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How to Create and Edit Your User Account

Follow these instructions to add or remove users to your website’s search.gov account.

If you need to gain access to the analytics data of an existing search site, ask a team member at your agency to add you as a user. Please don't create a new search site as this action will not grant you the access you need.

Search.gov Home > Admin Center > My Account

You can use Search.gov to power the search box on your federal government website — at no cost.

Search.gov uses Login.gov to secure our system access.

Sign up

Register for a new account at https://search.usa.gov/signup

Access to our service requires agreement with our Terms of Service and verification that you’re a federal government employee or contractor acting within the scope of your government contract.

You will first need to register with Login.gov, and you’ll receive an automatic email from them. Click on the link in the email to verify that your email address belongs to you. You’ll need to provide them with a second method of authentication, such as a PIV/CAC card or a phone number.

Important note about Login.gov: If you already registered with them with a different email address, for instance your personal email address for use with USAJOBS, you will need to log in to Login.gov, and on https://secure.login.gov/account use the Add email button in the upper right to add the government email address that you use with Search.gov.

Screenshot of Login.gov account page showing where to find the 'Add email' button

If you have a .gov or .mil address, you’ll be able to access your account immediately after you verify your email.

If you don’t have a .gov or .mil address, we’ll ask for additional information to confirm that you’re a government employee or contractor. We’ll notify you when your account is approved.

Log In

Log in to an existing account at https://search.usa.gov/login.

  1. Acknowledge you are accessing a government system
  2. Sign in at Login.gov with your email address and password, and provide your second factor of authentication (PIV/CAC card, code receive via SMS, etc.)
    Screenshot showing Login.gov sign in page
  3. You will be returned to your Account page in Search.gov — use the Select a Site dropdown menu in the upper left to access your search configurations.

If you’ve previously logged in to Login.gov using an email address different from the one you use to access Search.gov, go to https://secure.login.gov/account and use the Add email button in the upper right to add the government email address that you use with Search.gov.

Screenshot of Login.gov account page showing where to find the 'Add email' button

Update Your Email Address

If your email address changes, follow these steps:

  1. Make sure that the new email is registered with Login.gov: first add and verify the new address, then delete the defunct address. You cannot edit an existing address.
  2. Email us to request your Search.gov account be updated with the new address. We’ll make the update in our back end, and after that you will be able to log in using your Login.gov credentials.

Government employees must use a .gov or .mil address. Contractors without a .gov or .mil address must use business email address that is verified in writing by your government POC. Personal email addresses such as Gmail, Yahoo, etc. are not allowed. GSA partners with GSA-linked Gmail accounts in the format gsa.yourname@gmail.com are allowed.

Forgot Your Password?

All passwords are now managed through Login.gov, so please use their password reset process at https://secure.login.gov/manage/password.