Sign-in errors and what they mean

The messages the sign-in screens show when something does not work, grouped by what they mean and what to do next.

On this page

The sign-in screens use plain sentences. Each one says what happened and what to do, and none says whether an account exists or which credential was wrong. That is deliberate: a message that said "wrong password" or "no such account" would tell a stranger things about your account. So when a message is short on detail, the detail is being held back on purpose.

For the full list of codes that the API returns, including the ones developers see, read Error codes. This page covers what a person meets on screen.

Messages above a form#

Message	What it means and what to do
Those details did not work. Check them and try again.	What you entered was not accepted. Check it and try again. It does not say which part was wrong.
That code is not right or has expired.	A code from an authenticator app, an email or a recovery code was not accepted. Use the newest code, or ask for a new email.
Fill this in.	A required field is empty.
That does not look right.	The value is not in the shape the field expects.
That is too long. or That is too short.	The value is outside the allowed length.
The two entries do not match.	The two passwords you typed differ.
Something in that request was not valid. Check it and try again.	The page sent something the server did not accept. Reload the page and try again.
That sign-in method does not apply to this account.	The method you chose cannot be used here. Choose another.
That extra sign-in step is not available for your account right now.	An optional extra step cannot be answered at the moment. See Optional extra steps.
Enter your password to continue.	A step needs your password.
Sign in to continue.	Your session is missing or has ended. Sign in.
You do not have access to that.	This account is not allowed to do that. A recovery link opened in a different browser has its own message; see the recovery waiting period.
Your organization manages this account, so this is not available here. Ask your organization’s administrator.	The account is managed by an organization, which controls this setting.
We could not find that.	The thing you asked for is not there, or is not available to you.
Your organization manages this account, so this is not available here. Ask your organization’s administrator.	The account is managed by an organization, which controls its sign-in methods, access tokens and membership. The change cannot be made from your own account pages. See Single sign-on and managed accounts.

Waiting and limits#

Message	What it means and what to do
Too many attempts. Wait a little and try again.	A limit was reached.
Too many attempts. Try again in a wait such as 45 seconds, 57 minutes or 2 hours.	The same, with how long to wait.
One moment, we are checking this request.	The sign-in is running a short check. See the One moment screen on Start with your email or username.
We could not send email right now. Try again in a few minutes.	A message could not be sent. Try again later.
We have already sent the most emails allowed to this address for now.	The limit on messages to one address was reached, with the wait that follows. See If an email could not be sent.
We have reached the limit for sending email today, so no message can be sent right now.	The service-wide daily limit was reached. See If an email could not be sent.
You have asked for too many sign-in codes.	The emailed code was asked for too often for this account. Use another way to confirm, or wait.
Something went wrong on our side. Try again in a moment.	A fault at TDACorp. Nothing you did caused it.

Messages above a form that name a cause end with a link, Why does this happen?, and a line Reference: followed by a code. The code names the request that was refused. Quote it when you ask for help, and nothing else is needed to find the request.

Technically, a refused request answers with status 429 and a Retry-After header that says how long to wait. The page turns that into the wait you see, in seconds, minutes or hours, rounded up. Retrying sooner only restarts the wait.

If an email could not be sent#

When a message cannot be sent, the screen says why and what to do next.

Message	What it means and what to do
We have already sent the most emails allowed to this address for now. Use your password or a passkey instead, or try again later.	TDACorp limits how many messages it sends to one address in a short while. Sign in another way, or wait for the time shown.
We have reached the limit for sending email today, so no message can be sent right now. Use your password or a passkey instead, or try again tomorrow.	The whole service has a daily limit on messages. It clears at midnight UTC.
This account has no verified email address, so we cannot send it a message. Use another way to sign in, or recover your account.	Nothing verified to send to. Use another way to sign in.
We could not send email right now. Try again in a few minutes.	The mail provider did not take the message. Try again shortly.

The same limits are described, with the sign-in link and code, on Sign in with an emailed link or code.

Passkey messages#

Message	What it means and what to do
This browser cannot use passkeys here. Use another method.	The browser or device cannot do passkeys on this page.
The passkey did not work. Try again or use another method.	The prompt was refused or cancelled.
That passkey could not be verified. Try again or use another method.	The passkey was not accepted.
The passkey prompt closed straight away. This device may have no passkey saved for this account, or the browser may not support passkeys. Sign in another way, then add a passkey on this device from Security.	The prompt closed at once. See Sign in with a passkey.
The passkey could not be saved. Try again.	Creating a passkey failed at the last step.
There is no setup in progress. Start again.	A passkey setup was closed or timed out. Start it again.

A sign-in in progress is short lived. When it can no longer be used, the screen is titled This sign-in has ended, gives a reason, and says Start again from the application you came from, or sign in here. The button Start a new sign-in begins again.

Reason	What it means
It was open for too long.	You left it sitting.
It was cancelled.	Someone cancelled it.
It has already finished.	It was completed, so it cannot be used twice.
We could not find it.	It is gone, for example because the page was open for a long time.
It can no longer be used.	A general end.
You said it was not you, so it was stopped.	You refused it on Confirm a new browser or place.
It was interrupted.	Something else interrupted it.
Your passkey is saved. Sign in again to use it.	You created a passkey. Sign in again and use it.

One related message is This page was out of date. It has been refreshed to where you are. It appears when the sign-in moved on somewhere else, for example in another tab. The page then shows the step you are really at.

Sign-in was refused, with This sign-in cannot continue. and the button Recover your account, is shown when the sign-in is stopped and cannot be finished from here. It can add a reason, which replaces the line This sign-in cannot continue.:

Reason	What it means
This sign-in looks unusual, so we stopped it. Try again later, or recover your account if you cannot get in.	The risk check refused it.
Your account has no passkey or authenticator app, and the admin console, an application or your organization needs one. (older wording: This account needs a second factor that is not set up yet, so it cannot sign in this way. Recover your account to add a passkey or an authenticator app, finish, then sign in again.)	The sign-in asks for a second factor the account does not have. The page names who asks (the admin console, the application by name, or your organization) and adds Fastest way: recover your account. Nothing is set up yet, so there is no wait. Add a passkey or an authenticator app, finish, then sign in again. This is also what an operator without a second factor meets at the admin console, which asks for one at every sign-in. Recover the account, add the factor, then sign in again: see If a sign-in needs a second factor you do not have.
An emailed link alone is not enough for this account, and no second factor is set up. Recover your account to add one.	A link or code finished the first step, but this account needs more and has nothing to answer with.
This account signs in with a passkey. Start a new sign-in and use your passkey. If you lost it, recover your account.	An emailed link or code is not accepted for an account that has a passkey and no authenticator app. The page offers Start a new sign-in and, below it, Recover your account.
We have already sent the most emails allowed to this address for now, so we cannot send the confirmation message. Sign in with your password or a passkey, or try again later.	The confirmation message a risky sign-in needed hit the limit on messages to one address.
We have reached the limit for sending email today, so we cannot send the confirmation message. Try again tomorrow, or recover your account.	The same confirmation message could not be sent because the service-wide daily limit was reached.

Links in emails#

Pages that an email link opens say the same thing when a link cannot be used: This link is not valid any more., This recovery link is not valid any more. Start again., This link did not work. It may have expired or been used. Ask for a new one. or This link is incomplete. Ask for a new one from the sign-in page. A link works once and expires, and it does not say which of those happened. Ask for a new message. Open it in the browser you started in.

Provider and application messages#

Notices that arrive when you come back from Google or GitHub are listed with advice on Sign in with an external provider. Pages TDACorp shows when it cannot send you back to an application are listed on How a sign-in ends in another application.

When to start recovery#

If you cannot get past the first or second step with any method you have, start recovery.