How do I sign in? I was emailed a code, not a password
bernard doesn't do passwords. When you sign in, it emails you a 6-digit code; you type it in, and you're through. If someone set your account up for you, your welcome email carries your first code and a button that takes you straight to the right page.
Signing in
- Open the welcome (or sign-in) email and press the button — or go to the sign-in page and choose Email me a code.
- Type your email address if it isn't already filled in.
- Enter the 6 digits from the email.
That's it. There is no password to invent, store, or forget.
About the code
- It expires in an hour and works once. That's a safety feature, not a deadline — a code that leaks in a forwarded email is worthless sixty minutes later.
- Need another? Ask for a fresh one from the sign-in page any time. Nothing about your account or site is affected by an expired code.
If your site was moved in for you
Some owners arrive because the bernard team moved their site over first and then sent the welcome. In that case, when you sign in your site is already live. Three good first steps:
- Look around. Everything from your old site should be here.
- Ask Bernard to change something. He's your web developer now — say what you want in plain words ("swap the photo on the homepage", "add my new workshop dates") and he does the work, on a draft you approve.
- Connect your own domain when you're ready, so visitors find the new place at your usual address.
If your welcome mentioned a trial, that's the honest note about rent: your site is fully working now, and payment is expected once you've settled in — from your Account page, whenever you're ready.
The prompt
“I've got a welcome email with a 6-digit code. Walk me through signing in and what I should look at first.”
Press Copy, then paste it into your AI and fill in the [bracketed] parts. First time? Connect your AI to bernard first — a one-time setup in bernard → your site → Use your own AI.
Questions people ask
- I got a welcome email with a 6-digit code. What do I do with it?
- Press the button in the email (or go to the sign-in page and choose 'Email me a code'), type your email address, and enter the 6 digits. That's the whole sign-in — there's no password to set.
- Do I need a password for bernard?
- No. bernard signs you in with a one-time code sent to your email each time. Your inbox is your key — if you can read your email, you can get in.
- My code expired or didn't work. How do I get another?
- Codes last an hour and work once. Go to the sign-in page, choose 'Email me a code', and a fresh one arrives in your inbox straight away. Nothing is lost when a code expires.
- Someone moved my site into bernard for me. Where do I start?
- Sign in with the code from your welcome email and have a look around — your site is already live. Try asking Bernard to change something in plain words: he works on a draft, and nothing goes live until you approve it. When you're ready, connect your own domain so visitors find the new place at your usual address.
- The welcome email mentioned a trial and paying. Is my site at risk?
- No. Your site is live and fully working. The trial simply means payment is expected once you've settled in — you can put your plan on a card from your Account page whenever you're ready, and nothing is switched off in the meantime.