Whether you're just getting started with Okta or you’re curious about a new feature, our End User FAQ offers insights into everything from setting up and using your dashboard to explaining how Okta’s plugin works and more. Find answers to your Frequently Asked Questions about Okta below.
General Questions
What is Okta?
Okta is a single, integrated platform that offers secure access to enterprise applications and information. We connect any person, via a device, in any context, to the technologies they need to do their most significant work.
Can my admin see my login information?
Your helpdesk administrator can see your username, but he or she does not have access to your password.
Which browsers does Okta work on?
Okta supports the following Web Browsers: Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari and Chrome.
What happens if Okta goes down?
Okta is built on an “Always On” architecture. You can always go to www.okta.com/trust to see our high reliability metrics and to learn more about the reliability of our service. If our services were to go down, you would not be able to log in to your Okta organization and access your applications via Single Sign-‐On. However, some applications might still be accessible through a direct link.
Who do I contact in case of Okta emergencies?
In the case of an Okta emergency, contact your company's helpdesk for assistance.
Passwords/Credentials
What is my username and password for Okta?
Your username and password are a pair of credentials that you use to log in to the Okta Dashboard. If you don't know your username, contact your company's help desk. If you've forgotten your password, click the 'Need help signing in?' link at the bottom of the sign-in page. Then click 'Forgot password' to reset it. If you don’t see these options, contact your help desk.
Is my password secure?
Yes. Okta provides rigorous security measures and controls to protect your information. This includes securing and verifying all communications with Okta, securely storing customer data, and ensuring that only the right people in your organization can control the Okta service. These controls are audited regularly.
How do I make a safe password?
Okta supports strong passwords by including rules to make them complex. To do this, it asks for your password to contain a combination of letters, numbers, capitalizations, and special characters, and to be of a minimum length. Your company's help desk determines the rules for your company's passwords.
Why do I have to input my password for some apps and not others?
With Okta you can access your applications through a single, unified dashboard. Access to these applications is delivered through single sign-‐on (SSO) technology via either Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) or Okta’s own Secure Web Authentication (SWA) technology.
With SWA, you need to maintain your own password, meaning if an app requires you to make a password change, you should do so within the Okta dashboard. With SAML, Okta automatically passes on access through a token, so you don’t need to manually make a change when the app requires an update.
How do I change my password for an app?
To change your password for a specific application, hover your mouse over the app's icon. Click the gear to go to settings, which should open a menu that gives you the option to change your password for that specific application.
Can I be confident my password is safe?
Yes, nobody (including your helpdesk) has access or visibility into your password data.
Dashboard
How do I change my username/password for an existing app?
To change your existing password, hover the mouse above an application's icon. On the upper right-‐hand side of the icon, there will be a gear. Click the gear to open the settings menu, and provide your current username and password to verify your identity. Once verified, you'll be able to put in a new password.
If you are not able to update the username and password, contact your helpdesk to have them set it for you.
How do I create a new tab?
To create a new tab, click on the '+' sign next to the last tab. You will be asked to enter a new tab name (for example, "Personal"). Enter the new name of the tab and click save to create it.
How many tabs can I have?
You can have up to five tabs.
How do I delete a tab?
To delete a tab, you will need to move all applications out of that tab into another one. Once the tab has been emptied you will see a Delete Tab option. Select that option and your tab will be deleted.
How can I change the order in which my apps appear?
To change the order of your apps, click and hold on an app icon, then drag and drop the app to the location you would like it to be displayed.
How do I move an app from one tab to another?
To move an app from one tab to another, click and hold on the app icon, then drag and drop your app to the new tab.
How do I remove an app?
How do I add an app?
How do I request an app to be added?
You should make application requests to your company’s helpdesk. If the app is not yet in the Okta Application Network, it’s easy to add. Select the ‘Add an App’ button, create a ‘Bookmark,’ input the login URL and finally, check the box that reads ‘Request App -‐ Ask Okta IT to add this app’.
What is a bookmark?
A bookmark is a way to save the URL login of an app not currently available to you. When you create a new bookmark, your Okta dashboard will display an app icon to that app URL login. This bookmark will only store the URL -‐-‐ not your username and password.
How do I add a bookmark?
To add a bookmark, go to the "+Add Apps" button on the top right of your dashboard to open a search menu. (If you can't see this button, your organization doesn't allow you to add a bookmark at this time.) Search for your app. If no app is found, Okta will display the option to create a bookmark. Enter the URL of the app and the the name of the bookmark you would like displayed. Click ‘Add’ button to create your bookmark. Click on "Home” at the top of your dashboard to see your new bookmark.
