The New Penn State Sign In

Article Intended For

Penn State students, faculty, staff, and other affiliates who have used WebAccess to log into online Penn State resources.

Article Body

What's happening, when, and why?

• Today, when you log in to Penn State websites and applications such as LionPATH, WorkLion, and Canvas, you enter your user ID and password on the WebAccess login screen.
• Starting July 7, a new Penn State sign-in screen will replace WebAccess as the primary login system for Penn State applications.
• The transition from WebAccess to the new Penn State sign-in screen is part of Penn State's commitment to take advantage of newer technologies that offer greater security, flexibility, and efficiency.

How is the new sign-in process different from WebAccess?

In both the current and the new process, you must first navigate to the website or application you wish to log in to (and click the log in button if applicable).

• When the WebAccess login screen is displayed, you:
  
  1. Enter your Penn State user ID (e.g., abc123).
  2. Enter your password on the same screen, and
  3. Click LOGIN.
  4. If you're enrolled in 2FA, the Duo prompt displays against a Penn State background.
• When the new Penn State sign-in screen is displayed, you will:
  
  1. Enter your user ID, followed by "@psu.edu" (e.g., abc123@psu.edu) instead of just your user ID.
  2. Click Next, and enter your password on a separate screen, and
  3. Click Sign In.
  4. If you're enrolled in 2FA, the DUO prompt will display against a blank background.
     
     (Click image to enlarge)

What else do I need to know?

• WHY IT LOOKS FAMILIAR: The new Penn State sign-in screen is very similar to the sign-in screen you use to log in to Microsoft applications.
• ABOUT THE LINKS ON SIGN-IN PAGES:  Both the Microsoft and the new Penn State sign-in screens include a number of built-in links such as (a) Can't access your account?  (b) Sign in with a security key, (c) Sign-in options, and (d) Forgot my password.
  
  • These links cannot be used to help with your Penn State account or log in.  Unfortunately, they cannot be removed.
  • If you need to reset your password or get help logging in, you must visit https://accounts.psu.edu and use the links on the lower half of the home page.
• YOU'LL NEED TO SIGN IN AGAIN:  If you are logged in to any Microsoft applications when the new process goes live on July 7, you will need sign in to them again.  Although most applications will automatically prompt you to sign in, you may need to manually reconnect to OneDrive or the desktop version of Outlook.
  
• THE STAY SIGNED IN OPTION:  For security reasons, you will no longer see this option when you log into Microsoft apps.  As a result, you will automatically be logged out of Microsoft apps each time you close your web browser. 
  
• SECURITY KEYS:  Although the Microsoft and Penn State sign-in screens will include links that suggest you can use a security key instead of your user ID and password, that option is not actually available. 
  
• APPEARANCE OF DUO PROMPT:  The DUO prompt will be displayed against a blank background rather than a Penn State background image.  In addition, the following text will no longer appear at the top:
  

  2FA Login, Devices and Settings To log in, follow the prompts to confirm that it's really you. To add a device or manage your settings, click the appropriate link below.