Sign-in and session problems
What this covers
Every reason you might not get in, how to recognise each from what is on screen, and what fixes it.
Signing in needs three things
Property code, email, password. The property code is the one new staff do not have — it identifies your restaurant and is the same for everyone there. Ask a colleague; anyone signed in can read it from their own session (link Signing in).
Match the message to the cause
| What you see | What it means | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| The provided property code is invalid | The code is wrong — not your password | Check it with a colleague. Watch 0/O and 1/l |
| Too many failed attempts. Try again after HH:MM | Locked after ten failed attempts | A Manager or Owner can unlock you instantly |
| Credentials rejected, no lockout | Wrong email or password for that restaurant | Reset your password |
| A page saying access from this network is not allowed | The IP allowlist — you signed in fine | Get on the venue network, or ask for a bypass code |
| A suspension page after signing in | Billing, not your account | The Owner resolves the payment |
| A request for a code from your phone | Two-factor is on | Your authenticator app, or a recovery code |
Locked out after failed attempts
Ten failed attempts locks the account for 15 minutes, lengthening to 30 and then a maximum of 60 for repeat episodes. So waiting always works eventually.
Faster: any Owner or Manager can unlock you from Property Settings → Staff, and it takes one click. Setting a new password for you also clears it (link Unlocking a locked-out account).
Make sure you actually know your password before being unlocked, or you will simply lock yourself out again.
Lost the phone with your two-factor codes
- Use a recovery code. You were given eight when you set it up. Each works once.
- Set up your authenticator again on the new phone, then regenerate your codes.
No recovery codes and no phone? Nobody at your restaurant can turn two-factor off for you — not your Owner, not a Manager. That is the point of it. Contact support and expect to prove who you are (link Two-factor authentication).
If your codes are rejected and you do have the phone, check its clock. A drifted clock generates codes that are out of step; setting the time to update automatically fixes it.
Blocked by the network rule
You signed in correctly and landed on a page saying your network is not allowed. Your password is fine — your restaurant limits sign-in to approved networks.
Three ways through: get onto the restaurant's Wi-Fi, enter a bypass code from an Owner or Manager, or have your location added (link "You're blocked" — what to do).
Do not keep retrying your password — it is not the problem, and enough failed attempts will lock you out as well, leaving you with two problems.
A save fails once, then works
A tab left open a long time can fail a single save with a page-expired message, then work perfectly on retry. Harmless — the page's security token aged out while it sat idle.
- Reload the page and do it again.
- Check it did not save twice before redoing anything that creates a record.
- On a host-stand screen left open all service, reload at the start of each shift and it stops happening.
A password reset link does not work
Reset links expire and are single-use. If yours is refused:
- Request a fresh one and use it straight away.
- Use the newest email — requesting twice invalidates the first link, and people often click the older message.
- Open it in the same browser where you will sign in.
- Remember the new password must meet the rules, including not repeating a recent one (link Password requirements).
Reset links go to the email on your account. If you cannot receive mail there, an Owner or Manager can change your email and set a password from the staff list — which is the fastest route (link Editing and removing staff).
Signed out unexpectedly
Normal causes: a long idle period, signing out elsewhere, your password being changed, or your account being removed. Sign in again.
If it keeps happening within a shift, report it with the times — that is not expected (link Reporting a problem).
Nobody at the restaurant can sign in
- Is it a suspension page? Billing. The Owner can still reach the billing pages and pay (link A failed payment, and suspension).
- Is it the network page? Your venue's internet address has probably changed. Someone with a bypass code can get in and add the new one (link Restricting sign-in to your venue's network).
- Is it the property code? Confirm it with someone who has it written down.
- Otherwise report it, saying that everyone is affected.
Meanwhile: your public booking page carries on working, so guests can still book and you will find those bookings when you are back in.
Good to know
Your account is per restaurant. Working at two venues that use Tabledoo means two accounts and two property codes.
Sign-ins and failures are recorded, so a Manager can see what actually happened (link The audit log).