# Create your HelpCenter.io account _Category: Getting started_ Sign up to start your 14-day free trial. You create your account in one step, then a short setup wizard helps you name your help center, choose its address and bring in your content. You don't need a credit card. **Who can do this:** Anyone ยท **Plans:** 14-day free trial, no credit card needed ## Create your account 1. Go to [helpcenter.io/app/signup](https://helpcenter.io/app/signup), or click **Start free trial** on our [pricing page](https://helpcenter.io/pricing). 2. Under **Work email**, enter your work email address. 3. Under **Your name**, enter your full name. It's shown as the author on the articles you publish. 4. Under **Password**, enter a password of at least 8 characters. You type it once: click the eye icon to check what you typed, and watch the strength meter below the field. 5. Tick **I agree to the Terms of Service**. The box **Email me product tips and offers and get $10 off, one time** is optional. See [Choose a plan and start your subscription](https://self.helpcenter.io/content/activate-your-subscription). 6. Click **Create my account**. The setup wizard opens. ![Screen recording. Enter your work email, your name and a password. Accept the terms and click Create my account.](https://helpcenter-io.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/self/5P7U30PGaofmV4l954E7cKuXbn5kDgd6JyQVfQQv.gif) If something is missing, the form says what to fix under the field. ## Or sign up with Google Click **Continue with Google** at the top of the sign-up page and pick your Google account. The form comes back as **Finish creating your account**, with your Google address under **Your email** and no password field. Check your name, tick the terms box and click **Create my account**. The setup wizard opens. You sign in with that Google account from then on, and your email address counts as verified, so no verification email is sent. You can add a password later in **Account Settings**. To go back to the email form, click **Use email instead**. ## Set up your help center The setup wizard takes about 3 minutes, and you can skip any step. It has six steps: **Goal**, **Basics**, **Content**, **Look**, **Team** and **Finish**. On **Basics**, you name your help center and choose its **Web address**, its subdomain, such as `acme.helpcenter.io`. We pick one to get you started, often from your email's domain. Keep it or type your own: when it's free, the wizard says the address is yours. Your company or product name is a good choice. Need a break? Click **Finish later**. Your answers are saved, and **Resume setup** on the Articles page takes you back where you left off. See [Set up your help center: a first-hour checklist](https://self.helpcenter.io/content/set-up-your-help-center). A subdomain is 3 to 63 characters long and uses letters, numbers and dashes. Capital letters are saved as lowercase. Reserved words, such as `app`, `help`, `support` and `www`, and some protected brand names aren't available. You can change your subdomain later, but links to the old address stop working, so it pays to choose carefully. See [Change your help center's address](https://self.helpcenter.io/content/change-your-subdomain). You can also serve your help center from your own domain, such as help.yourcompany.com: see [Use your own domain](https://self.helpcenter.io/content/custom-domain). ## What you get - **A help center with the name you gave it** on the **Basics** step. To rename it later, change **Site name** under **Brand** in the template editor, then publish. - **Your first content.** Starter categories for what you're building, the articles you brought over, or a draft sample article to edit or delete. - **The design you picked** on the **Look** step, which you can change in the template editor. - **Privacy while you build.** New help centers are **Private**: only you and the people you invite can see yours. [Make it public](https://self.helpcenter.io/content/make-your-help-center-public) when you're ready: that needs an activated plan, and activating early keeps your trial. - **A 14-day free trial** of the plan you picked on our pricing page, or of Growth if you signed up without picking one. See [How the free trial works](https://self.helpcenter.io/content/free-trial). ## Verify your email If you signed up with Google, skip this step. Otherwise, we send you an email to confirm your address. Open it and click **Verify Email Address**. The link works for 60 minutes. You need a verified email to activate your subscription, and an activated subscription to make your help center public. If the email doesn't arrive, check your spam folder. To get a new link, click your avatar at the bottom of the dashboard's left menu, then **Account Settings**, and click **Resend** under your email address. ## Joining a teammate's help center? If someone invited you, don't sign up here. Open the link in your invitation email. It shows which help center you're joining and your role. Under **Set up your account**, the invited address is already filled in, and you join with that address. Add a password, then click **Join** followed by the help center's name. Already have an account? Click **Sign in to accept** instead. See [Invite your team](https://self.helpcenter.io/content/invite-your-team). ## Troubleshooting **"The email has already been taken."** You already have an account with that address. [Sign in](https://self.helpcenter.io/content/sign-in) instead, or reset your password from the sign-in page. **"Use at least 8 characters."** Make your password at least 8 characters long. **"That address is taken. Try another one." or "That address is reserved. Try another one."** Try another address, for example your company name with your product name added. **"Use only letters, numbers and dashes."** Remove dots and other symbols. **"That address contains a protected brand name."** Addresses that contain certain well-known brand names are blocked. Choose one based on your own company's name. **"The captcha verification failed. Please try again." or "The captcha has expired. Please refresh and try again."** Reload the page and sign up again. ## Related articles - [Set up your help center: a first-hour checklist](https://self.helpcenter.io/content/set-up-your-help-center) - [Sign in to HelpCenter.io](https://self.helpcenter.io/content/sign-in) - [Make your help center public](https://self.helpcenter.io/content/make-your-help-center-public) - [How the free trial works](https://self.helpcenter.io/content/free-trial)