Troubleshooting login and account access

Login problems fall into a small number of patterns. This page maps each symptom to its actual cause and the right recovery path. Most cases resolve in under a minute once you know which path to take.

"Invalid credentials" on a password I know is right

Three things to check, in order:

1. Is your account a Google-signup?

If you originally signed up with Continue with Google, your account does not have a password — it uses Google OAuth instead. Trying to sign in with email + password returns invalid credentials. Use the Continue with Google button on the login page instead.

2. Are you on the right account email?

Some people end up with multiple Valid Email Checker accounts (one personal, one work, one trial that never got used). The dashboard does not surface this, so it's easy to type the wrong email at login. Try variants of the address you might have used.

3. Did you reset the password recently?

A password reset invalidates the old password immediately. If you reset 10 minutes ago and reflexively typed the old one, the new one is what works now.

Fix

Use reset password from the login page. The reset link arrives within seconds and lets you set a new password without needing the old one.

"Cannot receive the 2FA code"

For email-based 2FA:

• Check spam first (the 6-digit code arrives from noreply@validemailchecker.com).
• Allow up to 30 seconds — corporate mail filters delay automated emails.
• If the code never arrives, click Resend Code on the login challenge — sometimes the first send queues incorrectly.
• If multiple sends fail, your email provider may be blocking automated codes. Switch to authenticator-app 2FA instead via Account Settings → Security after sign-in.

For authenticator-app 2FA: if the app generates a code but the dashboard rejects it, the most common cause is clock drift. Make sure your phone time is set to automatic (not manually adjusted). The TOTP algorithm relies on synced clocks; even 30 seconds of drift can break codes.

"I lost my authenticator app and have no backup codes"

This is the most common lockout scenario. See what if I lose my authenticator — backup codes are the first option; if those are gone, email support@validemailchecker.com from your account email and we manually verify identity before disabling 2FA. This takes longer than self-service, so save those backup codes the first time.

"I got signed out unexpectedly"

Three things can sign you out involuntarily:

1. Single-active-session model

Valid Email Checker enforces one active session per account. If you (or someone else) signed in on a new device, your previous session was automatically terminated. Check Account Settings → Security → Active Sessions to see when and from where the new session started.

If you see a session from a device or location you do not recognize, change your password immediately and enable 2FA.

2. Session timeout from inactivity

Sessions expire after a period of inactivity. The exact timeout depends on the auth provider's session lifetime configuration. Sign in again — your data is unaffected.

3. Password or 2FA change

Changing your password or modifying 2FA settings on one device can terminate sessions on other devices as a security precaution. Sign in again on the affected device.

"Continue with Google is failing"

Common Google-OAuth failure modes:

• Browser blocking third-party cookies. Some strict privacy settings break OAuth flows. Try a different browser or temporarily allow third-party cookies for app.validemailchecker.com.
• Already have a password-based account on the same email. Google sign-up requires the email to be unused. If you originally signed up with email + password, sign in that way instead — or contact support to merge.
• Google account itself has a temporary issue. Try signing into another Google service first to confirm Google is working.

"My team-member access stopped working"

If you joined as a team member and suddenly cannot sign in:

• The account owner may have suspended you. Email notification was sent at suspension time — check your inbox.
• The account owner may have removed you. Same — check the email notification.
• The account owner's subscription may have expired or their account been deleted, taking your team-member access with it. Contact the owner.

"I see 'Access denied' or IP blocked"

IP blocks are triggered by abuse patterns — repeated invalid-key attempts on the API, sustained rate-limit hits, suspicious request patterns. From the dashboard side this rarely affects normal users; it more commonly hits API integrations with bad credentials in a tight loop.

If you legitimately got blocked:

• Check the blocked_until field in the error response — many blocks are temporary and lift automatically.
• Diagnose the integration that triggered it. Look for credential typos, tight retry loops on 401s, or hardcoded old keys.
• Email support@validemailchecker.com with the IP and a description of what happened. We can lift the block manually after verifying you are not the abuser pattern we caught.

Quick recovery cheat-sheet

Still stuck?

Email support@validemailchecker.com from the email address on your account (or a related one if you can prove identity). Include any error message you saw, the approximate time the issue started, and what you have already tried. Identity-verification flows for full lockout recovery typically take a business day end-to-end.

Next steps