For: everyone
Most sign-in problems come from one of four things: the email address used instead of the username, the wrong server, a mistyped password, or the portal and Element being mixed up. Go through this list from the top.
Sign-in to Element (chat)
- Use your username, not your email. Your username is the first part of your user ID. For
@marco:8e43f5db6a.matrixhost.eu, typemarco. The admin's username isadmin. - Check the server. In the browser, open
https://element.followed by your server address, for examplehttps://element.8e43f5db6a.matrixhost.eu. Your admin finds the server address on the dashboard under Your Matrix login → Server. - Check the password. Capital letters count. Try typing it instead of pasting it.
- Still no luck? Get a new password. Element's "Forgot password" doesn't work for your server.
- Team members: ask your admin to reset it in Settings → Users → Reset Password.
- The admin: use Your Matrix login → Change password on the dashboard.
On the phone (Element X)
- On the start screen, choose to sign in manually or to change the account provider (the wording depends on the app version).
- Enter your server address, for example
8e43f5db6a.matrixhost.eu. - Enter your username and password.
If the app goes to matrix.org or another server, you skipped step 1. See Use Element on your phone.
Team members can't set or change their own password. The admin (account owner) sets it in the portal under Settings → Users → Reset Password. See Reset a colleague's password.
Sign-in to the portal
- Only the account owner uses the portal. Colleagues don't need it.
- Sign in with the email address you used when you bought your plan.
- The portal login is not your Matrix login. The username
adminand its password are for Element only.
After signing in on a new device
You may see "Unable to decrypt" on older messages. That's normal on a new device: verify it with your recovery key or another device. See Verify a new device.
If something goes wrong
- "Invalid username or password" or M_FORBIDDEN: see steps 1 to 4 above.
- "Cannot reach homeserver": the server address is wrong. See step 2.
- "Email address not found": you used Element's password reset. Use the portal instead.
- "Too many requests": you tried many times quickly. Wait a few minutes.
More in Error messages A–Z.