This article summarizes common errors and causes for being unable to sign in to Pendo, and provides guidance on how to resolve these issues.
Common causes of sign-in issues
If you're unable to sign in, one of the following may be the cause.
- Incorrect details. A misspelled username or domain can prevent sign-in. Verify the spelling of your username and domain.
- Ad blockers. Browser extensions that block ads can also interfere with sign-in. To check if this is the cause, try signing in using a private or incognito window. Most extensions are turned off by default. If sign-in works in incognito, an ad blocker is likely the cause. Return to your regular browser, turn off your ad blocker or add an exception for Pendo, and try again.
- Corrupted cache. A corrupted browser cache can prevent pages from loading correctly. To test this, open a private or incognito window and try to sign in. If that works, clear your cache and sign in again in your regular browser.
Invitation error messages
When a Pendo subscription admin invites a new user to a subscription, that user receives an email with a button that takes them to the sign-in page. The user must accept the invitation within 72 hours or it will expire. While this might be the most common reason to get an invitation error message, there are a few scenarios that create the following errors:
400: invitation expired
If your invitation has expired, what you do next depends on your role:
- Non-admin users. Contact your Pendo subscription admin and ask them to resend the invitation. Only Pendo subscription admin users can resend invitations.
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New subscription admins.
- If you already belong to another Pendo subscription, sign in to that account and switch to the new subscription using the subscription picker in the top-right corner of Pendo.
- If you've never used Pendo before, go to the sign-in page, enter your email, select Next, and then select Forgot password. Follow the instructions in the email to set up your password.
422: invalid invitation key
This error appears if your invitation link has already been accepted or has become invalid.
If you haven't accepted the invite yet, try the following:
- Open the original invitation email and select the invitation button again.
- If that doesn't work, scroll to the bottom of the invitation email and copy the full URL link. Paste it directly into your browser. Some email security systems shorten or rewrite links in emails, which can break the Pendo connection.
- If neither works, contact your Pendo subscription admin and ask them to resend the invitation. Only Pendo subscription admins can resend invitations. You have 72 hours to accept any new invitation before it expires.
Unauthorized
This error only applies to subscriptions that use SAML SSO or Google login. If you're not sure whether your subscription uses SAML, contact your Pendo subscription admin.
If your subscription does use SAML, this error usually means one of the following:
- You haven't been invited to Pendo yet. Your Pendo subscription admin must add you to the subscription and send you an invitation before you can sign in. Contact your Pendo subscription admin to confirm you've been invited to the correct subscription and that you've accepted the invitation.
- Your email address doesn't match. The email address you use to sign in must exactly match the one your Pendo subscription admin registered you with. Contact your Pendo subscription admin to confirm the addresses match.
- Your domain isn't configured for SAML. If your subscription requires SAML, every email domain used to sign in must be set up to work with your SAML provider. If yours isn't, you'll see this error. Contact your Pendo subscription admin so they can work with your SAML SSO administrator to get your domain configured.
You might also see this error if you're signing in through your company's single sign-on portal rather than the Pendo sign-in page directly. If so, the same causes apply. When you open your ticket, include the full URL from your browser's address bar. This helps the support team locate your logs and identify the issue faster.
Note: If you have multiple Pendo subscriptions and at least one of them requires SAML, Pendo defaults to the most secure sign-in method across all your subscriptions. This means you may be prompted to sign in through your SAML provider even when switching to a subscription that doesn't require it. Make sure you have an active SAML session before switching subscriptions.
Not receiving emails from Pendo
If you're not receiving password reset or account invitation emails from Pendo, your company's email security system may be blocking them.
If you're using Microsoft Outlook or Exchange, Microsoft Defender may be flagging emails from Pendo as "High Confidence Phishing" and quarantining them before they reach your inbox. To resolve this, your IT system administrator needs to:
- Release the quarantined emails and add the Pendo sender address to your allowlist. See Microsoft's Manage quarantined messages and files as an admin.
- Report the emails as safe to help Microsoft reduce false positives in future. See Microsoft's How to handle Legitimate emails getting blocked (False Positive), using Microsoft Defender for Office 365.
If the email isn't in your IT system administrator's quarantine, contact Pendo Support.
Invalid email and password
This error usually means your email address hasn't been added to the subscription yet. Contact your Pendo subscription admin and ask them to add you.
If you've already been added and are still seeing this error, select Forgot my password on the sign-in page to reset your password.
If your Pendo subscription admin resent the invitation and you still haven't received it, your email address may be on a suppression list. Ask your Pendo subscription admin to open a ticket with Pendo Support to have it removed.
Troubleshooting SAML sign-in issues
SAML (Security Assertion Markup Language) is a way for companies to manage sign-in centrally. Instead of signing in to each application separately, your company's IT team sets up a single sign-in system. For example, Okta or Microsoft Entra. That manages access to your work applications, including Pendo.
If you're not sure whether your company uses SAML, contact your Pendo subscription admin.
This section covers common issues you might run into if your subscription is set up to use SAML.
The SSO button isn't on the sign-in page
If the Use Single Sign On button isn't appearing on the sign-in page, one of the following is likely the cause:
- You haven't been invited to Pendo yet. Your Pendo subscription admin must invite you before the SSO button appears. Contact your Pendo subscription admin to confirm you've been added to the subscription.
- Your domain isn't known to Pendo. SAML must be configured for your subscription and your email domain must be registered with Pendo. Contact Pendo Support to get your domain configured.
- SAML is enforced on your subscription. If SAML is enforced, you bypass the sign-in page entirely and are redirected automatically. If this isn't happening, contact your Pendo subscription admin.
If your subscription doesn't require SAML, you may be able to sign in with your user ID and password instead.
The SSO button isn't working
If the Use Single Sign On button appears but doesn't work, one of the following is likely the cause:
- SAML isn't fully configured yet. Contact your Pendo admin to confirm your subscription's SAML setup is complete.
- Your access has changed. Confirm with your organization's SAML administrator that your access is still active.
- An ad blocker is interfering. Ad blockers can interfere with the sign-in process, causing the SSO button to appear but not work. To test if this is the cause, try signing in using a private or incognito window — most extensions are disabled there by default. If that works, return to your regular browser and turn off your ad blocker or add an exception for Pendo.
If none of these resolve the issue, contact Pendo Support.
The Sign in with Google button isn't working
The Sign in with Google button uses Google OAuth, which is a separate authentication method from SAML. If your subscription uses SAML, this button won't work, even if your organization uses Google or Google Workspace as your SAML provider. The button remains visible on the sign-in page when SAML is active, but selecting it will result in an error.
To access your account, you have two options:
- Sign in through your company's SAML system (recommended). Sign in using your organization's SAML sign-in page or through your company's Google Workspace dashboard, where your approved applications are listed.
- Switch your sign-in method to Google OAuth. If your organization wants to stop using SAML and use the Sign in with Google button instead, your Pendo subscription admin must contact Pendo Support to request the change.