How do I Search an app if I can't remember which tab I put it on?
At the top of your dashboard, you can find apps in the "Launch App" search bar. If you can't remember which tab your app is on, go to the Launch App search, type in the name of your app and select the name to open it when it appears.
Getting Started/Setup
Where do I log in to get to Okta?
To open Okta, go to your company's custom Okta URL in any web browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, etc.). Your company's custom Okta URL will be "company.okta.com" for example, if your company is called ABC, the URL would be ABC.okta.com.
How do I use Okta?
With Okta, you can access all of your applications from any device—whether you’re in or out of the office—anywhere that has an Internet connection. You can watch this short video on how to get started with Okta.
Why do I need to set up a secondary email?
Secondary emails are useful in case you forget your Okta password. When you forget your password, Okta sends you a link to reset it via email. But what if you access your company's email through Okta? Then you wouldn’t be able to read the email! To solve this problem, Okta can send the reset link to your secondary email address, which should be on a system not managed by Okta.
How change my security image?
To change your security image, login to your Okta org on a computer or mobile device. Click on your username in the top menu, and select the ‘Settings’ menu item.
Go to the Security Image section and select Edit. Select a new Security Image and click Save.
How do I change my Okta password?
To change your Okta Password, login to your Okta org on a computer or mobile device. Click on your username in the top menu, and select the ‘Settings’ menu item.
Go to the Change Password section, and select Edit. Enter Current Password, New Password and Change Password and click Save.
How can I change my Forgotten Password question?
To change your Forgotten password question, login to your Okta org on a computer or mobile device. Click on your username in the top menu, and select the ‘Settings’ menu item.
Go to the Forgotten Password question section, and select Edit. Choose a new question and enter your answer and click Save.
How can I change my secondary email address information?
To change your secondary email address information, login to your Okta org on a computer or mobile device. Click on your username in the top menu, and select the ‘Settings’ menu item.
Go to the Personal information section and select and select Edit. Enter the new secondary email address and click Save.
Security
Is my information secure?
Yes, your information is secure. Okta offers multifactor authentication, meaning there are multiple steps someone has to take before accessing your information. That authentication is also flexible -‐-‐ meaning you’ll use a traditional password and you can also choose your second authentication to be either a text message pin number, a 6-‐digit soft token or a security question.
Multifactor Authentication (MFA)
What is Multifactor Authentication (MFA)?
MFA is an additional step to verify your identity when you sign in to an application. Using MFA keeps your account more secure, because it makes it more difficult for hackers to steal all the information necessary to impersonate you. What is a security “factor”?
The ‘factor’ in MFA refers to a method of verifying your identity. The most basic type of factor is your password, which is often the primary, or initial authentication factor you’ll be prompted for. Your organization may choose to ask for more factors to complement your password. These additional factors could range from an app on your phone that generates a code for you to enter after you’ve typed in your password to a USB key you have to insert into your computer, or even a fingerprint scan.
How does Multifactor Authentication (MFA) work?
Your user credentials are encrypted using both an industry-‐standard encrypted AES and a randomly generated symmetric key. This key-‐store, containing your symmetric encryption keys, is then encrypted with a master key that is held only in memory and only accessible to the Okta app.
At startup, the app is provided a master passphrase allowing it to access, decrypt, and store the master key in memory. A technical operations administrator at your company inputs the master passphrase. Only a select number of administrators know this master passphrase. As a result, attackers can only decrypt the data if they have the master key, private key, as well as the user's app context.
How do I set up Okta Verify?
For Apple users, go to iTunes and download Okta Verify. For Android users, go to the Google Play Store and download Okta Verify. For Windows Mobile users, go to the Windows Store and download Okta Verify. Once installed, you will need to login to your Okta organization on a computer. If multi-‐factor authentication is required in your company, you will need to click on the Setup button and select the type mobile device you are using (iPhone, Android, or Windows). From there you will need to scan a QR code to finish the setup.
Then, open Okta Verify and using your mobile device camera, focus the camera on the QR code in the screen, and once it recognizes the code you will see 6 numbers appear on your device in the Okta Verify app. On your computer, click next to enter the code from your device, then click on Verify. If your organization has enabled Okta Verify with Push, you can also send a push notification to your mobile device by clicking on the Push to Device button.
How do I scan in a new Okta QR code?
You will only need to scan a new QR code if you change mobile devices. To change devices, download Okta Verify on to your new device, and login to your Okta environment on a computer. Click on your username in the top menu, and select the ‘Settings’ menu item.
