Help talk:Logging in

	This page is within the scope of the Wikipedia Help Project, a collaborative effort to improve Wikipedia's help documentation for readers and contributors. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks. To browse help related resources see the Help Menu or Help Directory. Or ask for help on your talk page and a volunteer will visit you there.Wikipedia HelpWikipedia:Help ProjectTemplate:Wikipedia Help ProjectHelp articles
NA	This page does not require a rating on the project's quality scale.

No provision for forgotten user ID

The Wikipedia user interface makes provision for lost passwords, but not for lost user IDs. Because it ties the user ID to the email address, this can result in permanently locked-out email addresses.

It appears I created a Wikipedia user ID, with email address, probably over a year ago. I didn't record it. Now I cannot retrieve it, because although I can have a fresh password sent to me via the email address, that required me to already know the user ID. And I cannot create a new user ID with my email address, because my address is already tied to my old user ID, and I get an error message when I try.

If there is, in fact, a way to retrieve lost user IDs, or to delete user IDs based on email addresses, it does not appear to be documented on the Help section.

This would seem to be a fairly significant deficiency in the login functionality, and one most other on-line login interfaces handle much better.

/kenw kenw@kmsi.net 68.147.128.184 15:54, 8 October 2007 (UTC)[reply]

Why are accounts not universal?

It seems accounts are not universal across different language versions of Wikipedia. Why is this? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Vtolfreak (talk • contribs) 20:41, 14 February 2008 (UTC)[reply]

Still not the case... and this question is still interesting. I guess that there are too many overlap between usernames of various countries but it would still be good to have the ability to officially link users as the same person. It is always possible to change the users page but once one has 3 or 4 accounts (two languages both on wikipedia and wiktionary makes 4 accounts) it becomes quickly unmanageable. --Iv (talk) 09:52, 7 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

They are now. If you create a unified login, then you will be logged in across the various language Wikipedias. You can start at Wikipedia:Unified login (shortcut → WP:SUL). — Spike Toronto 23:04, 26 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

OpenID

It would be great to be able to use openID to log in on the wikipedia. It would solve some issues of multiple accounts across different language versions of the wikipedia and would allow to log once and for all in all the versions.--Iv (talk) 09:52, 7 January 2009 (UTC)[reply]

I agree that this would help. Devourer09 (t·c) 23:06, 6 November 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Browser won't keep me logged in to Wikipedia

I've allowed cookies (I'm using Firefox), but for some reason I still can't stay logged in to Wikipedia for more than half an hour or so. I don't have this problem with Gmail or Facebook.

What could be the reason for this?

Palefire (talk) 13:01, 13 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Have you ticked the 'remember me' box? Tra (Talk) 15:10, 13 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Hmm... I'm sure I tried that in the past, and it didn't work, but I did that today and it kept me logged in. So thanks. Palefire (talk) 15:22, 14 May 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Browser won't let me log out of Wikipedia

That little hand hovering over the logout button just greys out, and won't let me log out. This should be covered too. What to do? JohnClarknew (talk) 06:50, 1 July 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Editing while logged out

Per Wikipedia:Village pump (proposals)/Archive49#Tips to avoid editing logged out, we should add a section on editing while logged out and the issues involved. ---— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk 13:16, 4 August 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Done See: Help:Logging in#Editing while logged out (shortcuts → WP:LOGGEDOUT & WP:LOUT). — Spike Toronto 23:10, 26 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Lost password

There is no way for me to retrieve my password. There is no link on the login page for this! 71.81.210.74 (talk) 13:56, 14 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Type in your username and then click the "E-mail new password" button. — RockMFR 23:50, 16 December 2009 (UTC)[reply]

Hello: For some reason, I lost access to my first account, "Mlenoirh" and don't have any way of logging into it! I have tried every password that I could remember but still am not able to sign in. I don't recall ever changing my password and the last time I was able to edit with it was in September 2010. Is there any way for a Wikipedia Staff member to help me regain my old account? I can verify anything needed, but never really put up a User page since all I ever did was either write an article here and there, or edit mistakes and things I'd find from time to time. Please let me know! Sorry if this is not the proper place to post this, but I have searched online for a while and finally created a new username, but would like to have my old one back! Thanks! 570ad (talk) 00:23, 21 February 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Help, anyone? Please see previous note. Thank you. 570ad (talk) 06:46, 24 March 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Sorry, the only advice is here. You will have to carry on with the new account. -- John of Reading (talk) 07:37, 24 March 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Secure login only option offered?

