Sign-in and security
Everything about how you get into Scout HQ lives at Settings → Your account → Sign-in & security. These are your account settings, not your workspace's, so they apply to you in every workspace you are a member of and nobody else in your shop can change them.
Screenshot: Settings → Your account → Sign-in & security.
What is on the page
| Row | Control | What it is for |
|---|---|---|
| Account email | Change | The address you sign in with and the one your morning brief goes to. |
| Password | Change, or Details | Your Scout password. If you sign in with Google or Microsoft, there is no separate Scout password and the button reads Details. |
| Two-factor authentication | Manage | A second step at sign-in: an authenticator app, a text-message code, and one-time backup codes. |
| Active sessions | Review | Every device signed in to your account, with a way to sign each one out. |
| Last sign-in | — | When you last signed in, shown in your local time. |
Change your account email
- Choose Change on the Account email row.
- Type the address in New account email and choose Send verification code.
- Check that inbox, type the six-digit code into Verification code, and choose Verify and change email.
The new address must be verified before it replaces the old one, so a typo cannot lock you out. Once the verified change is received, Scout syncs your workspace profile and your morning-brief address to match. If you sign in with Google or Microsoft, the page says so plainly: this changes your Scout email, not the email or password at your sign-in provider. In the rare case where the old address cannot be removed, Scout tells you it can still be used to sign in and asks you to contact support to finish removing it.
Change your password
- Choose Change on the Password row.
- Fill in Current password, New password (at least 8 characters), and Confirm new password.
- Leave Sign out of other devices after changing my password ticked — it is on by default and is the right choice if you are changing your password because you are worried about it.
- Choose Change password.
If you sign in with Google or Microsoft, this panel says there is no Scout password to change and gives you a direct link to that provider's own security page instead.
Turn on two-factor authentication
Choose Manage on the Two-factor authentication row. Three methods are offered, each with its own status.
- Authenticator app — shown as ON or OFF. Choose Set up authenticator, scan the QR code with an app such as 1Password, Google Authenticator, or Microsoft Authenticator, and enter the six-digit Authenticator code. If you cannot scan, open Enter a setup key instead. Later, Turn off authenticator removes it.
- SMS verification — a verification code by text message, used only at sign-in. Choose Set up SMS, enter your ten-digit mobile number, and confirm the code. Later, Turn off SMS removes it. This is a sign-in step only; Scout does not send your work items by text message.
- Backup codes — shown as ENABLED or NOT GENERATED. Choose Generate backup codes, store them somewhere safe and separate from your phone, and tick I have saved these codes somewhere safe. Each code works once, and generating a new set stops the previous set working.
Two warnings the page gives you are worth repeating. After you enable a first method Scout asks you to generate and save backup codes to finish setup. And turning off your last verification method disables two-factor authentication and your backup codes along with it.
Review where you are signed in
- Choose Review on the Active sessions row. The panel says: "Review where your account is signed in. Sign out any device you do not recognize."
- Read the list. Each row names the browser and device, the approximate location, and Last active. The one you are using is tagged THIS DEVICE.
- Choose Sign out of device on anything you do not recognize. Use Refresh sessions to reload the list.
To sign out everywhere at once, change your password with Sign out of other devices after changing my password ticked. To sign out of the device you are on, use Sign out at the foot of the avatar menu in the header.
Good to know
- These settings follow you, not your workspace. If you work in two workspaces, one password and one set of verification methods cover both.
- Nobody at your shop can see or change your password, your verification methods, or your sessions — not even the Owner. An Owner or Admin controls your role and your teams, and nothing about your account itself.
- Scout does not store your password, and support will never ask for it. When you contact support, send the workspace name, a link to the item, and a timestamp — never a password, a code, or a backup code.
- If a device in Active sessions looks wrong, sign it out first and change your password second. Signing out ends that session immediately.