If you are experiencing difficulty registering or signing in, you may find an answer in the FAQs below..
Why do I need to register?
You can access the majority of our services without having to register. Some services do allow you to personalise your experience in some way and you will need to register to leave comments, join Membership, enter competitions and subscribe to email services. By registering we are also able to charge a premium for our advertising and make sure that it is more relevant to you. You can find out more about why your data matters to us here.
What is email validation?
When you register with the Guardian, we will send you an email asking you to validate the email address you gave us during the registration process. The email we send you will contain a link to a web page. Click on the link, or cut and paste it into your browser, and you will be shown a page confirming that your registration details are now finalised, and your account has been validated.
Why do I need to validate my email?
The validation process allows us to establish that the email address is genuine, and that you didn’t make a mistake when entering it. It is essential that we have your correct email address in case we need to contact you.
You need to respond to the validation message within seven days.
How can I stay signed in?
If you tick the ‘Keep me signed in’ box on our sign in form, we will use a cookie so that when you visit the site on the same computer you are automatically signed in. We don’t recommend that you tick this box on shared computers or on computers in public places like libraries or an internet cafe.
What do I need a username for?
Some services on the Guardian require you to have a username (also sometimes known as a screenname or a nickname). This will appear on your profile page, and next to any comments you leave on the site. It is how other users will identify you.
Why can’t I change my username?
We think that one of the best ways of promoting good online community behaviour is to provide people with an identity that can be consistently recognised by the community. It also means we can provide you with a profile page which keeps a stable human readable URL.
I’ve forgotten my password
If you have forgotten your password, you can ask for it to be reset. Click “Forgotten password?” on our sign in form, enter your email address, and we will send you instructions by email on how to reset it. If you have any other problems with registration, you can email userhelp@theguardian.com.
How do you store my data?
We will store your registration data, and information about the services you have requested. For example, the comments you have posted, and the email services you have signed up for. Your dashboard is a place where you can view and control the data that Guardian News & Media holds about you for the usage of theguardian.com.
Where can I find your privacy policy and terms of use?
Privacy policy - Our privacy policy explains why we collect data from our users, how we use it, and what your legal rights are.
Terms of service - Our terms of service is a legal document explaining the terms under which we provide theguardian.com to users, and what you can and can’t do while using the site.
Why do you log IP addresses?
All websites need to know your IP address in order to be able to send information back to you when you request a web page. At the time you register with theguardian.com, we keep a record of that IP address. We log IP addresses in order to keep track of any misuse of our sign in and registration system.
You haven’t answered my question...
You can contact our user help team directly. They are based in London, and are there to help you with any problems you might have using the registration system or the site as a whole. Their email address is userhelp@theguardian.com