I've been a Wikipedia user for two years and until now have always been given two options when logging in: a regular login and a secure login. Yesterday the system logged me out during an editing session and when I went to log back in, the only option it gave me was "Secure Login." I don't like the secure login; I'm not an administrator and I don't share a house with anyone, so there's no particular need for security, and working in a secure environment seems to take about three times as long for anything to load on my slow dialup as the nonsecure login. How can I get the regular login back? I've tried logging out and back in several times, and that doesn't seem to help. Thanks, Woonpton (talk) 23:20, 13 January 2010 (UTC)[reply]

a mistake

in How to log in | Login issues and problems | Other causes , I think the word "incorrect", should be "correct".--Marmzok (talk) 12:22, 17 January 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Fixed, thanks ! Lee∴V (talk • contribs) 17:37, 17 January 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Logged out help

I see this content that I added has been removed from the "Editing while logged out" section:

Wikipedia has no built in safeguards to warn editors that they are logged out. As a visual reminder, you can make the Save page button green when logged in, by adding this rule to your CSS:
/* Turn the "Save page" button green when logged in */
INPUT#wpSave {
    background-color:#88ff88;
}
If you use FireFox, you can disable the Save page button while logged out by installing Greasemonkey and the MediaWiki: Prevent anon editing script. This must be applied to each computer you use and will not be available on public computers.

If it is not useful, then so be it. ---— Gadget850 (Ed) ^talk 14:10, 4 March 2010 (UTC)[reply]

Logged out as Logged in

This is an esoteric and somewhat minimal question, but, then again, this is a Wikipedia policy talk page. Here's the question:

Can an editor, who has more concern for attribution than for anonymity, sign his i.p. posts when he first makes them with his logged-in username?

For example: Blah, blah, blah. User:Ocaasi 69.142.154.10 (talk) 23:14, 13 October 2010 (UTC) or Ocaasi (talk) 23:14, 13 October 2010 (UTC)[reply]

note, I'm editing now as an i.p. and linking to my account by typing it in manually

Particular consideration if the editor discloses on his logged-in user or talk page that he occasionally edits as the i.p. I'm asking if this practice is ok a) always (with disclosure); b) sometimes (but not to be encouraged); or c) never. This likely overlaps with Socking policy about WP:ILLEGIT uses of alternate accounts.

Ocaasi 69.142.154.10 (talk) 23:14, 13 October 2010 (UTC)[reply]

If you have a registered account, which you do, then it is always best to edit from it. When you do not, you should follow Help:Logging in#Editing while logged out (shortcuts → WP:LOGGEDOUT & WP:LOUT).

Periodically, your Internet Service Provider (ISP) may re-assign its IP addresses (see Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (shortcut → DHCP)). If it does — mine does every year or two — then that IP will no longer be yours, and could end up belonging to someone else, perhaps another Wikipedian, perhaps not.

Finally, if you want to have your edits attributed to your registered account, then why are you editing without logging in anyway? Thanks! — Spike Toronto 23:23, 26 January 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Can some one unblock Sri Lanka Eastern University's IP address 10.19.48.38

{{adminhelp}} Can some one unblock Sri Lanka Eastern University's IP addressas i.e. 10.19.48.38 we are doing a workshop so it's quite likely people need to create the account. Thanks in advance.--உமாபதி (talk) 05:24, 28 December 2010 (UTC)[reply]

As far as I can determine, there is no block on 10.19.48.38[1][2]. Remember that it might be blocked on another language-wiki though, although you will have to ask there for an unblock. Regards So Why 10:43, 28 December 2010 (UTC)[reply]

"Log Me in Globally"

The new feature "log me in globally" is not discussed here. It would be nice to update the page with information about what that service is -- and link to the explanation from the login page. I can't find anything about it. Kenirwin/(talk) 13:25, 24 March 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I forgot to uncheck the tick mark on, "log me in globally" and I'm not able to log out now. What to do? —Preceding unsigned comment added by VonBismarck (talk • contribs) 15:52, 6 May 2011 (UTC)[reply]

The "What if I forget the password" instructions are wrong!

Since the forgot password instructions are incorrect, this section should be deleted. I followed the instructions User_talk:Prapsnot#Requested_move, and was told not to use Request Move. I replied that I was following instructions, and asked if the guy was joking. I was told to calm down, and find an admin to do this move instead of using Request Move. User_talk:Ohconfucius#Redirected_instead_of_Moved. No one should be following instructions listed on this page. Since these instructions are wrong, please remove them. Prapsnot 2.0 (talk) 05:02, 30 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]

The instruction has been there for a couple of years now. If no one else comments here, I'll post at one of the noticeboards so that we can clear up the discrepancy. -- John of Reading (talk) 07:18, 30 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]

It certainly seems a bit odd to me (suggesting going via RM, that is). I would have thought the best solution would depend on how much history etc. there was on the pages in the individual case, and ought to be discussed 1-1 with an admin (who would presumably want to be satisfied that the new account owner genuinely is the same person as the old one). Though if you simply replaced the old user pages with redirects to the new ones, you wouldn't need an admin, and probably no-one would object unless the manoeuvre looked suspicious for some reason.--Kotniski (talk) 07:49, 30 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I revised the instructions somewhat - make sense?--Kotniski (talk) 08:12, 30 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Yes. -- John of Reading (talk) 18:38, 30 July 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Computer identity

