How to Sign Up for an iNaturalist Account

An iNaturalist account can be created on either one of our mobile apps or on the iNaturalist website. iNaturalist accounts are free to create and to use, we charge no fees. You will need an account in order to post any observations to iNaturalist or to add content (such as an identification) to another user's observation.

When creating an iNaturalist account, you will be asked to enter an email address, a username, and a password.

• Email address: this must be a valid email address (e.g. in the format [email protected]) and cannot be currently linked to an existing iNaturalist account. Your email address is what you will use if you need to reset your password, so it's best to choose an email address you check regularly and will not potentially lose access to (such as a school or employer email account).
  
  
• Username: sometimes called a "screen name", this is the unique handle linked to your account, and what your public content such as observations and identifications will be credited to. Your username does not have to contain your actual name. A username must be unique, begin with a letter, contain no spaces, and use only letters, numbers, dashes, and underscores.
  
  
• Password: passwords must contain at least six characters, but we recommend using a strong password and a password manager if possible.

You will also see several checkboxes or switches that will look something like this:

Tapping or clicking on "Learn More" will display more information about that item. 

It's possible to make an account without licensing your photos, sounds, and observations so scientists can use your data (although we strongly recommend keeping that box checked, read more here), but you will not be able to make an account without consenting or agreeing to the other three points.