Signing in to Pactly

You use Pactly in two places: the web app at app.pactly.ai, and the Pactly Word Plugin inside Microsoft Word. The way you sign in is the same in both, so this one article covers them together.

Pactly is email-first. You enter your email address, and Pactly works out from your company’s setup whether you sign in with a password or with your organization’s single sign-on. You never pick the method yourself, the sign-in screen decides for you.

To sign in with a different email, click Change email to go back to the first step.

If your organization uses Microsoft single sign-on, Pactly does not ask for a Pactly password. After you enter your email, you see a Sign in with… button (it shows your organization’s name). Click it and complete sign-in with your Microsoft account.

Some organizations make single sign-on the only way in. Others make it the default but still allow a password, in which case you’ll also see a use your password instead link. Which option you see depends on how your administrator set up your account.

In Word, single sign-on opens in a separate sign-in window rather than inside the task pane. Click the Sign in with… button in the Pactly panel, complete Microsoft sign-in in the window that appears, and the window closes on its own once you’re signed in. The panel then shows you as signed in.

If the window doesn’t open, your browser or Word may be blocking pop-ups. Allow pop-ups for Pactly and try again.

If your organization requires two-factor authentication, Pactly asks for a one-time 6-digit code from your authenticator app after you enter your correct password. The code is a second factor on top of your password, not a way to skip it.

When an administrator adds you to Pactly, you get a welcome email with a link to set your password. That link opens the same screen as the Forgot password flow, so setting a first password and resetting a forgotten one work the same way.

To reset a forgotten password:

If you sign in with single sign-on only, there is no Pactly password to reset, your Microsoft credentials handle sign-in. The Forgot your password? link is hidden on the single-sign-on-only step for that reason.

There are two ways to get a Pactly account:

• Your administrator invites you. Most people are added by an administrator and receive the welcome email described above. If you don’t have an account, ask whoever runs Pactly at your organization to add you.
• You sign up yourself. If self-serve sign-up is open, you create your account from app.pactly.ai and verify your email before you can sign in. If your company has locked its email domain, self-serve sign-up is turned off, you have to be added by an administrator or sign in through single sign-on instead.

A few common reasons sign-in fails, and what to do:

• Pactly asks for single sign-on but you expected a password (or the reverse). The sign-in method follows your email domain. If it looks wrong, you may be using the wrong email address, or your administrator changed the setup. Use the email tied to your Pactly account.
• Your reset or welcome link expired. Reset links are time-limited. Start the Forgot your password? flow again to get a fresh one.
• You were signed out unexpectedly. Sessions expire for security. Sign in again. This is normal, especially in the Word plugin, which asks you to sign in more often.
• You lost your two-factor device. If you can’t generate a code, your administrator has to help reset your two-factor setup.
• The Word plugin says you don’t have access. Your account may not be enabled for the Word plugin. Ask your administrator to grant Word plugin access.

For more detail on these and other access problems, see Login & Access Issues.

• What is Pactly?
• Login & Access Issues
• Single Sign-On with Microsoft Entra ID
• Adding and Managing Users
• Verify and Lock Your Email Domain
• Installing the Word Plugin