---
title: "Passwordless sign-in"
description: "Passwordless sign-in is signing in to Fincanva with a single-use link or 6-digit code emailed to you instead of a password. Both expire in 10 minutes."
canonical_url: "https://fincanva.com/glossary/passwordless-sign-in"
last_updated: "2026-10-08"
md_url: "https://fincanva.com/glossary/passwordless-sign-in.md"
---

# Passwordless sign-in

Passwordless sign-in is signing in to Fincanva with a single-use link or 6-digit code emailed to your address, instead of typing a password. On the sign-in page you enter your email and press **Continue with email**: one email arrives carrying both, and for an address with no Fincanva account it creates one. **Continue with Google** is the other way in.

**Also seen as:** magic link, email link, email code, one-time code, OTP

## How does Fincanva handle it?

- **Use email and password**, under the two other ways in, only signs in an account that already has a password.
- **Continue with Google**, the emailed link and the emailed code all create the account of a first-time visitor directly, with no extra step: the line under the sign-in page's buttons says that continuing accepts the Terms and Privacy Policy — see [accepting the Terms](/docs/account-and-plan/why-fincanva-asks-you-to-accept-the-terms).
- A new account is created only with Google or by email, never with a password; a password can be added afterwards on **Settings → Access and security** — see [security settings](/docs/account-and-plan/how-to-manage-your-account-security-settings).
- One email carries both the link and the code, and both expire 10 minutes after it is sent. Each can be used once.
- **Resend code** unlocks 30 seconds after each send.
- Password reset links expire after 1 hour.
- A verified email address is required before a password sign-in succeeds.
- Passwords must be at least 8 characters; the strength bar is advisory only.
- Changing your password from your account settings signs your other sessions out — see [active sessions](/glossary/active-sessions).

### Why does Fincanva ask me to verify my email address?

Fincanva requires a verified email address before you can sign in with a password, because an unverified address may not belong to the person who typed it. Until the address is verified, a password sign-in stops with "Verify your email before signing in." and the screen switches to "Please verify your email" with a **Resend verification email** button. Opening the link that email carries verifies the address and signs you in.

The address matters beyond sign-in: it is the channel every passwordless link, code, reset link, and security notice travels through.

## What does it look like in practice?

At 09:00 you enter your email and press **Continue with email**. One email lands with a **Sign in** button and the code `418 205`.

At 09:04 you are on your laptop, where you opened the request, so you type `418205` into the code field and you are in. Had you instead opened the email on your phone, tapping the button would have signed you in there — either one works, whichever device is in your hand.

At 09:11 both are dead. Typing the code returns "That code didn't work. Try again or request a new one.", and the link lands on "This link is invalid or has expired." Pressing **Resend code** issues a fresh pair with its own 10-minute window; the first pair never comes back.

## How does passwordless sign-in work?

You give Fincanva your email address and it emails you two interchangeable ways to finish the sign-in — click the link, or type the code into the screen you are already looking at. Both are single-use and both stop working 10 minutes after the email is sent; the screen says so verbatim: "Or open the link in the email. Both expire in 10 minutes."

If the email hasn't arrived, **Resend code** becomes available again 30 seconds after each send, and the button counts down in the meantime. For an address with no Fincanva account, the same email doubles as account creation: opening the link or typing the code creates the account and signs you in, because continuing on the sign-in page has already accepted the Terms and Privacy Policy.

## How is signing in without a password different from signing in with one?

The difference is what proves it's you — control of your inbox, or knowledge of a secret you stored yourself.

| | Passwordless (link or code) | Password |
|---|---|---|
| What you supply | your email address | your email address and your password |
| What proves it's you | you can open the email | you know the password |
| What you have to remember | nothing | the password |
| How long the proof lasts | 10 minutes, single use | until you change it |
| Where it can leak | your inbox | anywhere you reused it |
| How you start it | **Continue with email** | **Use email and password** |

Neither route is a lesser account: the same account can use whichever is at hand on the day, and [two-factor authentication](/glossary/two-factor-authentication) applies to both. A third route, **Continue with Google**, hands the check to your Google account — and it can also create the account, with no email to open.

Only Google and the email create an account: for a first-time visitor, either one creates it directly, and a password can be added later. Until you open the email, the sign-in page looks the same whether or not an account exists. A consent step, **Let's create your account**, appears only as a fallback, when a sign-in arrives without the acceptance of the Terms — for example from an older emailed link; how that step works, how long the email's proof lasts and what happens once it has run out is in [accepting the Terms](/docs/account-and-plan/why-fincanva-asks-you-to-accept-the-terms#lets-create-your-account-after-signing-in-with-an-emailed-link-or-code).

## What if I forget my password, or never set one?

Use **Forgot password?** on the sign-in screen and Fincanva emails you a reset link, which is valid for one hour. Past that, the screen tells you plainly: "For security, password reset links expire after 1 hour." — request a fresh one and the old link stays dead.

If your account has no password — a new account never has one, since accounts are created with Google or by email — the same machinery sets your first one. On **Settings → Access and security**, the **Password** row shows "You don't have a password yet. We'll email you a link to set one." with a **Send reset link** button; open the emailed link and choose a password.

### How strong does my password have to be?

A Fincanva password must be at least 8 characters long — that is the only rule the app enforces. There is no requirement for capitals, digits, or symbols.

Above that minimum the **Set a new password** screen, where a reset link or a first-password link lands, shows an advisory strength bar labelled "Strength:" followed by the level, which reads **Weak**, **Fair**, **Good**, or **Strong**. It reacts to length and to the mix of character types, and it never blocks you: a password rated **Weak** is accepted as long as it reaches 8 characters. Treat it as feedback, not a gate.

Fincanva is for education and illustration only. It is not personalised financial advice, and past or simulated results do not predict future ones. [Read the Terms Addendum](https://fincanva.com/terms/addendum#section-3)