Creating a login page or link

To create a place for your Squarespace 5 site's members to log in, there are a few options:

• Custom login page - Add a page with a link to your login URL and tips for logging in.
• Login navigation link - Add a navigation link to your login URL.
• Login Prompt page or sidebar widget - Add a page or sidebar widget with login fields. If you have a custom domain, we don't recommend this option.

Note: Disabling or removing a Login Prompt page or widget can cause issues with logging in. To resolve this, use your direct URL and account name to log in. Then re-enable your login page in your site Architecture, or create a new one.

Tip: If you want more options for members-only pages on your site, upgrade your site to Squarespace 7  and use Member Areas. To learn more about the benefits of upgrading, visit Squarespace 5 vs. newer versions.

Option 1 - Create a custom login page

To create a custom login page:

1. Enter Structure mode.
2. Next to the navigation, click Add Page.
3. Choose HTML and click Select & Configure.
4. Add a page title (such as Log In) and click Create Page.
5. In Content mode, add a link to your login URL and tips for logging in. See the tips below.
6. Save and enable the page.

For more help, visit Adding a page.

Here's some example text to get you started:

Logging in

Welcome to our site! To log in with your member account, go to:

https://username.squarespace.com/display/Login

Then log in with your unique login name (not your email address) and password. This information was in the email you received when you became a member.

For sidebars you might want a shorter version. Add the login link to "click here":

To log in, click here.

In the URL:

• Always capitalize Login.
• Replace "username" with your account name. For example, if your built-in URL is mycoolsite.squarespace.com, your URL would be https://mycoolsite.squarespace.com/display/Login

Here's what that might look like on your site: 

Option 2 - Create a login sidebar link

To create a link to your login page in your sidebar:

1. Enter Structure mode.
2. Next to the sidebar, click Add Page. (If you don't see an Add Page option, scroll to the bottom of the sidebar and click Insert Section first.)
3. Choose Single Link and click Select & Configure.
4. For Navigation Bar Title, add the link text, like Log In.
5. For Location (URL), add your login URL, like this: https://mycoolsite.squarespace.com/display/Login
6. Save and enable the page.

For more help, visit Adding an external link to your navigation.

Here's what that might look like on your site: 

Option 3 - Add a Login Prompt page or sidebar widget

Before you begin

• If you have a custom domain, we don't recommend this option. Instead, use option 1 and option 2, or tell your members to bookmark your site's login URL.
• Disabling or removing a Login Prompt module can cause issues with logging in. Instead, we recommend you hide the page.
• The sidebar widget isn't compatible with the Squarespace 5 Strong Security settings. To display the widget, disable SSL (set your security level to Basic Security).

Add the page or widget

In Structure mode or site Architecture, click Add Page or Add Widget and choose Login Prompt. Then click Select & Configure.

For more help, visit Adding a page and Adding a sidebar widget.

For login pages, in the configuration area, customize the greeting message by replacing the text in the Greeting Message field.

When you're finished, save and enable the page or widget.

Hiding a login page

You can hide a custom login page or Login Prompt page so its link doesn't display in your navigation by adding it to a hidden section in your site Architecture. To learn more, visit Hiding a page in the navigation.

Note: Don't disable or delete the login page to hide it. The URL won't work anymore, and it may cause login issues.

Login redirects

Create a login redirect to choose the page that members of an audience see after they log in via your login page. For example, you could set up a "homepage" for a particular audience. You can also choose which page members see when they log out.

1. From the Website Management bar, click Member Permissions under Members & Access.
2. Click Edit above the audience name.
3. Scroll to Audience Login/Logout Redirection.
4. Use the Login Redirect Page and Logout Redirect Page drop-down menus to choose the page they'll see.
5. Click Save Changes.

If you don't set up a login redirect, members will see the page they were previously on prior to logging in or out.

Tip: Login redirects only apply to member accounts. You can't set up login redirects for site owner or administrator logins.

Troubleshooting

If you’re having issues logging in, visit Login troubleshooting.