> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.opentherapy.app/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Create an account

> Sign up for Open Therapy with an email and a six-digit code, and sign back in later.

You don't need an account to search the directory, read profiles, or save therapists you like. You do need one to book.

## Sign up

<Steps>
  <Step title="Choose your role">
    On the signup page, pick **I'm a client**. This decides where you land afterwards and what your
    account can do.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enter your name and email">
    First name, last name and email address, then **Email me a code**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Enter the code and set a password">
    Check your inbox for a six-digit code. It **expires in 30 minutes**. Enter it, choose a password of
    at least 8 characters, and select **Create account**.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Tip>
  If the code hasn't arrived after a minute, select **Send a new code** and check your spam folder. The
  email comes from Open Therapy and has the subject line about your sign-in code.
</Tip>

After signing up you're taken to the matching questionnaire. If you were part-way through booking when you signed up, you go back to that booking instead — your chosen time is preserved.

## Sign in

Two ways, both starting from the login page.

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Email and password">
    Enter the email and password you set at signup.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Email a code">
    Enter your email and we'll send a six-digit code. Useful if you've forgotten your password and
    don't want to reset it.
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

Forgotten your password? Select **Forgot password** and we'll email a reset link, which is valid for 30 minutes.

## If you saved things before signing up

Anything you did signed out is kept on your device and moves onto your account the moment you sign in. That includes:

* Therapists you saved or passed on
* Your answers to the matching questions

You won't lose a shortlist by signing up part-way through.

## Account emails

| Email                | When                                                         |
| -------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Sign-in code         | You sign up, or ask for a code to sign in                    |
| Reset password       | You request a password reset                                 |
| Password changed     | Your password is changed                                     |
| Confirm email change | You change your email — sent to both the old and new address |
| Security notice      | A sign-in method is added or changed                         |

Every one of these ends with a line telling you what to do if it wasn't you. If you get one you didn't ask for, reply to it.

<Note>
  For your privacy, the email we send when you sign up is identical to the one we send for a magic-link
  sign-in. Someone with access to your inbox can't tell from the email whether you already had an
  Open Therapy account.
</Note>

## Closing your account

From **Settings**, you can export your full record or close your account. Closing removes your profile, but therapists must retain clinical notes for seven years under Australian law — see [Safety and privacy](/safety-and-privacy#your-clinical-record).