Account troubleshooting

Listed below are issues you may encounter when working with your ArcGIS Online account. If you don't find the problem you are looking for, and you are a member of an organization, send your issue to your administrator and request that she or he contact Esri Support. If you have a public account, you can access these resources: ArcGIS Resource Center, ArcGIS Online forum, and the ArcGIS Online blog. You can also contact Accounts.

Signing up

Updating account

Signing in

Password

User name

Other questions

I haven't signed up. What can I do?

You can create an ArcGIS Online public account. A public account is an Esri Global Account that is automatically registered with ArcGIS Online. Once you've created your account, you can sign in to the ArcGIS.com website and other aspects of ArcGIS Online. You can also use it to participate in the community aspects of the ArcGIS Resource Center, access the Customer Care website, and access other Esri online resources. From the ArcGIS.com website, click the Sign In link on the upper right, or access the sign-in page directly from https://www.arcgis.com/home/signin.html. Click the Create a Public Account button. You are redirected to a page to create a new account. See Creating an account for more information. You can only create an organizational account if the administrator of an organization invites you to join the organization. For more information, see Joining an organization.

I want to change the contact information associated with my login.

If your organizational account or public account is an Esri Global Account registered with ArcGIS Online, you can change your contact information. To update your account information, open http://webaccounts.esri.com, log in, and click the Edit account link. The update your Esri Global Account page opens where you can edit your e-mail address, first name, last name, phone number, and mailing address. You cannot change your user name. You cannot edit organizational accounts that were not originally Esri Global Accounts.

I received an email indicating I'd updated my account.

You receive an email notification when you modify one or more of the following: your name, password, security question, or who can see your profile.

My ArcGIS account doesn't work on the ArcGIS Resource Center or support site.

If your organizational account was not originally created as an Esri Global Account, it may not work on some Esri websites such as the ArcGIS Resource Center or the support site. Organizational accounts can be used in any ArcGIS Online client, such as the ArcGIS.com website, ArcGIS Explorer Online, and ArcGIS 10.1. You can create a separate Esri Global Account to use with other Esri websites. For more information, see Creating an account.

When I try to sign in to the ArcGIS.com website, I get the error Unable to sign you in to ArcGIS Online.

Are you using the same casing you used when you created your account? Your user name and password are case sensitive when you use them on ArcGIS Online. This is for added security to help protect your items stored in ArcGIS Online. You can use any casing to log in to most other Esri websites, so just because your user name and password work on other sites, it does not mean you are spelling them the same way you did when you created your account. If you've verified the spelling of your user name and continue to get an error when trying to sign in, you should reset your password. (Esri cannot retrieve your password, so you will need to create a new one.) For more information, see Signing in.

Have you registered your existing Esri Global Account with ArcGIS Online? Registering your Esri Global Account is a separate process from creating an account. Registration is necessary so you can view and agree to the ArcGIS Online terms of use. You won't be able to sign in to the site until you have agreed to the ArcGIS Online terms of use. If you create an account from the website, it is automatically registered with ArcGIS Online. For more information, see Registering your existing Esri Global Account.

Are you trying to sign in to an organization? You may not be authorized to access the site. For example, if the organization does not allow anonymous access, only members with organizational accounts or Enterprise Logins (beta) can sign in. For more information, see Joining an organization.

When I try to register my existing Esri Global Account for ArcGIS Online, I get the error Unable to register you for ArcGIS Online.

Have you created an Esri Global Account? Registering your Esri Global Account is a separate process from creating an account. If you don't have an Esri Global Account, you can create a public account on the ArcGIS.com website, and it will also be an Esri Global Account. For more information, see Creating an account.

Are you using the same casing you used when you created your account? Your user name and password are case sensitive when you use them with ArcGIS Online. This is for added security to help protect your items stored in ArcGIS Online. You can use any casing to log in to most other Esri websites; just because your user name and password work on other sites, it does not mean you are spelling them the same way you did when you created your account. If you've verified the spelling of your user name and continue to get an error when trying to sign in, you should reset your password. (Esri cannot retrieve your password, so you will need to create a new one.) For more information, see Signing in.

I have registered my account with ArcGIS Online and verified the spelling of my user name and password, but I still can't sign in to the ArcGIS.com website.

If you have gone through all the troubleshooting steps listed on this page and you still can't sign in, contact Accounts. In your email, explain the steps you've taken to register or sign in and include screen captures if possible.

When I try to register my existing Esri Global Account with ArcGIS Online, the buttons are missing on the ArcGIS Online Terms of Use window.

