Signing In and Security

These topics cover getting into TheBrain and keeping your account safe: the welcome screen you see before you sign in, creating an account, signing in (including to your organization's own server), using the desktop app as a guest without an account, verifying your email address, two-factor authentication, and managing your account details.

• Welcome and First Launch — When you're not signed in, TheBrain shows a welcome screen with a login panel, where you can log in, continue as a guest in the desktop app, or explore a public brain on the web.
• Creating an Account — Sign up for a free TheBrain account with your name, email, username, and password, then verify your email to finish.
• Signing In — Log in with your username or email address and password, reset a forgotten password with an emailed link that works once, continue as a guest in the desktop app, or sign in with Google, Apple, or Microsoft, which creates a new account or links to the one you already have.
• Guest Mode — Use TheBrain as a guest, entirely locally in the desktop app, without ever creating or logging in to an account; sync, Cerebro and other AI features, BrainBox and Quick Thoughts need a signed-in account, and you can sign in or create one later from the account menu.
• Email Verification — Verify your email with the link TheBrain sends, resend it from the web if it didn't arrive, or change your email address; until you verify, the desktop and mobile apps refuse login with Account not activated.
• Two-Factor Authentication — Add a second login step with an authenticator app, save your secret key so you can recover access if you lose the app, and set a new secret key to move two-factor authentication to a new phone.
• Signing In to a Private Server — In the desktop and mobile apps, the Manage Servers button on the login screen lets you add your organization's own TheBrain server and choose it before you log in; most people only need the default server, TheBrain Cloud.
• Managing Your Account — View your account details, manage linked Google/Apple/Microsoft logins, change your email, and delete your account from Settings > User > Account; switch between several signed-in accounts with Switch Users in the account menu.