Modifying Your Account
Editing Account Details
Account details can be edited under account settings.
- A profile picture can be added
- Associated email address can be changed
- Name can be changed
Associated Emails
I want to add another email to my SyRF account
To add another email address to your SyRF account go to Account Settings > Associated Emails and click ‘ADD’. You can enter another email address and follow the instructions to verify it. Verification is required to confirm that this email belongs to you.
Password reset and verification messages
When password sign-in attempts are limited
With SyRF’s new Identity sign-in, repeated anonymous password attempts can require email verification instead of locking your account. If sign-in cannot be completed, choose Verify email and retry your password in the message the sign-in page shows after a failed password sign-in. It appears after every failed password sign-in, in the same way for a wrong password and an unknown email, so it does not indicate whether an account exists. It is not shown after a passkey sign-in fails.
Enter your email address, then open the emailed link. On the confirmation page, enter your email and password. The link lasts ten minutes and allows one password attempt; opening it alone does not sign you in. You must still complete any two-factor authentication and account setup required for your account. After a successful sign-in you continue the original SyRF authorization request.
If you enter the wrong password or the link expires, request another link after waiting at least a minute. A newer request does not invalidate an earlier unused link. Existing administrator restrictions and two-factor lockouts still apply. Busy service limits can also affect people sharing a network; try again later if necessary. Passkeys and other available sign-in methods remain alternatives.
SyRF may email you about repeated sign-in attempts, no more than once per hour. This notice does not mean someone signed in or that your account was locked.
Background recovery messages
When SyRF’s new Identity sign-in is enabled, password-reset requests and anonymous verification resends are processed in the background. The confirmation does not reveal whether an address has an account, and does not guarantee that an email has arrived. Check your inbox and spam folder, and allow time for delivery.
Wait at least one minute before requesting another message for the same address. If SyRF asks you to try again later, the service may be busy or the request limit may have been reached; this does not indicate whether the account exists. A request that could not be accepted needs to be submitted again later.
If a message still does not arrive, you can make a fresh request. SyRF does not automatically resend a message when the delivery service’s acknowledgement is uncertain, to avoid repeatedly sending the same request. Contact helpdesk@syrf.org.uk if you remain unable to regain access.
Your Account Security
On SyRF’s new sign-in, Account Settings has a Security page instead of the separate Password and Social sign-in pages. It shows every way you can sign in to SyRF:
| Row | What it tells you | What you can do |
|---|---|---|
| Password | Set or Not set | Send reset email emails you a link to choose a new password. If you have no password yet (for example, you only use Google), the button says Email me a link to set one: the same link lets you set your first password, which then works as a backup way to sign in. |
| Sign in with Google | Linked or Not linked. When linked, it shows the Google account’s email with most of it hidden, for example al•••@gmail.com. | Link Google or Remove. If Google is your only way to sign in, Remove is unavailable: set a password or add a passkey first. |
| Passkeys | How many passkeys you have, with each one’s name and the date you added it | Add passkey or Manage |
| Two-step verification | On or Off. Off is not a problem: it is an optional extra step after your password. | Turn on or Manage |
Buttons marked with an arrow-out icon open the secure SyRF sign-in page in the same tab. That page may ask you to confirm it is you first (see Confirming a Sign-in Method Change). When you have made your change, the page shows a confirmation; select Back to My Account to return to Security, which then shows the updated status. Back to SyRF at the bottom of the sign-in page also brings you back.
If the page says it can’t show your sign-in methods, your account is not affected: select Try again. If it says your session has ended, select Sign in to continue.
Until SyRF’s switch to its new sign-in, Account Settings keeps its Password page (which sends a reset email) and its Social sign-in page.
Linking or Removing a Google Sign-in
On SyRF’s new sign-in, use the Sign in with Google row of the Security page. Before the switch, use Account Settings > Social sign-in.
Link Google and Remove take you to the SyRF sign-in service’s Manage external sign-ins page, where you confirm it is you before the change is made (see Confirming a Sign-in Method Change):
- To link Google, select Link Google there and complete Google’s sign-in. When it succeeds the page shows Google sign-in linked.