If I do not log in, are the details of my computer or laptop made available as well as my ip address? If there are multiple computers all sharing ny ip address is it possible to determine that some edits have been made using one computer and some using another? Can an administrator tell who has done what from a shared ip address? 109.153.218.1 (talk) 20:33, 25 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Nobody can see anything else than what the IP address was at the time of the edit. Some people have certain editing patterns which may enable others to guess which edits they made but it will only be guesses. PrimeHunter (talk) 01:33, 26 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Really? So when an administrator blocks an editor indefinitey for "sockpuppetry" what do they mean when they write ".. these accounts have been editing not only from the same IP address, but the same computer .." Thanks. 109.148.206.131 (talk) 07:39, 26 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Where have you seen that? I'm an administrator and don't have access to such information. I don't know exactly what a Wikipedia:CheckUser can see but I thought it was only the IP address of a logged in user. PrimeHunter (talk) 11:03, 26 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

As far as I can tell from mw:Extension:CheckUser, they are limited to seeing IP adresses. PrimeHunter (talk) 11:07, 26 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Upon closer examination, mw:Extension:CheckUser#Information returned says: "The last ten user agents (browser, operating system, system language, and versions) for each user for edits made in the IP or range are listed afterwards." See also user agent. PrimeHunter (talk) 10:40, 27 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Many thanks for that information. So it seems that it is possible for a checkuser to see what type of device has made a series of edits. But this hardly means that a single computer can be identified if a number of different users are using identical devices on the same ip address, which is probably quite ocmmon in many households. 109.153.210.148 (talk) 15:57, 29 October 2011 (UTC)[reply]

When I am logged out on google chrome

Whenever Wikipedia logs me out on google chrome it crashes the browser. Wondering if this can be fixed either by 1) not logging me out 2) fixing whatever it is that is crashing Chrome. Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 17:01, 13 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

I don't have Chrome, so I can't help you with your problem, but you're more likely to find help by asking at the Help desk. The talk page you are on isn't watched by many people, and should be used for suggesting and discussing changes to the help page about logging in. If you haven't posted there already, you might also want to ask about the problem in Chrome's own forums, to see if anyone else has experienced the problem or found a solution for it. – PartTimeGnome (talk | contribs) 20:19, 13 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Thanks. --Doc James (talk · contribs · email) 04:41, 14 December 2011 (UTC)[reply]

Can't log in

Why can't I sign in to Wikipedia? Everytime I click "Sign in" it says "User doesn't exist". I can still log on to other Wikis but not Wikipedia. Can anyone help me out here? --213.122.141.118 (talk) 22:51, 9 March 2012 (UTC)[reply]

What is your username and can you copy-paste the exact error message including the name if it's present? A copy-paste may reveal if the username is altered by your browser. PrimeHunter (talk) 23:28, 9 March 2012 (UTC)[reply]

The message contains my user name: "There is no user by the name "ConCass". User names are case sensitive. Please check your spelling, or use the link below to create a new user account.". I can log in to other Wikis, but not Wikipedia. Why not? --86.154.235.121 (talk) 19:43, 10 March 2012 (UTC)[reply]

http://toolserver.org/~quentinv57/sulinfo/ConCass shows that the username ConCass is not registered at Wikipedia or any other wiki run by the Wikimedia Foundation. Compare to http://toolserver.org/~quentinv57/sulinfo/PrimeHunter. Please give a link to your user page at a wiki where you can log in. A wiki is a type of website and there are thousands of wikis with no connection to the Wikimedia Foundation or our unified login system. PrimeHunter (talk) 23:36, 10 March 2012 (UTC)[reply]

http://community.wikia.com/wiki/User:ConCass I can log in on that and other Wikis, but Wikipedia is the only one I can't log in to. --86.157.69.11 (talk) 13:28, 11 March 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Wikia is not a Wikimedia Foundation project. If you wish to log on as "ConCass" here, you will have to register an account with that name. -- John of Reading (talk) 14:09, 11 March 2012 (UTC)[reply]

Two other ways to recover an account

I've expanded the section Help:Logging in#What if I forget the password?. The new paragraphs describe very unusual cases, but I think it's worthwhile including all the possibilities we can think of.

For recovery of an AWB password see Wikipedia talk:AutoWikiBrowser/Archive 24#log in info. At least one other tool saves a password locally.
For committed identities I've suggested posting an WP:AN. It's odd that Template:User committed identity/doc doesn't explain what to do with the secret string when it's needed. This Help desk archive suggests that the recovery would need help from a dev. -- John of Reading (talk) 14:51, 31 August 2012 (UTC)[reply]