---
title: "Sign in to the portal"
description: "Accept your invitation, set up your second sign-in step, sign in with a password, passkey, or your work account, reset your password, and switch organizations."
url: "https://support.outpostplatform.com/portal-guide/sign-in/"
product: "depot"
type: "how-to"
status: "draft"
ai_summary: "Client portal users. Accept the emailed invitation, create a password, then add a passkey or authenticator app and save recovery codes. Sign in with work email and password plus code, a passkey, or the organization's own sign-in. Forgot your password sends a 30-minute link. Five wrong attempts lock sign-in for 15 minutes. Switch organization when you have several."
source: "https://gitlab.com/outpostplatform/docs/-/edit/main/src/content/docs/portal-guide/sign-in.md"
license: "CC BY 4.0"
---

# Sign in to the portal

You sign in to the portal with your work email. Every account has a second
sign-in step, so a stolen password alone cannot open it. This page takes you
from your invitation email to signing in each day.

## Accept your invitation

Your IT provider, or an owner in your organization, sends the invitation. The
link in it works for 7 days unless your provider set a different time.

1. Open the link in the email. The page says **Join** and your organization's
   name.
2. If you are new to the portal, enter **Your name**, choose a password, type
   it again, and select **Create account**.

   If you already have a portal account, for example for another
   organization, select **Sign in and accept** and sign in as usual.

   If your organization signs in with its own work accounts, the page says
   **Sign in to accept**. Sign in with your work account first, then accept.
3. Set up your second sign-in step. See the next section.

If the page says **This invitation no longer works**, the link has expired or
was already used. Ask your IT provider or an owner to send a new one.

## Protect your account

The first time you sign in, the page **Protect your account** asks you to
choose a second way to prove it is you. You do this once.

- **Use a passkey (recommended).** Your device signs you in with your
  fingerprint, face, or device PIN. Follow your browser's prompt.
- **Use an authenticator app.** Add the account to an app such as Microsoft
  Authenticator or Google Authenticator. On a phone, select **Open in my
  authenticator app**. On a computer, scan the code or enter the key shown
  under **Or enter this key by hand**. Enter the code the app shows in **Code
  from the app**, then select **Turn on**.

After an authenticator app, the portal shows **Save your recovery codes**.
Each code signs you in once if you lose your phone. Select **Copy all codes**,
keep them somewhere safe such as a password manager, then select **I've saved
them**.

## Sign in

1. Open the portal and enter your **Work email**, then select **Continue**.
2. What happens next depends on your organization:
   - **Your organization's own sign-in.** The portal says **Taking you to your
     sign-in** and sends you to your organization's sign-in page, such as
     Microsoft or Google. Sign in there.
   - **A password.** Enter your **Password** and select **Sign in**. Then, on
     **Confirm it's you**, enter the 6-digit code from your authenticator app,
     or select **Use a passkey**.
3. To sign in with a passkey instead, select **Sign in with a passkey** on the
   first page.

If the page says **An account already exists for that address. Sign in with
your password and authenticator, then link your company sign-in from your
profile.**, you already have a portal account with a password. Sign in with
it, then link your work account once. See
[Link your work account](/portal-guide/sign-in-and-security/#link-your-work-account).

If you have lost your phone, select **Use a recovery code** on **Confirm it's
you** and enter one of your saved codes.

After five wrong attempts, signing in is blocked for 15 minutes.

## Reset your password

1. On the sign-in page, select **Forgot your password?**.
2. Enter your **Work email** and select **Send link**. If the address has an
   account, a link arrives by email. It works for 30 minutes.
3. Open the link, enter a **New password**, type it again, and select
   **Change password**.

Your new password cannot be one of your last five. Resetting your password
signs you out on every device. Sign in again with the new password.

If your organization signs in with its own work accounts, reset your password
with your organization instead.

## Switch organization

If you work with more than one organization that uses the same IT provider,
one account reaches them all. Select **Switch organization** and choose the
organization. What you can do is set separately in each. An organization may
ask for your own second sign-in step even when another one accepted your work
account's.

## When the portal asks you to confirm it's you

Pages that handle payments, people, remote access, and your own sign-in
settings ask you to confirm who you are again after 15 minutes without
activity on them. Enter your password and code, use a passkey, or sign in
through your organization again, then select **Confirm**. You stay signed in
otherwise.

The portal signs you out after a period without any activity, and after a
maximum time, both set by your IT provider.

## Sign out

Open the account menu, which shows your name, and select **Sign out**.

## Next steps

- [Manage your sign-in and security](/portal-guide/sign-in-and-security/)
- [View and pay invoices](/portal-guide/invoices-and-payments/)