Accessing your event

Guests, moderators and you as the host all move around in the same gallery – only your way into the admin area is deliberately tucked away. This page walks you through the four steps that take you from purchase to your command center: claiming your event (securing ownership), signing in (classic or passwordless), opening the admin area, and – if you look after several events – switching between them with ease.

Two different kinds of unlocking

Don’t confuse claiming an event (securing ownership – your host task after purchase) with unlocking a gallery (guests enter a gallery password to enter a protected gallery). For the guest view on unlocking, see Joining a gallery.

1. Claim your event (secure ownership)

Right after your purchase your event doesn’t belong to any account yet. Claiming it links it permanently and exclusively to your account – from that moment you’re the owner and have full control.

There are two ways to reach the claim page:

• Direct link from the purchase email: the link already has your event key pre-filled, e.g. .../claim?key=XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX.
• Manually: open /claim and enter your event key by hand.

Event key format

An event key consists of 20 characters in four groups of five with hyphens in between – 23 characters in total, following the pattern XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX. As you type, lowercase letters are automatically capitalised and the hyphens are inserted for you.

1. Sign in or register first. If you’re not logged in or only a guest, the page first shows a full-screen login with registration (the Register tab is pre-selected). On the right you’ll see the info panel Secure Your Event with the benefits Permanent Ownership, Data Protection and Prevent Loss, plus – if already present – Your Event Key. Important: guests must create a real account to be able to claim an event.

2. Enter the event key. Type your key into the Event Key field (placeholder XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX, with the hint Format: XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX below). A green check icon means the key is valid, a red X means there’s an error.

3. Accept the terms. Once the key is complete (23 characters), the terms-of-service consent checkbox appears. Ticking it is mandatory – without it the page reports Please accept the terms of service to continue.

4. Tap “Claim Event”. The button reads Claim Event (the page heading is Claim Your Event). During the process it shows Claiming….

5. Redirect. If your event is already set up, you land straight in the dashboard (.../admin). If it isn’t set up yet, the setup wizard takes over (.../setup).

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Computer

After a successful claim you land in your admin area – or in the setup wizard, if the event isn't set up yet. ① the figure band: up to four tiles that follow your event's phase and the tools you have switched on – each one is clickable and takes you where you act on that number; below it on the right, View all figures opens the full statistics. On a phone the four sit as a 2×2 block. ② Setup Event reopens the setup wizard, Start Tour walks you through the admin area. ③ Set up dashboard opens the dialog for figures and cards: switch them on or off, drag them into order. With cards switched off the count shows in the button – Set up dashboard · 2 off.

Gift an event

As soon as a complete key is entered, the Want to gift this event? block appears with the buttons Copy Code and Copy Link. Use them to pass the key or link to someone else, who then claims the event themselves. Handy if you bought an event for someone else.

Treat the event key like a ticket

Whoever has the key can claim the event. Share it deliberately and only with the person who should become the owner.

Troubleshooting claiming

Message	Meaning & fix
Invalid event key format…	The key isn’t in the right format. Check for typos and the four groups of five.
We couldn’t find an event for that key…	No event exists for this key. Copy the key fresh from the purchase email or use the original link.
This event has already been claimed…	The event has already been claimed. Sign in with exactly the email address you used at checkout. Otherwise the key belongs to another account.
Direct redirect, no message	You already own the event – the page redirects you straight through.

2. Claim via email link (magic claim)

Instead of a key, some purchase emails contain a ready-made confirmation link (.../claim/confirm-magic?token=…). It takes you to a page titled Confirm your event claim that explains the link attaches the event to your account and signs you in.

1. Open the link in the email. Best on the same device you’ll sign in with afterwards.

2. Tick the terms checkbox. Consent to the terms of service is mandatory here too.

3. Tap “Claim my event & sign in”. During the process the button shows Claiming your event… and signs you in at the same time.

4. Done. You then land in the dashboard (event set up) or in the setup wizard.

Why isn't there an automatic login?

The confirmation link is single-use and must be clicked actively. That’s by design: it stops email security scanners (such as Mimecast, Proofpoint or Defender SafeLinks) from consuming the link in the background before you open it yourself. If a link has expired or is invalid, you’ll see an error message with a Go to login button to request a fresh route in.

For an existing passwordless account there’s also a sign-in-only link (.../claim/confirm-magic-login?token=…), titled Log in to your account, button Sign in. After the click you briefly see Taking you to your events… and land in your event list. This link claims nothing – it only signs you in.

3. Sign in – with a password or passwordless

Sign-in is deliberately built as an email-first flow: you enter only your email at first, and the system automatically decides what happens next.

1. Google login (optional). A Google sign-in button sits at the very top; below it, an OR divider separates the classic email sign-in.

2. Enter your email. Type your address into the Email field and tap Continue (a brief Checking… while it looks you up).

3. The right step appears automatically:

   • Password account: your email shows as a chip with a Change button, then the Password field, the Forgot password? link and the Sign in button (Logging in… while signing in).
   • Passwordless account: the Check your inbox step opens – we’ve sent you a sign-in link (“We sent a login link to …”). Clicking that link logs you in. Use Use a different email to correct the address.
   • No account found: No account found – “We could not find an account for your address.” – with Create an account or Change.
   • Social login only: Use your social login – your account is linked to a provider; sign in via its button.

