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  2. Account Management
  3. Sign in and passwords

I can't sign in to my account

If you forget your password, your account gets locked or suspended, or you see an error message while signing in (such as a duplicate account)—you will need to take steps to access your ID.me account. This article explains various sign-in issues and how to sign in again.

Can’t access your email address

You might have created your ID.me account using an email address you no longer have access to, like a work address. Even if you lost access to your ID.me account's email address, you might still be able to sign in. To regain access to your account:

  1. Go to the ID.me sign in page.
  2. Enter your account's original email address. For example, it could be the work email address you no longer have access to.
  3. Enter your password.
  4. Complete signing in by using your multi-factor authentication (MFA) method.
Tip: To avoid future log-in issues, change the email on your account to an email address you have access to.

If you don't remember your password or lost access to your MFA method, contact ID.me Support and select Can't sign in or don't have an account.

Forgot your password

If you have access to the email address you used to create your ID.me account, you can reset your password. To learn how, visit Resetting your ID.me password

I got a new phone or lost it

If you got a new phone, changed phone providers, or lost your phone, you may have trouble completing your sign in using multi-factor authentication (MFA). For help completing your sign in with MFA, visit Changing the phone you use for multi-factor authentication.

Locked account

If you have too many unsuccessful sign-in attempts, you may see this message: “Locked account —Locked due to a high number of failed sign-in attempts.” To unlock your ID.me account:

  1. Select the underlined text that says here in the error message.
  2. Enter the email address on your account, then select Continue. You will receive an email message with a link. 
  3. Click the link, then select Continue. For security reasons, links expire after 15 minutes. If the link expires, you can attempt to sign in again and you'll be sent another link.
  4. Go to your email inbox and select Unlock your account in the confirmation email you receive from ID.me.

After you’ve confirmed your email address again, your account will be unlocked and you can try to sign in. If you don’t have access to the email address associated with your ID.me account, contact ID.me Support and select Can't sign in or don't have an account.

Suspended Account

You may see this message: “Suspended Account — This account has been temporarily suspended”. In this case, ID.me temporarily suspended your account to prevent unauthorized access. To regain access to your account:

  1. Go to Contact ID.me Support.
  2. Enter your email address, and first and last name.
  3. In the “Why can't you access your account?” dropdown, select Account suspended.
  4. In the “Description” field, enter any other details.
  5. Select Submit.

Mismatched Information

During the verification process, when your personal identity details don’t match our records, you may see this error message: “Mismatched Information — Information you entered doesn’t match what we have on record for this account”. To fix this issue:

  1. Select Retry
  2. Enter your information, ensuring it’s accurate
  3. Submit your information and continue with your verification

If this doesn’t work, contact ID.me Support and select Can't sign in or don't have an account.

Duplicate Account

You may see this error message if you have an existing ID.me account with a different email address: “Duplicate Account — It appears you have already verified your identity on a different account”. If this happens, you’ll want to identify your original account’s email address and sign in to that account.

Identify your account’s email address

If you see the Duplicate Account error, you may get a hint about the email address connected to your original ID.me account. For example, you may see an email formatted like this: b*****4@id.me. Your next steps depend on whether or not you recognize the email address of your original ID.me account.

Yes, I know my original email address I don’t know the email address

If you remember your original email address, sign in and continue to use this account. If you are having issues accessing the account, refer to the table below for next steps, depending on your situation:

Can you access the email inbox associated with your original ID.me account? Do you remember your original account’s password? Can you complete MFA? Next steps
Yes Yes No

To proceed:

  1. Sign in to your ID.me account, using the original account’s email address and password.
  2. When you’re prompted to complete multi-factor authentication (MFA), update your MFA settings.
  3. Choose a new MFA method and set it up.
  4. Finish signing in.
Yes No Yes

To proceed:

  1. Reset your password.
  2. Sign in to your original account.
  3. Complete sign-in using multi-factor authentication (MFA), if set up.
  4. Finish signing in.
No Yes Yes

To proceed:

  1. Go to the ID.me sign-in page.
  2. Enter the email address for your original account and password.
  3. Complete sign-in using multi-factor authentication (MFA), if set up.
Finish signing in, then update your account’s primary email address.

If your situation doesn’t match any of the scenarios in the table above:

  1. Go to the contact ID.me Support page
  2. Select Can’t sign in or don’t have an account.
  3. Fill out the form with information related to your original account.

When to contact ID.me

To contact ID.me Support about having multiple accounts:

  1. Go to the contact ID.me Support page and select Sign in with ID.me.
  2. Sign in to your duplicate account.
  3. In the contact form, select I was told I have another account.
  4. Fill out the form with email addresses for any ID.me accounts you have.
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