not have any hint recorded.
Unfortunately I no longer have access to my old PC. I did, and still do, use Google Chrome as my browser and the password I have been trying to log in to Bitwarden with is saved to Google Passwords.
DenBesten, I had a read through the comprehensive guide and it does not provide me with an solution, unfortunately. It seems that if the Master Password is lost a new account must be created, so that is what I will be doing. Fortunately most of my data listed in Bitwarden was also saved in Google Passwords. However, I will have to go through the tedious process of re-creating data in my new Bitwarden account. Thanks for your advice.
To those members interested in the outcome of this issue. I deleted my original Bitwarden account and created a new one, using the same email address and user name. I then imported the passwords I had saved with Google Passwords as a csv file. When setting up my new account I did not opt to prevent Google Passwords from saving my site passwords because I found it was a life saver in providing an option to export the sites and passwords to my pc, then import them to my new Bitwarden account vault. Problem solved. Thanks again to those who offered solutions to my problem.
@dgb278 Glad that you didn’t loose any data!
Just FYI, creating an emergency sheet for Bitwarden – with the master password, 2FA recovery code etc. on it – probably also would have been a lifesaver.
You can also make regular exports of the BW vault.
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