4. reCAPTCHA (only if suspicious). Occasionally an extra security check is required. Content or script blockers can interfere with it – disable them briefly if the check won’t load.

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Computer

Step 1 of sign-in: Google on top, the Email field and Continue below – what follows is decided by the system from your account.

Where sign-in appears: as its own page at /login (on success it redirects to your event list) or as a dialog straight from the gallery – via the Sign In entry in the guest profile menu or the Sign In with Account button on the gallery password gate.

Forgot your password?

No problem – see Forgot your password?. And even if you never set a password, the magic link gets you in anytime.

4. Unlock a gallery (password/invite code) – the distinction

This step is normally only for guests. If a gallery is password-protected, visitors first see the Welcome to Our Gallery page with the Gallery Password field (placeholder “Enter shared password”), a QR-scan icon and the Continue button. A nickname step follows: Your Display Name (placeholder “e.g. ShutterBug42”), Generate for a random name, Change Code to go back, and finally Continue to Gallery (signed in) or Enter as Guest (guest).

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Computer

The gallery gate: it asks for the event's shared password – not for your account password.

For you as the host

When you visit your own password-protected gallery, you don’t need this password. Instead tap Sign In with Account and log in with your account – you’ll be in as the owner instantly. For the full guest perspective see Joining a gallery.

5. How to open the admin area

The way into your command center runs through your profile menu – same gallery, but with one extra entry only you can see.

1. Open the profile menu. Tap your avatar or profile picture in the top right. The profile menu opens.

2. Choose “Admin Portal”. Only accounts with the role Admin or Owner see this entry. A click takes you into the admin area.

3. You’re in. You land in your admin area – the command center for your whole event.

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Computer

The avatar in the top right opens the profile menu. Only hosts and admins see “Admin Portal here.” ① your points and solved tasks, ② Profile options with My Profile, Language, Theme and Help, ③ Management with Account Settings, Moderation and Admin Portal – this section is missing until you hold a role for it, ④ Account with Sign out.

Other entries in the profile menu appear depending on your role and which features are enabled:

• Moderation – for moderators only; goes straight to the moderation page and may carry a red number (pending reports plus media awaiting review).
• Administration Portal – for global platform administrators only, not for normal hosts.
• Partner Dashboard – for affiliates/partners only.
• Help – opens the help centre, that is this very documentation, in a new tab. The link follows your language: in German you land on the German version, otherwise on the English one.
• Context-dependent as well: My Profile, Language, Theme (Auto/Dark/Light, only when dark mode is available), Account Settings (only when signed in, not as a guest), Sign In/Sign Out, plus Points/Tasks Completed (only with gamification active).

Note

In the same spot, moderators see no “Admin Portal” but a Moderation entry instead, and go straight to the moderation page. More about roles in Roles & permissions.

Don't see “Admin Portal?”

Then either your role or your account is off: sign in with the same email address you used at checkout and make sure you’ve already claimed the event (see step 1). If you’re accidentally only in the gallery as a guest, sign in properly via Sign In.

6. Navigating the admin area

The admin area has a navigation of its own: the sidebar on the left, the top bar above, and in the top right a separate profile menu – not the same one as in the gallery.

The sidebar

The sidebar groups every area of your event into four sections (platform administrators additionally see a fifth one called Administration):

Group	What’s in it
(no heading)	Overview (the dashboard) and Checklist – with the number of open items next to it
Planning	up to four active tools as entries of their own, each with its figure (e.g. “38/42”), and below them All Tools with the “active/total” counter
Gallery	Photos, Review & Reports, Albums, Tasks & Points, Full Download
Event	Participants, Live Upload, Print Templates, Statistics, Settings

The sidebar: Overview and Checklist on top without a group heading, then Planning, Gallery and Event.

Below the groups sits the package box (“Upgrade Package” or “Manage Package”), replaced by a coloured countdown with “Claim discount” while a discount is running.

Which tools appear under Planning follows your work: the ones you opened most recently come first. Anything that doesn’t fit into those four rows is behind All Tools; a lock with a number next to it names the tools your package doesn’t include.

Sub-entries

When you’re inside an area, its entry expands and shows the tabs of that same page as sub-entries – for the settings, for example: Overview, General, Access, Appearance, Gallery features, Moderation & Safety, Photo Wall Settings. The same list appears as the tab bar on the page itself; both come from one source. Outside that area the sub-entries stay collapsed, and with fewer than two entries the bar is dropped entirely.

The area you're currently in expands and shows its tabs as sub-entries.

The top bar

From left to right: the toggle for the sidebar (double chevron), on a phone a magnifier for search, on a computer the search bar instead, the event picker button with logo and title (see section 7), on a computer “View Gallery”, and on the far right your profile menu.

