Daily Kos Login Troubleshooting
If you have trouble logging in to Daily Kos, this resource offers tips to help you get back onto the site. The list of troubleshooting tips that follows is far from guaranteed to solve any particular person's login woes, but we hope it can get anyone affected at least a step or two closer to solving the problem.
There is no single cause for login difficulties; a variety of different technical reasons underlie this very basic problem. That said, a change implemented in 2019 -- improvement of our password system -- has affected all user accounts created before July of 2019. If you have NOT changed your password since we began implementing the changes, it is likely that your login difficulties now arise from an expired password. Please see the related article for step-by-step instructions for resetting your password.
Login Mini-Guide
Do you actually have a user account here at Daily Kos?
Frequently, people who receive the Daily Kos Recommended email think that means they also have a user account at the site, but it does not. They are completely separate, independent processes. If you have a user account here, you will have a unique username that is not your email address.
This problem might also become apparent when you try to login with your email address and use the "Forgot your password?" link. For a detailed explanation of what you might encounter there, see the Q/A below, Have you tried resetting your password?
Are you already logged in, perhaps without realizing it?
When you're logged in, you'll see your username in orange at the top right corner of any page.
Have you tried logging in recently? Like within the past ten minutes or so?
Our system is being debugged continuously, and the issue you were having may have been cleared up; give it a try.
Can you find the login link?
There is a login link at the upper right corner of any page. The link will always display the text "Log in;" some pages will also show an icon of a white head outline on orange. (When your cursor is over either the icon or the words, the colors will change.) Click on it to get the drop-down window to login. It's generally more reliable if you login with your username and password, though logging in with your email associated with the account plus your password will also work--provided you remember which email address is the one of record.
You can also go directly to the Daily Kos login page.
Have you activated your user account?
When your account is created, you must authenticate your email address by clicking on a link in an email sent to you. Unsuccessful login attempts are sometimes the first hints that something went awry in that process, which happens relatively often. Open a Help Desk ticket if you think that's the problem so we can manually activate your account.
Have you tried resetting your password?
This may be necessary even if you're absolutely certain you're using the right password and typing it correctly.
Resetting your password is now handled via the "forgot your password?" link on the login box. Please note that two conditions must be met for you to be able to reset your password in this way: 1) you must enter the email we have on record for your username and 2) you must have access to that email. You will also need to make sure your email system is configured to accept mail from "donotrespond@dailykos.com". Be sure to check your spam folder, if applicable.
You should receive an error message, "1 error prohibited this user from being saved: No user was found for this email" if the email you enter there is not the one on record. That is not the final word on whether you have a user account here, because it's still possible that your username is associated with a different email address. But if the system says your email address is not on file, and you can’t remember having a username, go ahead and make a new account. When in doubt, feel free to consult Help Desk.
What if you no longer have access to the email account associated with your Daily Kos account?
Create a ticket at Help Desk to get in touch with tech support. We can help you regain access to your account, change your password, and update your email address of record.
Important: DO NOT send us your password. We will never ask for it, we have no real use for it, and anyone who asks you for it is up to no good.
Are you using an ad blocker, script blocker, or Flash blocker?
Common extensions that can interfere with the login process include Adblock Plus, NoScript, and ClickToFlash, though there are (many) others. If so, disable any such tools completely, and then try logging in.
Are you using a "private" browsing mode?
This would be "InPrivate" in Internet Explorer; "Private Browsing" in Firefox, Safari, or Opera; "Incognito" in Chrome; etc. This setting is off by default in all browsers. If you've turned it on, try turning it back off, and then try logging in.
Do you have Cookies and Javascript enabled?
These are enabled by default in all browsers; you'd know if you'd turned one or the other off. They do need to be enabled for our login process to work.
Have you tried logging in with all of your browser add-ons disabled or in a different browser?
This won't fix the problem if you do want to use those extensions, but it will help narrow down the cause of the problem. If you still need to create a Help Desk ticket, please include whatever you've learned from trying to log in with browser add-ons disabled, or in other browsers.
Does the login link do nothing when you click on it?
If the login link doesn't either bring up a pop-up login box under the link, or take you to a login page, and you've tried disabling browser add-ons, turning off "private" browsing, disabling ad blockers, script blockers, and Flash blockers, and generally tried everything above, and you still can't log in, then you've exhausted all self-serve options. Please feel free to open a Help Desk ticket. Be sure to provide a description of everything you've tried so far, along with your browser and operating system versions.
Are you logged in, but unable to post comments or diaries, or create groups?
There is no waiting period before new users can post comments or stories. But only Trusted Users can create groups.
Users whose accounts are banned or on a Time Out are able to login, but are not able to participate otherwise on the site for the duration of the sanction.
If you're a brand-new user, it's possible that your account was nabbed by our spambots, which are set to "extra grumpy" as a matter of course. If so, fixing that will require administrative intervention, which means that opening a Help Desk ticket will be necessary.