Lost Username and Password

One of the issues we deal with constantly at the Mesa FamilySearch Library is patrons who have forgotten their username and password for FamilySearch.org. Many of these sessions end up with a call to the FamilySearch.org telephonic support and even then, may not end up with the patron having the username and password restored. However, developments on the FamilySearch.org website are making this process much less painful.

The first step in restoring a user name and password, using the new features of the program, involves trying to sign in to the program. Here is a screenshot showing the link to sign in:

When you click on the link, a window appears where you can enter your username and password. If you have forgotten either of these, there are links to "Forgot your user name or password?" Here is another screenshot showing the link to restore the username and password:

When you click on this link, you will be asked to indicate whether you have an LDS Account (member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) or a FamilySearch Account (everyone else). After clicking on the continue button, you will be given options about how you would like to have you username and password restored. For FamilySearch accounts, the restored information will be sent to the email address you used when you registered. For LDS account members, the restored information can go to a cellphone by text, to an email address or be restored directly online by providing a membership number.

Here is a screenshot of the selection screen for those with an LDS Account:

If the patron can supply an LDS Membership number, the username and/or password will be provided immediately. For those of us who do this regularly, this is a great improvement and will reduce the number of calls to Support.