So if you read my earlier posts about using 1Password in Windows using 1PasswordAnywhere and SSB’s, you’ll probably be psyched to learn there is now a way to get browser integration of those passwords in Google Chrome on Windows as well!

I recently read on the 1Password blog how to use a little feature initially meant for the iPhone to get your 1Password integration into Google Chrome on the mac.  This is great for people who use Chrome on the mac, I usually just use Safari, so I figured it didn’t really apply to me.

But I do use Chrome on Windows pretty regulary, and then it occurred to me I could use this trick to get my passwords into Chrome on Windows as well!

Here’s the basic idea: 1Password can create a bookmarklet, which basically contains a whole database of all your logins in javascript, encrypted by a password of your choosing.  This is how they allow you to login using Mobile Safari on the iPhone, since they can’t write a plugin for the iPhone’s browser.

Turns out though, this little bookmarklet is also compatible with Chrome!  So you can just drag it over to your Chrome toolbar, and voila!  So how do you get into Chrome on Windows then?

# Xmarks the spot

Time for another fantastic little syncing utility to add to your toolbox. Xmarks is great little bookmark syncing utility, compatible with IE, Firefox, Safari, and yes, even Chrome for windows.  (You’ll need the latest beta of Chrome with extensions enabled to use it.)  I use it to sync bookmarks across several computers and browsers.

# Install Xmarks

Install Xmarks for Safari on the mac where you have 1Password installed.  Also install the Xmarks Chrome extension on the Windows machine.

# Create the bookmarklet

Follow the instructions here to create your bookmarklet.  Now, instead of just dragging it to the Chrome toolbar, also drag it to Safari’s toolbar.

# Sync Xmarks

Sync Xmarks on the mac, and then on Chrome.  You should now see your bookmarklet on your Windows version of Chrome.  Go to a site with a saved login and give it a go!

If you read my last two tips, on accessing 1Password and Transmission remotely, you’d know that I’m a big fan of SSBs, Site-Specific Browsers.

In those tips I mentioned using Prism on Windows, which works fine, but today I discovered that my favorite Windows browser, Chrome, actually supports SSBs out of the box, and because it uses the Webkit engine, in my opinion, it looks a bit nicer.  In particular, 1Password seemed to have issues with the numbers in the table on the left lining up properly, but renders just fine with Chrome.

And if you already have Chrome installed, why not, right?

And with Chrome it’s reeeeeeeeeeellllly easy.  Just navigate to the page you want to make an SSB out of and click the little page icon in the upper-right-hand corner.  You’ll see “Create application shortcuts…”:

Click that and you’ll get a pop-up:

And you’re done!