- To remove a sign-in, select Remove next to it there. Removing a sign-in signs you out of the sign-in service; sign in again with another method to continue. You cannot remove your only way of signing in: add a password or passkey first.
Select Back to My Account (after a change) or Back to SyRF to return to SyRF, which then shows the updated status.
Sign-in Method Security Emails
If you receive a security email about a linked sign-in method, it identifies the provider (for example, Google) and explains whether it was added or removed. An added method can be used to sign in after any required account setup, including email confirmation. A removed method can no longer be used for that SyRF account, so use another sign-in method.
If you made the change, no security action is needed; complete any outstanding account setup prompts. If you did not make it, contact helpdesk@syrf.org.uk immediately so we can look into what happened. For an unexpected new link, use another sign-in method to access your account. For an unexpected removal, verify you can still sign in using another method, then contact the helpdesk. You can also email the helpdesk if you cannot sign in or have questions about the notice.
Confirming a Sign-in Method Change
SyRF asks you to confirm your identity before you link or remove an external sign-in (such as Google), remove a passkey, turn off two-step verification, or reset your authenticator setup. You can use your password, a passkey, or Email me a confirmation link when that option is shown. Email confirmation uses your verified SyRF email address. If two-step verification is on, you also need a code from your authenticator app or one of your recovery codes.
After you confirm, SyRF returns you to the page you started from. Select the same button again (for example Remove or Turn off two-step verification) within five minutes to make the change. The confirmation covers only that one change.
Open the email in the browser where you are signed in, then press Continue. The confirmation page needs JavaScript enabled; if it is disabled, use your password instead. Opening the link alone does not confirm anything. The link expires after five minutes and can be used once. If two-factor authentication is enabled, enter your authenticator or recovery code as well. An incorrect code spends the link, so request another link or use another method.
Wait at least one minute before requesting another email. A newer link replaces the previous one. If nothing arrives, check your spam folder, use another method, or contact helpdesk@syrf.org.uk. Do not confirm a request you did not initiate.
SyRF’s Sign-in Pages
SyRF’s sign-in pages look like the rest of SyRF. Once you are signed in, the pages where you manage passkeys, two-step verification and linked sign-ins show which account you are signed in to at the top, with Not you? Sign out if it is the wrong one. The sign-in page itself no longer links to those pages: manage them from My Account after signing in.
Where SyRF offers the light and dark appearance, your choice applies to SyRF’s sign-in pages too, and the sun/moon button there changes it everywhere.
Deactivating Your Account
If an account request fails, account settings distinguish a refused request that is safe to retry from an outcome that could not be confirmed. For an uncertain outcome, check your account before retrying or contact helpdesk@syrf.org.uk. You may need to sign in again. This guidance applies to failed deactivation requests too. Permanent deletion remains unavailable from this screen; the deactivation operation is unchanged. If no response arrives within 30 seconds, the outcome is shown as uncertain. The request is not automatically retried: the server may still have completed it.
SyRF can also refuse the request outright, and then says why. In each case nothing was changed:
- You are the last active administrator. Give another person the Administrator role first, then try again.
- A request to delete the account is already being processed. Wait a few minutes before checking your account or trying again.
- Another change to the account’s access is still being completed. Contact helpdesk@syrf.org.uk to have it finished.
SyRF users can deactivate their account at any time in their account settings.
What Happens When You Deactivate Your Account?
Your Personal Data
- We will NOT delete any of your data. You can re-activate your account by signing in again.
- We will continue to retain your personal data (i.e. email address and name) to allow you to re-activate your account if and when you choose to.
Communications
- Deactivated accounts will NOT receive any emails from SyRF.
- If you have contributed to a SyRF project, it is your responsibility to make sure the project admin has an email which they can use to contact you. Failure to do so may mean that you will not receive credit or be notified of any publications that you have contributed data to.
Contributions to SyRF Projects
- We will NOT delete any of your contributions to SyRF Projects (e.g. screening decisions or annotations).