Create your account and log in
When you open the installed Ente Photos app on any of your devices, the first screen will ask you to choose between "New to Ente" or "Existing user".
Creating a new account
If you're creating a new account, select "New to Ente".
Note: If you already have an Ente Auth account and plan to use 2FA for Ente Photos (stored in Ente Auth), we recommend keeping separate accounts for Auth and Photos for security. Otherwise, you can use the same account for both.
Creating a new account on Ente takes a few steps:
- Enter and verify an email address
- Set up a password
- Save the recovery key
- Choose between free and paid plans
Enter and verify an email address
You can choose any email address, including aliases, to create an account with Ente Photos. The only requirement is that you have access to the email inbox for verification. However, keep these points in mind:
- Long-term access: Ente Photos is designed for use over multiple years and decades. Use an email address you expect to have access to long-term.
- Social features: Your email address is the primary way for friends and family to discover and share photos with you through shared albums and other social features. If you plan to use these features, consider using an email address your contacts recognize.
- Student accounts: You can use your personal email address to create an account. When applying for a student discount, reach out with your student email address and mention the personal email associated with your account.
In any case, you can always change the email address your account is associated with at a later time as well.
Once you submit your email address, you will be asked to verify it with a 6-digit code sent to your email. You should receive the verification code within a couple of minutes. If you don't receive it, check your spam folder. If that doesn't work, reach out to support@ente.io
Set up a password
Once your email is verified, you'll be prompted to create a password for your account. Your password is the foundation of Ente's end-to-end encryption - it's used to encrypt all your photos before they're uploaded to our servers.
Choose a strong, unique password that you haven't used elsewhere. Ente will indicate the strength of your password as you type it.
Once you've set your password, you're ready to proceed to the next step.
Save the recovery key
After setting your password, Ente will generate and display your recovery key. This is a critical piece of information that you must save securely.
Your recovery key is the only way to recover your account if you forget your password and are logged out of all your devices. Since Ente uses end-to-end encryption, we cannot reset your password for you without this key.
How to save it:
- Write it down on paper and store it in a safe place
- Save it in a password manager
- Store it in any secure location you trust
Do not skip this step! Without your recovery key, losing your password means permanently losing access to your photos.
Choose between free and paid plans
The final step of account creation is choosing your plan. Ente offers a generous free plan with 10 GB of storage, which is perfect for getting started.
You can start with the free plan and upgrade anytime as your storage needs grow. Paid plans offer more storage and additional features like the ability to share albums with others and create family plans.
Once you've made your choice, your account setup is complete and you're ready to start backing up your photos!
Logging in on other devices
After creating your account on one device, you can easily log in to Ente Photos on all your other devices. Your photos will automatically sync across all devices where you're logged in.
Logging in process
On any device where you want to use Ente Photos:
- Install Ente Photos if you haven't already
- Open the app and select Existing user (instead of "New to Ente")
- Enter your email address and password
- Verify your email with a 6-digit code if prompted
- Once logged in, your existing photos from other devices will appear on this device
Next: You'll need to set up automatic backup on this device to back up new photos from it. Each device needs its own backup configuration (which albums to back up on mobile, which folders to watch on desktop).
Next steps
Now that you're set up on all your devices:
- Migrate photos from other services if you have existing photos elsewhere
- Set up automatic backup for daily use to configure your backup preferences
Related FAQs
Account Creation:
- How do I create a new Ente account?
- I'm not receiving the verification code, what should I do?
- How do I log in on multiple devices?
Security:
- What is the recovery key and why is it important?
- Can I change my password later?
- Does Ente support two-factor authentication (2FA)?
- Can I use passkeys instead of passwords?
- How is my data encrypted?
Plans: