Getting started

This section takes a person who has never had a TDACorp account from nothing to a working, reasonably safe one. It covers creating the account, the first sign-in, the password you choose and the passkey you can add to it, signing in again from a device you have not used, and what to do when you cannot get in.

It is written for account owners, not developers. It describes the pages in the order you meet them and uses the exact words on the screen, so you can match what you see to what you read. If you have an account already and want to change something, go to Your account instead.

An account is made of an email address you have proved you can read and a password you choose, plus optional stronger ways to sign in such as a passkey. Creating the account does both of the first two, and signing in is always a separate step afterwards.

email address  ->  verified  ->  password chosen (passkey optional)  ->  account ready                                                                  |                                       sign in (separate step) <--+                                                                  |                              more methods and a way back in <----+

Some methods can stand in for each other, which is why a way back in matters: a second passkey, an authenticator app or recovery codes, and, for a lost passkey, an emailed code at the second step. Account recovery is the fallback when none of them works.

I just signed up.

1. Create your account: verify the address and choose a password.
2. Add a passkey: add a passkey while you choose the password, or later.
3. Your first sign-in and the setup checklist: sign in once and see the checklist.

I bought a new phone or laptop.

1. Sign in on another device: which methods work on a device the account has not seen.
2. Add a passkey: add a passkey on the new device if the old one stayed behind.
3. Trusted devices: make the new device a regular one.

I cannot sign in.

1. If you are locked out: the simple checks, then the methods that can stand in.
2. Start a recovery: when none of them works.
3. Cannot sign in: what each message on the sign-in pages means.

Create your account answers how registration works: the address you need, the confirmation message with its link and its eight digit code, what to do when nothing arrives, and what the page shows when sign-up is closed or limited. It notes that the page answers the same way whether or not an address already has an account.

Your first sign-in and the setup checklist answers what happens after registration. Creating an account does not sign you in. The page then explains the six-step Finish setting up checklist, which shows during the first seven days while a step is still open.

Add a passkey answers why a passkey is worth adding, how to add one while registering or later from Security, and how to finish with the password alone. It also explains why a second passkey on another device is worth having.

Sign in on another device answers what changes on a device the account has not seen: a synced passkey may already be there, an emailed link or code can be finished on another device, and the platform may ask you to confirm the sign-in.

If you are locked out answers what to try first, which method replaces which, and how the recovery steps run, including the waiting period that can apply.

You need an email address you can open right now and a browser. Use the same browser for every step of registration, because a code only works in the browser where you started. A password is all you need, and a phone or laptop with a screen lock lets you add a passkey as well.

Does creating an account sign me in? No. You sign in as a separate step. See Your first sign-in.

Why a passkey rather than a password? A password can be typed into a fake page and a passkey cannot. See Add a passkey.

I never got the email. What now? Use Send again, check spam and use the same browser. See Create your account.

Can I sign in from a friend's computer? Yes, but do not mark it trusted. See Sign in on another device.

Can too many tries lock me out for good? No. The page shows a delay and you try again afterwards. See If you are locked out.

It does not describe every sign-in screen, which is in Signing in and recovery. It does not describe the account pages in depth, which are in Your account, nor advice on choosing and keeping methods safe, which is in Security for users.