Admin Guide: Resolve User Login Problems

As a System Administrator, you may be asked to help users who are unable to log in to Salesforce even after attempting basic troubleshooting. This article covers the most common admin-level login scenarios and their solutions, including cases where users cannot log in with correct credentials, cannot complete a password reset, or encounter other general login barriers. For example, an admin may use Login History to identify the specific error code causing a user's login failure and apply the appropriate fix.

Important — Scope of This Article:

The troubleshooting steps listed here do not apply to Single Sign-On (SSO) enabled orgs or Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) issues. For non-admin login troubleshooting, refer to Troubleshoot Basic Login Issues (Non-Admins).

Available Editions:

All Editions

How to Address:

Follow the troubleshooting steps below based on the user's specific scenario

Prerequisites:

Check the user's Login History in Setup before proceeding. The error code recorded there will help you identify which section below applies to the user's situation.

Scenario 1: User Cannot Log In with the Correct Username and Password

Make sure your user is trying to log in from the correct URL, in one of the following formats:
- login.salesforce.com (standard login page)
- [INSTANCE].salesforce.com (e.g. na212.salesforce.com)
- [YOUR MYDOMAIN].my.salesforce.com (e.g. companyname.my.salesforce.com)
Check the user's Login History for login errors. Refer to the article Understanding Login History Error Codes for guidance on each error type.

Scenario 2: Verification Issues

Indicated by a Failed: Computer activation required entry in the login history. Users should receive a verification code at their email, SMS, or registered MFA application. If users do not receive this code, perform the following:

Check the Identity Verification History page under Setup, and verify where Salesforce is trying to send the user's verification code. The user could be checking in the wrong place.
If the code was sent via email message:
- Check the user's spam/junk folders, and make sure they don't have filters set up to automatically delete emails from Salesforce.
- Make sure there are no typos in the user's email address. Update the user record if typos are found.
  - Note 1: The user will need to click on a link in their email inbox to approve the email change before it takes effect.
  - Note 2: If users are not able to approve the email change, go to Setup > Identity Verification, and deselect the "Require identity verification for email changes" checkbox.
If the code was sent via SMS verification (mobile):
- Check the "Mobile" field on the user's record, and ensure it is in the proper format to receive verification codes. (Example: the US number (123) 456-7890 should be entered as +1 1234567890)
- If the mobile number is in the correct format and the user is not receiving text messages, contact your mobile carrier.

Scenario 3: Incorrect Username

If no login attempts are showing up on your user's record when they attempt to log in, or your user needs to reset their password every day, this typically means there is an issue with their username. Check for the following:

Review the username carefully for typos. Update the user record if typos are found.
Make sure your user is utilizing the correct username.
Check if the user has any saved usernames in their browser. It's possible that their browser is auto-populating a misspelled username.
If there are no detectable typos in the username, there could be invisible characters hidden in the username on the user record. Fix this by performing the following:
1. Edit the user record
2. Click the username field and press Ctrl+A (Windows) or Cmd+A (Mac) to select all data in the field.
3. Hit backspace to delete this data.
4. Carefully type in the user's desired username.
5. Save, and ask the user to log in again.

If none of the above steps work, there may be other issues with the user's record on the backend. Submit a case to Salesforce Support under the topic of Feature Activations & Limits for further investigation. (See: How to create a case with the Feature Activations & Limits Team)

Scenario 4: Cannot Complete Password Reset Process

Sometimes users may encounter roadblocks when trying to request a password reset using the "Forgot your password?" process, or when an admin triggers a password reset from their user record.

If your user is receiving the password reset link but clicking on it loads the login page (password reset loops):
- You may have an antimalware link-screening service on your email inbox, such as Safelinks or URL Defense. By default, password reset links from Salesforce are for one-time use only. Link-screening services will access this reset before your end user can, effectively expiring the link and returning the user to the login screen.
- Refer to: Salesforce 'Reset Password' Link Is Expired
If your user is not receiving the password reset link:
- Check the user's spam/junk folders, and make sure they don't have filters set up to automatically delete emails from Salesforce.
- Make sure there are no typos in the user's email address. Update the user record if typos are found.
  - Note 1: The user will need to click on a link in their email inbox to approve the email change before it takes effect.
  - Note 2: If users are not able to approve the email change, go to Setup > Identity Verification, and deselect the "Require identity verification for email changes" checkbox.

Scenario 5: Other General Login Issues

User is sent back to the login page after logging in OR gets the error "You don't have access to this record. Ask your administrator for help or to request access"
- Ask if the user uses a bookmarklet to access Salesforce. Have them update their bookmarklet to a URL in one of the following 3 formats, with nothing extra tacked on the end:
  - login.salesforce.com (standard login page)
  - [INSTANCE].salesforce.com (e.g. na212.salesforce.com)
  - [YOUR MYDOMAIN].my.salesforce.com (e.g. companyname.my.salesforce.com)
- The user's landing page may be routing to a page they don't have access to. After logging in, have them access the below URL to get back to the Accounts tab, then see if the issue resurfaces on their next login:
  - [YOUR MYDOMAIN].my.salesforce.com/001/o (e.g. companyname.my.salesforce.com/001/o)
User cannot log in to a third-party integration
- Some logins to third-party integrations via the API require a security token. This token is to be added to the end of your password. If you do not know your security token, see: Reset Your Security Token
User gets the error: Insufficient Privileges upon logging in
- Check the user's profile and permission sets to see if they have the "API Only User" permission assigned to them. This permission blocks all logins from the regular user interface. Remove this permission to resolve the issue.

If the above troubleshooting steps do not resolve your user's login issue, create a case with Salesforce Support for further assistance. These issues are supported by the Salesforce activations team.