Some mobile devices and small-screen resolutions cut off the buttons on the Terms of Use window. This prevents you from completing the account registration process.

If it is a smartphone or a tablet, you will need to register with ArcGIS Online using a different device, ideally, a laptop or desktop, although some mobile devices such as the Apple iPad do support the Terms of Use window.

If you are using a computer, check your screen resolution. If it's small (for example, 600 x 400), you will need to increase it, at least to complete the registration process. Another option is to try a different browser, for example, Firefox instead of Internet Explorer.

I can't sign in to a different ArcGIS Online account from ArcGIS for Desktop.

You may have enabled the option for ArcGIS for Desktop to save your login information. To undo this and use a different account, click File > Sign In, then click Forget me. Now you can sign in with a different account.

I forgot my password.

If you have an ArcGIS account and have forgotten your password, you can create a new one. Esri cannot retrieve and send you your existing password because your password is encrypted for added security. To create a new password, go to the Having trouble signing in? page and click the I forgot my password link. You are redirected to the Forgot your password? page, where you can enter the user name associated with your login.

If your login is detected as an organizational account that you or your administrator created when you joined the organization, you can create a new password on the page and begin using it immediately.

If your account is detected as a public account or an organizational account that you originally created as an Esri Global Account, you are redirected to the Esri Global Account page, where you can reset your password. Esri will email you a temporary password. Emails are sent during business hours, so you may experience a delay in receiving your temporary password if you reset it during nonbusiness hours. Once you get your temporary password, log in again to your global account to change the temporary password to one that you will remember, keeping in mind that your password and user name are case sensitive. The ArcGIS.com website won't prompt you to change your temporary password. You can use your temporary password on the website, but it is recommended that you change it to one you will remember.

I want to change my password.

If you have an ArcGIS account, you can change your password. From the ArcGIS.com website, click the Sign In link on the upper right or access the sign-in page directly from https://www.arcgis.com/home/signin.html. Click the Need help signing in? link, then click the I want to change my password link. You are redirected to the Reset password page, where you can enter the user name associated with your login.

If your login is detected as an organizational account that you or your administrator created when you joined the organization, you can create a new password on the page and begin using it immediately.

If your account is detected as a public account or an organizational account that you originally created as an Esri Global Account, you are redirected to the Esri Global Account page, where you can reset your password. Esri will email you a temporary password. Emails are sent during business hours, so you may experience a delay in receiving your temporary password if you reset it during nonbusiness hours. Once you get your temporary password, log in again to your global account to change the temporary password to one that you will remember, keeping in mind that your password and user name are case sensitive. The ArcGIS.com website won't prompt you to change your temporary password. You can use your temporary password on the website, but it is recommended that you change it to one you will remember.

I am not prompted to change my temporary password when I sign in to the ArcGIS.com website.

If you reset your password on a public account or an organizational account that was originally an Esri Global Account, you are emailed a temporary one that you should then change to one you will remember. The ArcGIS.com website won't prompt you to change your temporary password, so it is recommended that you log in to your global account to do this.

I forgot my user name.

Esri can send you the ArcGIS user name or user names associated with your email address. From the website, click the Sign In link on the upper right or access the sign-in page directly from https://www.arcgis.com/home/signin.html. Click the Need help signing in? link, then click the I forgot my username link. You are redirected to the Forgot your username? page, where you can request an email that lists your user name or user names. Your login is case sensitive, so pay attention to the exact spelling of the user name or user names listed.

My user name doesn't work.

Verify that you are spelling your user name with the same casing you used when you created your account. It is case sensitive. If you can't remember how you spelled it, Esri can send you the ArcGIS user name or user names associated with your email address. From the website, click the Sign In link on the upper right or access the sign-in page directly from https://www.arcgis.com/home/signin.html. Click the Need help signing in? link, then click the I forgot my username link. You are redirected to the Forgot your username? page, where you can request an e-mail that lists your user name or user names. Note the exact spelling of the user name or user names listed.

I want to delete my account.

If you want to delete your organizational account, contact your administrator. Your administrator will need to move any items you own to a different member of the organization before removing your account. Once your account is removed, you will no longer have access to your organizational account or any content or groups you previously owned. If the organization prevents anonymous access, you will not be able to access the organization site.

If you want to delete your public account, contact Accounts and include the user name of the account you want removed. Your account will be removed from the Esri Global Account system, which means you will no longer be able to use it to sign in to ArcGIS Online, the forums, the Resource Center, and so on. All items linked to this account will also be removed.

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5/16/2013