> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://developer.harness.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://developer.harness.io/harness-platform/3.0/harness-platform-resources/authentication/switch-account.md).

# Switch account

If you belong to more than one Harness account, you may need to switch between accounts to manage resources or configure settings in a different account. Instead of signing out and back in, you can switch between accounts directly from the Harness UI. If the target account uses a different authentication method, Harness asks you to re-authenticate to keep access secure.

***

### What you will learn in this topic <a href="#what-you-will-learn-in-this-topic" id="what-you-will-learn-in-this-topic"></a>

By the end of this topic, you will know how to:

* View which Harness accounts you belong to.
* Switch between accounts and set a default account.
* Determine whether switching requires re-authentication based on the authentication settings of each account.

***

### Before you begin <a href="#before-you-begin" id="before-you-begin"></a>

Before you switch accounts, ensure you have the following:

* You belong to at least two Harness accounts. If you only have one account, the **Switch Account** option does not appear.
* You know how each account is set up for authentication (for example, username and password, OAuth, SAML, or LDAP). The authentication method determines whether re-authentication is required when you switch accounts.

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### View and switch accounts <a href="#view-and-switch-accounts" id="view-and-switch-accounts"></a>

To view and switch between accounts:

1. Select your **User Profile** icon in the bottom-left corner of the Harness UI. The page with basic information appears.

   You can also go to **Account Settings** -> **Account Details** to switch between accounts.
2. Select **Switch Account**. Harness displays all the accounts you are a member of.
3. Select the account you want to switch to. Click **Switch**.
4. To set a specific account as your default, select **Set as Default** next to the account name. Click **Continue**.

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### Re-authentication use cases <a href="#re-authentication-use-cases" id="re-authentication-use-cases"></a>

When you switch accounts, Harness checks the authentication method configured on the target account. If the target account uses a different authentication method or provider than your current account, Harness prompts you to re-authenticate.

The following table summarizes the behavior for each authentication method:

| Current account method        | Target account method        | Re-authentication required? |
| ----------------------------- | ---------------------------- | --------------------------- |
| Username and Password         | Any other method             | Yes                         |
| Username and Password         | Username and Password        | Yes                         |
| Username and Password + OAuth | Any method                   | Yes                         |
| OAuth (specific providers)    | Same OAuth provider set      | No                          |
| OAuth (specific providers)    | Different OAuth provider set | Yes                         |
| SAML (specific SSO config)    | Same SAML SSO config         | No                          |
| SAML (specific SSO config)    | Different SAML SSO config    | Yes                         |
| LDAP (specific config)        | Same LDAP config             | No                          |
| LDAP (specific config)        | Different LDAP config        | Yes                         |
| Whitelisted domains           | Whitelisted domains          | No                          |
| Whitelisted domains           | Any other method             | Yes                         |
| 2FA at Account scope + OAuth  | 2FA at Account scope + OAuth | No                          |
| 2FA at Account scope + OAuth  | Any other method             | Yes                         |

***

### Related articles <a href="#related-articles" id="related-articles"></a>

* [Two-factor authentication](/harness-platform/3.0/harness-platform-resources/authentication/two-factor-authentication.md): Add an extra layer of security to your Harness login.
* [Manage public keys](/harness-platform/3.0/harness-platform-resources/authentication/manage-public-keys.md): Add and manage GPG and SSH public keys in your Harness profile to verify commit authenticity.