Logging in with Only the Username Part of the Email Without Including the Domain
Mar 2, 2026
Administration
Okta Identity Engine
Okta Classic Engine
Overview
This article discusses whether users can log in with just the username portion of their email address, without including the domain.
Applies To
- Username
- Email Address
- Login
Solution
Log in can be made with just the username part (without @example.com) of the email address, as long as no other users share the same username across different domains. If two users share the same username across different domains, the full email address, including the domain, must be used to log in.
- For example, if two users have the same username, such as "john.doe", with one being "john.doe@test.com" and the other being "john.doe@example.com", they would both be required to use the full username/email address, including the domain, when logging in. Alternatively, if there is only one user with the username "john.doe" they would be able to log in using only the "john.doe" part of the username/email.
The ability to allow users to use both a full email and a username (without the @example.com) is controlled by the Username match criteria on sign in feature by selecting Allow short match. This is located in Okta Admin Console > Security > General > Organizational Security:
