Editing Help:Logging in (section)

== How to log in ==
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First, make sure that your [[Web browser|browser]] accepts [[HTTP cookie|cookies]]. Some browsers can accept or reject cookies from individual sites; users of these should configure the browser to accept cookies from each wiki you plan to edit, such as ''wikipedia.org''.

Click on the ''[[Special:UserLogin|{{int:pt-login}}]]'' link at the top-right corner of the page. You will be asked to enter your username and your password in the following screen. If you do not have an account, you will need to [[Special:CreateAccount|create one first]]. Once finished, click on the ''{{int:pt-login-button}}'' button to finish logging in.

If you click on ''{{int:userlogin-remembermypassword|365}}'', you will not have to give your password again when you access Wikipedia from the same computer. This feature will only work if your password was not automatically generated by the software.

Logging in and setting preferences were previously done separately on each wiki. Since May 2008 it has been possible to use the same username, password and email address across all Wikimedia wikis, without needing to register an account on each wiki. For more details, see [[m:Help:Unified login]].

=== Login issues and problems ===
If you find yourself unable to log in, you may have one of the problems addressed in the following paragraphs. If none of them seem to apply, ask for help at the [[Wikipedia:Help desk|help desk]].

; The login link is obscured
: If you cannot click on the login link, for instance because it is obscured by other text, use this [[Special:UserLogin|direct link]] to the login page. It may be helpful to add the page to your browser's bookmarks/favourites.  (This problem may occur on certain browsers when using a large minimum font size.)
; My username and password are refused
: Both usernames and passwords are [[case-sensitive]] on Wikipedia. Did you remember to type in the right capitalization? For example, if you registered under MyUserName, you will not be able to log in as Myusername (notice the subtle difference in spelling). The same goes for your password. The only exception is the first character of the username, which is capital by default.
; I get logged out just after logging in
: There are a few possible causes of this problem:
:* If you appear to have logged in, but as soon as you try to look at a page after 'Log in successful', you appear logged out again, it is very likely to be a [[HTTP cookie|cookie]] problem. See [http://www.google.com/support/accounts/bin/answer.py?&answer=61416 this brief tutorial] on how to enable cookies for your browser.
:* Make sure your computer's date and time are set correctly; if they are not, cookies may expire before they are supposed to. Note that some [[Firewall (computing)|firewall]] and [[Ad filtering|ad-blocking]] software may interfere with the cookie that Wikipedia uses to keep a person logged in.
:* Some ISPs use [[transparent proxy|transparent proxies]] which cause problems logging in. This happens most often with some satellite ISPs (particularly [[HughesNet]]/[[DirecWay]]/[[DirecPC]]).
:* Occasionally, a user may find themself "automatically" logged out between beginning an edit and saving it, or when switching between multiple wiki pages open in multiple windows or tabs. This can be a result of your browser's cookie, cache, or firewall settings, but sometimes, especially during heavy server load, the system can "glitch" and your login information will be lost, resulting in a logout.
; Other causes
: If you are absolutely sure that the login information you have entered is correct, then someone else may have compromised your account. In this case, your account may not be recoverable unless you can prove that the account is yours. In rare cases, your account may have been renamed or [[Wikipedia:Changing username/Usurpations|usurped]], especially if it has few or no edits. You can see if your account has been renamed by viewing the [[Special:Log/renameuser|user rename log]] and search for your username in the "Title" field.
; I get a message that my IP address has been autoblocked
: Follow the instructions listed on screen on how to request an unblock or send an email to the {{mono|unblock-en-i}} mailing list.

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=== What if I forget my username? ===
If you have forgotten your username, these steps may help you recover it:
*Depending on your browser settings, you may find that the log in page redisplays the last username that was used on that computer.
*If you have received any emails from Wikipedia, these will include the username.
*If you can remember the names of any of Wikipedia pages that you edited while logged in, the username will be listed as part of the [[Help:page history|page history]] of those pages.
*If you can remember the first part of the name, [[Special:ListUsers|this search page]] may help you remember the rest of it.
*If you previously entered an email address when signing up for the account or in your Preferences, ''and'' you still have access to that email account, ''and'' you did not tick the preference checkbox "Send password reset emails only when both email address and username are provided", then you can go to the login screen and click 'Reset your password'. Enter that email address on [[Special:PasswordReset|the next screen]] ([[Special:PasswordReset]]), and the system will send an email containing, among other things, a reminder of your user name.
If none of these steps are successful you will have to start again with a new account. Wikipedia administrators will not be able to help you work out your username from your email address or your IP address.

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=== What if I forget my password? ===
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If you have forgotten your password, these steps may help you recover it:
* If you have asked your web browser or a password manager to remember the password, you may be able to recover it from there.
* If you previously entered an email address when signing up for the account or in your Preferences, ''and'' you still have access to that email account, then you can enter your username on the login screen and click '{{blue|Forgot your password?}}'. Enter your user name and that email address on [[Special:PasswordReset|the next screen]] ([[Special:PasswordReset]]), and the system will send a temporary password that will allow you to retrieve your account. You then have to change the password to one of your choice after you log in.
* (Rare) If you have previously asked a Wikipedia tool such as [[WP:AWB|AutoWikiBrowser]] to remember your password, and you still have access to the machine where the password is saved, then it may be possible to recover the saved password. Post at the tool's talk page for advice. Do not post the encrypted password.
* (Rare) If you have a long-established account and have previously set up a "committed identity", and you still have the "secret string" (see [[Template:User committed identity]] for details), then it may be possible to recover the account. E-mail ca{{@}}wikimedia.org for advice. Do not publicly mention the secret string.
Otherwise you will have to create a new account under a different username. After doing this, it is advisable to explain the situation on the user page of the new account, to avoid [[WP:Sockpuppetry|sockpuppetry]] concerns.

=== What if I forget my password and have no email address for password recovery? ===

Your best options are to try the suggestions for a forgotten password, or to create a new account.

If you never provided an email address for password recovery, then there is no password recovery option.

If you no longer have access to the email address which you provided, then you will not be able to access recovery passwords sent to that email address.