My customer can't sign in to the portal: error messages explained
When a customer tells you the portal "doesn't work", the message they saw usually says exactly what's wrong. This article lists every sign-in message, what causes it and how to fix it. It also covers the links customers get by email: single-ticket links and approval links.
If the problem is that the code email never arrives, see My customer didn't get their portal sign-in code.
Signing in with a code
| The customer sees | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| No account found with that email address. | The address isn't a contact in your workspace. | Check the spelling. If it's right, add them under Contacts → Add contact. |
| Too many requests. Please try again later. | Three codes were requested for this address within an hour. | Wait up to an hour. |
| Invalid code. 4 attempts remaining. (or fewer) | The code was mistyped, or it's from an older email. | Use the code from the newest email. Each new code cancels the previous ones. |
| Too many failed attempts. Please request a new code. / Account temporarily locked. Please try again in 15 minutes. | Five wrong codes in a row. | Wait 15 minutes, then request a new code. |
| Code expired. Please request a new one. | More than 5 minutes passed since the code was sent. | Click Resend code. |
| Verification failed. Please try again. | Usually: none of your help desks has the portal switched on. | Switch on Customer portal under Settings → Help Desks → desk → Settings. It's off for new desks. |
Signing in with a password
Customers can only use a password after they've set one. The first sign-in is always by code; then they set a password under Account (at least 8 characters).
| The customer sees | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Incorrect email or password. If you haven't set a password yet, use email OTP. | Wrong password, or no password has been set yet. IntelliDesk doesn't say which, on purpose. | Click Use email OTP instead and sign in with a code. They can set or change the password under Account once they're in. |
| Too many failed attempts. Try again in about N minutes, or use email OTP instead. | Five wrong passwords within 15 minutes. | Wait for the time shown, or sign in with a code straight away. |
There's no separate "forgot password" link. Signing in with a code is the reset route.
"Choose an organization"
If the same email address is a contact of more than one business that uses IntelliDesk, the customer is asked to pick one after entering the code. That's expected. Only workspaces with the portal switched on are listed.
Signed in, then "Session expired"
A portal session lasts 7 days. After that the customer sees "Session expired" with a link to sign in again, using a new code or their password. Nothing is lost.
"This link is no longer valid" (single-ticket links)
Customers who contact you through your website form get a link to view and reply to that one ticket, without signing in (when auto-reply is on for the desk). The link works for 30 days from when it was sent, and stops working sooner if an agent revokes it. The page then offers Open customer portal, where the customer can sign in and find the same ticket under their tickets.
Approval links: "Expired" or "Invalid link"
When you send a customer an approval request from a project card, the link works for 7 days.
- Expired ("The approval link for … has expired. Please contact the team for a new link."): send a new request. Send approval request is hidden while the card's status is Awaiting Approval, so first move the card to another status, then click Send approval request again.
- "This approval has already been resolved.": the customer (or someone with the same link) already approved or rejected it.
- Invalid link: the link is incomplete (often cut off by an email client) or the request was removed.
Why the sign-in page says "IntelliDesk", not our name
The sign-in page at intellidesk.co/portal is shared by every business on IntelliDesk. Until the customer signs in, IntelliDesk doesn't know which business they're a customer of, so the page shows IntelliDesk's own look. After sign-in, the portal shows your Portal Branding (Settings → Portal Branding): display name, logo, colour, tagline and footer. The sign-in code email already uses your workspace name as the sender name.
There's no custom-domain setting for the portal; it's always at intellidesk.co/portal.
When to contact support
Contact IntelliDesk support if a customer who is a contact, on a desk with the portal on, still can't sign in after the lock-out time has passed. Include their email address and the exact message they saw.
Related: The customer portal: what your customers see · My customer didn't get their portal sign-in code · From ticket to project: moving requests to a board and getting approval