Signing up

Creating an account takes about a minute. You don't need a credit card, and you don't need to have anything ready. No photos, no client list, no pricing worked out. You can add all of that later.

Two ways to sign up

Go to the sign-up page and pick whichever suits you.

Sign up with Google. One click. CoreHue uses your Google account to sign you in, so there's no new password to remember. Your Google password stays with Google. CoreHue never sees it.

Sign up with email. Fill in four things:

• Full name: your name, not your business name. You'll add the business name in a moment.
• Email address: use one you actually check. Client replies and important notices go here.
• Password: at least 10 characters, with upper and lower case letters and a number.
• Confirm password: type it again so a typo can't lock you out.

Then choose Create account.

Length helps most. A phrase of three or four unrelated words with a capital and a digit worked in, something like Rusty7 Harbor Lantern, is easier to type and harder to guess than a short scramble.

CoreHue also checks your password against passwords that have turned up in known data breaches. If yours has, you'll see This password has appeared in a known data breach and you'll need a different one. It isn't a judgement on how clever the password is. It means that exact password is already on a list attackers try.

Verifying your email

If you signed up with email, CoreHue emails you a 6-digit code. Type it in on the Check your email screen and you're through.

Codes expire after 10 minutes. Resend code becomes available two minutes after the last one was sent, and after five wrong attempts you need a fresh code.

This step exists for a practical reason. Your email address is where booking notifications, client replies, and payment alerts land. Verifying it proves the address works before anything important gets sent there.

If the email hasn't arrived after a couple of minutes:

• Check your spam or promotions folder.
• Make sure you typed the address correctly. A missing letter is the usual culprit.
• Ask for a new code if the last one has expired.

What happens next

Once you're verified, CoreHue takes you straight into setup. That's three short questions about your work, and it's covered in Setting up your account.

Setup ends on a screen headed Your workspace is ready, with one button: Start free trial. That's the moment your 14 days begin, and no card is needed. See Plans and free trial.

Signing back in

Return to the sign-in page and use whichever method you signed up with.

Keep me signed in is ticked by default, which keeps you signed in for up to 30 days. On a shared or public computer, untick it. You're then signed out after a day.

Either way, a long gap signs you out. If you don't open CoreHue for two weeks, you'll be asked to sign in again.

If you forget your password

Choose Forgot password? on the sign-in screen. The reset runs over four short screens:

1. Reset your password. Enter your email address and choose Send code.
2. Check your email. CoreHue emails a 6-digit code. Type it in and choose Verify code. Codes expire after 10 minutes, and you can ask for another if you don't get to it in time.
3. Set a new password. Enter it twice and choose Reset password.
4. Password reset. Choose Sign in and use the new password.

CoreHue carries your email address and the code from one screen to the next, so nothing needs retyping. If you close the tab partway through, start again from Forgot password?.

If you signed up with Google, there's no CoreHue password to reset. Sign in with Google instead.

Signing in from a new device

The first time you sign in from an unfamiliar computer or phone, CoreHue may show Confirm this sign-in and email you a 6-digit code. It's a quick check that the person signing in is really you.

The code expires after 10 minutes, and Resend code opens up after a minute. Five wrong tries end that sign-in attempt. Once you've confirmed, that device is remembered for 180 days, so you won't be asked again from it.

You'll also get an email letting you know about the new sign-in. If one ever arrives that wasn't you, change your password straight away from Settings → Account.

Using both sign-in methods

Signed up with email but want to use Google too? On the sign-in screen, under Or continue with, choose Google and use the same address. CoreHue shows Confirm it's you and asks for either your CoreHue password or an emailed code before it links the two. Both methods then work, and you can use whichever is handier.

You can also add a password to a Google account from Settings → Account.

If you later want to disconnect Google, set a password first. CoreHue won't let you remove your only way in: the Disconnect button stays unavailable, with a note telling you to add a password.

Setting a password, changing it, disconnecting Google, or deleting your account each send a 6-digit code to your email that you type in to confirm. If someone did get into your account, they still could not change the locks without your inbox.