Tableau Desktop and Web Authoring Help

To access content on Tableau Server or Tableau Cloud, sign in via Tableau Desktop or a web browser.

Note: If you sign in via a web browser, it must be configured to allow first-party cookies.

Sign in from Tableau Desktop

Tableau Server

1. In Tableau Desktop, select Server > Sign In. Enter the name or address of your Tableau server, and then click Connect.

   

2. Do one of the following, which depends on if your Tableau Server is configured for identity pools(Link opens in a new window):

   • Enter your user name and password, and then click Sign In. If you have access to multiple sites, select the one you want to use. You can also enter the name of the site and search for it.

     

   • On the Tableau Server landing page, select the sign-in option that applies to you, enter your user name and password, and then click Sign In.

     

Tableau Cloud

1. In Tableau Desktop, select Server > Sign In. Click Tableau Cloud in the bottom left corner.

   

2. If your site is set up to use Tableau authentication, enter your user name (email address) and password you use for Tableau Cloud, and then click Sign In.

   If multi-factor authentication (MFA) is enabled with Tableau authentication, you are prompted to verify your identity using the verification you selected during the MFA registration process. After verifying your identity, you are redirected to your site.

   Notes: 

   • If you are signing in to Tableau Cloud or registering for MFA for the first time, see Register for multi-factor authentication(Link opens in a new window).
   • You must be running Tableau Desktop 2021.1 and later to use MFA with Tableau authentication.
3. If you have access to multiple sites, select the one you want to use.

   

Automatically keep Tableau Desktop connected to Tableau Server or Online

When you connect to Tableau Server or Tableau Cloud, Tableau Desktop keeps you signed in from session to session, if you don't sign out. Next time you launch Tableau Desktop, you are automatically signed in to your most recent server connection. You can easily switch to other available server and site connections.

You can see the server and site you are signed into, as well as who you are signed in as, in two places:

• The Server menu shows the server and site that you are signed in to. Sign out shows you are signed in as.

  

• The status bar also provides this information. Hover over the username to see the current server and site.

Switch servers, switch sites

To switch servers, on the Server menu, click Sign in to another server, and then enter the server name and your sign-in credentials.

If you have access to multiple sites, on the Server menu, click Sign in to another site. This option is only available for Tableau Server sites.

Sign out or clear all saved connections

When you sign in to a server and site, Tableau Desktop stores your credentials in a secure token that remembers your connection. After this token is in place, you can access the server directly, without having to sign in.

Click Server > Sign out to clear your sign-in credentials for the current connection. To remove all of your existing server connections, click Help > Settings and performance > Clear saved server sign-ins.

If you never want server sign-ins to be saved, a Tableau Server administrator can change the server settings to disallow connected clients. Be aware that this setting also affects other Tableau clients like Tableau Mobile. For more information, see Authentication for Connected Devices(Link opens in a new window) in the Tableau Server Help.

Switch user accounts from Tableau Desktop (Kerberos authentication only)

If your organization uses Tableau Desktop with Kerberos authentication and it doesn't succeed, you're prompted to provide a user name and password. To sign in as a different user for testing purposes, complete these steps:

1. On the Server menu, select Switch User.

   

2. In the Tableau Server Sign In dialog box, provide the new user name and password.

To later sign in using your normal credentials, select Server > Switch to Self.

Sign in with another user account in a browser

If you are signed in to the wrong account, you can switch to another one.

1. Click Sign Out on the user menu in the upper-right corner of the page.

   

   Note: If you do not see a Sign Out command on the Tableau Server user menu, you must use the sign-out interface provided by your organization's external identity provider (IdP). For more information, contact your administrator.

2. Type your user name and password, and then click Sign In

   

Sign in to a specific site in a browser (Tableau Server only)

If you are a member of multiple sites, you're prompted to select one when you sign in to the server. Either click a visible site name or search for a name to select from a list of matching sites.

The name of the current site is displayed on the site picker.