How to log in to Claude

Claude has no passwords — sign-in is Google or an email magic link, with SAML SSO on Enterprise. How each route works and how to fix the login errors people actually hit.

Claude has no passwords. You sign in at claude.ai with either Continue with Google or Continue with Email, which sends a one-time login link to your inbox. Enterprise and Government organizations can add SAML single sign-on. Anthropic states plainly that it is not currently possible to create a dedicated password for a Claude account.

#How do you log in to Claude?

Go to claude.ai and pick one of two buttons. Both open the same account — what identifies you is the email address, not the method, so Google sign-in with you@example.com reaches the same account as an email link sent to you@example.com.

One behaviour explains most of the confusion around the email link. Request it and click it on the same device and you land straight in your account. Click it on a different device — requested on a laptop, opened on a phone — and Anthropic generates a verification code to type back into the original device. That is a security feature, not a fault.

#Signing in on mobile and desktop

Identical flow, same two buttons. Install from the routes on our download page and sign in with the same email address you use on the web. Plans live with the account, so a Pro subscription bought on the web is immediately active in the iOS app, the Android app and the desktop app with no restore-purchase step.

Two device notes. On the desktop app, request the email link from the machine you are installing on, or you will be carrying a verification code back from your phone. On mobile, Google sign-in is smoother, because the OS already holds the session.

#Why didn't my Claude login link arrive?

Almost always email filtering, not a broken account. Anthropic's guidance, in order of likelihood:

1. Check your spam or junk folder for messages from @mail.anthropic.com.
2. Check quarantine. On a corporate mail system the message may be held at the gateway and never reach your mailbox; your own inbox rules cannot release it.
3. Whitelist the sender — add @mail.anthropic.com to safe senders.
4. Ask IT. Anthropic specifically notes that business and .edu users may need their administrators to adjust email security settings before the link can be delivered.
5. Check the address you typed. A typo produces no error — the flow looks identical either way.

If Google sign-in fails instead, the cause is usually on Google's side: a signed-out browser profile, a Workspace policy blocking third-party OAuth apps, or blocked cookies. Try the email route as a diagnostic — if it works, the problem is your Google configuration.

#How does SAML SSO work on Enterprise and Government plans?

On Claude Enterprise SSO is optional; on Claude for Government it is mandatory for everyone except the Primary Owner during initial setup. Anthropic acts as the SAML service provider and your identity provider authenticates. Entra ID, Okta, Google Workspace and Ping Identity are named as examples, not an exhaustive list.

Setup runs in a fixed order, and skipping ahead breaks it:

1. The Primary Owner verifies identity through a magic link.
2. Domain ownership is confirmed with a DNS record.
3. The identity provider is configured with Anthropic's SAML metadata.
4. Attribute mapping is defined.
5. The configuration is tested, before other login methods are disabled.

Anthropic says attribute mapping is where most configuration problems occur. Check that the email claim returns addresses on a domain you have verified; a SAML debugging tool showing the raw assertion finds the mismatch in minutes. SCIM provisioning is Enterprise-only — Team plans get SSO but not SCIM. The wider admin control set is on Claude for business.

#When a work SSO account and a personal account collide

Because the email address is the identity, a work account on you@company.com and a personal account on you@gmail.com are two separate accounts, with separate conversations, Projects, Memory and billing. There is no supported merge that combines two existing accounts into one.

The collision people actually hit: you signed up personally on a work address, and your employer later enables SSO on that domain. The domain is then claimed by the organization, and that address routes through the identity provider into the corporate workspace, where admin visibility and organizational data policies apply. What to do:

• Before SSO is enabled, move anything genuinely personal out of the work-email account and create a personal account on a personal address.
• Keep the two visibly distinct — different browser profiles, or the desktop app for work and the browser for personal.
• Check which account you are buying on. A personal Pro subscription on a work address is not transferable and may be stranded if the account converts.
• The data rules differ. Commercial Terms state Anthropic may not train on customer content; consumer plans are opt-in, with five-year retention if you allow training and 30 days if you decline. See commercial use rights.

#Signing out, shared devices and account security

Sign out from the account menu in whichever client you are using; on a shared machine, do it explicitly rather than closing the tab. Because there is no Claude password, your account is exactly as secure as your email inbox or your Google account. Two consequences:

• If you sign in with Google, enable two-factor authentication there — that is effectively Claude's second factor, and there is no separate one.
• If you use email links, anyone with access to your inbox can sign in as you.

Session controls and account deletion live in Claude's own settings on claude.ai; that interface changes periodically, so use the screen itself rather than a screenshot from a blog post. Enforced session policy, audit logs, SCIM and IP allowlisting are Enterprise features, not personal-plan settings.

#Where do subscription and billing settings live?

In your Claude account settings on the web — but only if you bought the subscription from Anthropic. If you subscribed through an in-app purchase, the app store is the merchant, and Claude's settings cannot cancel or refund it:

One structural point that surprises people: a Pro or Max subscription and an API key are separate products with separate bills. Signing in to claude.ai grants no API credit, and an API key unlocks none of the apps. Plan mechanics are on the pricing page, what $0 buys is on the free plan page, and the default model is covered on the models page and for Sonnet 5.

#Frequently asked questions