On a computer: 1 sidebar open/close, 2 search bar, 3 event picker with logo and title, 4 View Gallery, 5 your profile menu.

A phone has less room: 1 sidebar, 2 magnifier instead of the search bar, 3 event picker, 4 profile menu – “View Gallery” is missing here entirely. Right below it you can see the tool rail that only exists on a phone.

On a phone

Below roughly 640 pixels of width the sidebar starts closed and closes again after every page change – it lies over the content instead of pushing it aside. You can open it any time via the double chevron in the top left. As a quick substitute, the dashboard carries a horizontal tool rail: a row of pills for your active tools plus an “All Tools” pill. It only appears on a phone, and only when at least one tool is active.

The admin profile menu

You’ll spot it in the top right by the label My Account with a small downward chevron. It is split into two labelled sections:

• View Gallery – back to the public gallery (sits at the very top, above the sections).
• Section MANAGEMENT:
  • Account Settings – opens your account settings (see below).
  • Language – choose the language of the admin interface.
  • Partner Dashboard – for affiliates only.
  • Administration Portal – for platform administrators only.
• Section SUPPORT & ACCOUNT:
  • Help – opens the help centre (this documentation) in a new tab, matching your language. It is not a contact page.
  • Sign Out – log out.

Phone

Computer

This is the menu unfolded. View Gallery sits at the very top, the two labelled sections below it.

Note

There is deliberately no Theme entry and no Moderation entry here: approving uploads and handling reports has a page of its own in the admin area – “Review & Reports” in the Gallery group. See Moderation.

Account Settings

The Account Settings dialog is organised into tabs:

• General – your email address (with a “Change email” button), your time zone (detected automatically the first time you open it; it controls dates and times in emails), the interface language, and under Connected accounts your Google account for one-click sign-in.
• Security – manage your password, your active sessions and general account security here. If you haven’t set a password yet, you can create one here to sign in the classic way in future.
• Billing – appears only if there are payments on your account.
• Notifications – your account’s email notifications.

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Computer

The tab row at the very top of the dialog. You only see Billing if there are payments on your account – otherwise there is one tab fewer.

7. Managing several events (event switcher)

If you look after several events, there’s no need to sign in each time. You switch straight from the admin area.

1. Open the switcher. In the admin area’s top bar, click the event-title button on the left – it shows the event logo and a small downward chevron.

2. Pick an event. The Your Galleries dialog lists all your galleries with the subtitle “Browse and select from your collection of photo galleries”.

3. Switch. A click on Choose (with admin rights) or View opens the gallery in the admin area and closes the dialog. The current event is marked Selected.

Phone

Computer

This is the switcher: one row per gallery with role and validity, Create new gallery at the bottom.

Each row in the switcher shows you at a glance:

• The logo or role icon and the gallery’s title.
• A role badge: Owner, Administrator, Moderator, Contributor or Viewer.
• The status: a green dot for No expiration, amber when few days remain (“X days”), red Expired or a Valid until … date. An event that hasn’t started yet shows Not started yet; deleted galleries are marked Deleted.

When an event really starts

The tooltip on Not started yet mentions 10 uploads – but that only applies to paid plans. On a free gallery the storage period already starts with the first uploaded photo. As long as there is no photo at all, the clock hasn’t started in either case, and you can use the planning tools with no time limit. Details under Plans & upgrades and Storage period.

Further controls:

• Also show N deleted / Hide deleted galleries shows or hides deleted galleries (only when there are any). You can restore them via the recycle bin.
• View all events opens the full-page overview; in the footer, Create gallery starts a new gallery.
• Previous / Next page through the list; the Showing X - Y of Z events line shows the current slice.

Best practices

• Open the purchase email as soon as you can on the device you sign in with.
• Passwordless (magic link) is convenient and secure – ideal if you rarely log in.
• With several events, use the event switcher consistently instead of signing in again.

Example

From the purchase email to the admin area — in one morning.

The purchase email contains a link of the form .../claim?key=…, which you open on your phone:

1. The claim page first shows a full-screen login with the Register tab pre-selected. Being in the gallery as a guest is not enough — a real account is required.
2. Thanks to the link, the key is already in the Event Key field and a green check confirms the format.
3. Tick the terms checkbox (without it the page says Please accept the terms of service to continue.), then Claim Event.
4. Because the event has not been set up yet, you land in the setup wizard at .../setup — not in the dashboard.

In the evening on your laptop you are not signed in there at all. Sign in with exactly the email address you used at checkout; with a different address, claiming would show “This event has already been claimed…”. Then click your avatar in the top right → Admin Portal. If that entry is missing, you are in the wrong account.

For the second gallery (the birthday in November) you do not sign in again: click the event-title button in the admin top bar, then Choose in the Your Galleries dialog — the current event is marked Selected there.

What comes next

Once you’re in the admin area, you get your event ready. It’s best to work through the setup checklist from top to bottom – it walks you through every important step. It opens showing only the open items and ticks many of them off by itself as soon as you’ve done them.

Next step

Get to know your command center, then start the guided setup.