On this page, click on the “Edit Profile” button, enter in your password and second factor, if enabled, and navigate down to the “Extra Verification” section. Click on the Reset button next to the Okta Verify mobile app. A warning message will appear to alert you that you will be reconfiguring your multifactor authentication. Click yes to proceed and select the new mobile device operating system you are using (iPhone, Android, or Windows). Click next and the new QR code on the screen with your new mobile device. Using the camera on your mobile device, focus the camera on the QR code. Once your device recognizes the QR code, you will see 6 numbers appear on your device in the Okta Verify app. On your computer, click next to enter the code from your device, then click on Verify. If your organization has enabled Okta Verify with Push, you can also send a push notification to your mobile device by clicking on the Push to Device button.
How do I setup or reset my Multifactor Authentication (MFA)?
To reset your MFA, login to your Okta org on a computer or mobile device. Click on your username in the top menu, and select the ‘Settings’ menu item.
Go to the Extra Verification section, and select Setup or Reset, next to the MFA Factor that you want to setup or reset. Enter the required information and save. See MFA Quick reference sheets for more information.
Can I turn off Multifactor Authentication (MFA)?
If your administrator has enabled MFA, you can’t choose to opt out. That would leave a huge hole in your organization’s security, and leave everyone’s data vulnerable to an attack. However, your administrator might have enabled four or five different MFA options, and will only require two or three. That lets you choose the factor that best suits your working style. Are you constantly checking your phone? Then Okta Verify may be the right factor for you. Check with your help desk to see which MFA options are available to you.
What do I do when...
What do I do if I am locked out?
If you can’t log in to Okta, click the 'Need help signing in?' link at the bottom of the sign-in page. Then click 'Forgot password' to reset it. If that doesn’t work, call or email your help desk.
Plugins
What is a plugin?
Do I have to use a plugin?
We recommend that you use the Okta Plugin because it can help you get to your apps faster than through the web Dashboard, you can add your apps to Okta on the fly, and it also comes with security benefits.
Whether you have access to the plugin or not depends on the Okta settings that your administrator has selected. Ask your help desk if you aren’t sure.
Is it safe to install the Okta plugin?
Yes, the Okta Plugin is safe to install. It’s created by Okta, and uses the same security and encryption as our website and mobile app.
Mobile
What is Okta Mobile?
Okta Mobile is an application that you download from either Apps Store (Apple users) or the Google Play Store (Android Users). It allows you to have same access to your Okta Application via your mobile device, which means you don’t have to be at your desk to get your work done.
How do I set up Okta mobile?
First, install the app. Apple mobile device users can download it from Apple’s iOS App Store. Android users can get it from the Google Play Store.
After installation, you’ll need to know your company's Okta sitename (it will match your Okta login URL) and your Okta username and password. Once authenticated, Okta Mobile will ask you to create a PIN. Simply confirm your PIN again, and you’re ready to take Okta on the road.
If you have a device that has TouchID or FaceID, you can use that to skip using the PIN the next time you’re signing back in.
What is the difference between Okta Mobile and Okta Verify?
Okta Mobile is a mobile app that allows you to access all your applications on a mobile device. Okta Verify is also a mobile app, but rather than letting you access your apps directly from your mobile device it gives you extra security when signing into Okta.
How do I enroll my Apple Device in Okta Mobility Management (OMM)?
To login your Apple Device in OMM, simply log into Okta Mobile and you will be prompted to enroll in Okta Mobility Management. To watch a video please click on the link below:
Enrolling Your Apple Device in Okta Mobility Management
If you have dismissed the enrollment prompt previously, you can enroll later by clicking on the banner prompt at the footer of the screen.
How do I enroll my Android Device in Okta Mobility Management (OMM)?
To login your Android Device in OMM, simply log into Okta Mobile and you will be prompted to enroll in Okta Mobility Management. To watch a video please click on the link below:
Enrolling Your Android Device in Okta Mobility Management
If you have dismissed the enrollment prompt previously, you can enroll later by clicking on the banner prompt at the footer of the screen.
Can I reset my password from Okta Mobile?
Yes. From the Settings page within Okta Mobile, click on Change Password. Enter the current and new passwords as prompted.
Why...
Why don't I see the security image sometimes?
Why does my Okta session expire but some of the apps are still open?
When you’re logged out of your Okta session, Okta doesn’t automatically log you out of your applications. Your apps have their own session lifetime which they determine, or you can manually log out of them when you’re finished.