Why sign up?

Guest access is tied to a single browser on a single device. Creating a free account removes that limit and unlocks a few extras.

Guest (no account)

Join events via a link
Vote and mark availability
Suggest games
Tied to one browser/device
No event history
Cannot host events

Registered account (free)

Everything guests can do
Sign in from any device
Host and manage events
Sync your BGG collection
Track play history & crew
Receive event invitations
Your votes travel with you
Web push notifications for event activity
Share your collection as a public link
Upload rulebook PDFs and get AI cheat sheets for your games

Ways to sign in

You can sign in with an email address and password, with a passkey (Face ID, Touch ID, a fingerprint, or your device PIN), or with Google or Apple. The sign-in card shows whichever of these are available, and you can use a different one next time — they all reach the same account as long as they share an email address.

In the app, sign-in finishes with a button. Choosing Google or Apple opens a browser window. When it is done, that window says "You're signed in" and shows a Return to Deshelved button — tap it and the app opens, already signed in. The extra tap is deliberate: browsers no longer let a website open an app on its own, so the tap is what allows it. If you close the browser without tapping, nothing is lost — just start sign-in again.

Sign in with Apple offers to hide your email address. If you choose that, Apple gives us a relay address ending @privaterelay.appleid.com and quietly forwards our mail to your real inbox. It behaves like any other address. Apple also only shares your name the first time you approve deshelved, so if your account shows your email address where your name should be, change it on the meeple card when you first sign up, or later in Settings.

Before Google or Apple sign-in can be attached to an account, we need to have confirmed its email address — that stops anyone signing up on an address they don't own and quietly capturing your social sign-in. So if you registered with a password and never clicked the confirmation email, social sign-in will ask you to use your password instead. Sign in with your password, then use Resend verification in Settings and click the link. If you've forgotten the password, resetting it confirms your address too, since opening the reset link proves the inbox is yours.

Notifications

Once signed in, you can enable browser push notifications from the bell icon in the header. You'll get notified when a host invites you to an event, when a support reply arrives, and other key activity — no email required.

In the Android and iPhone apps, notifications go through your phone. Settings → Notifications shows whether your phone allows them. If Deshelved has not asked yet, tap Turn on notifications. If you said no, or turned them off later, tap Open phone settings, allow notifications for Deshelved and come back; the app picks the change up straight away. Settings also has switches for event invitations and shared scoresheets.

Tips

Now and then Deshelved points out a feature you have not tried yet: a small pulsing dot on the thing itself, or a "Did you know?" note in the corner. A tip stops appearing once you use the feature or tap Got it, and only one dot shows at a time. "Did you know?" notes come at least three minutes apart, no more than three in a visit, and no more than five in a day. Your choices are saved to your account, so a tip dismissed on your phone stays dismissed on the web.

To stop them all, tap No more tips on any note, or go to Settings → App → Tips and choose Turn tips off. The same switch turns them back on, and Show tips again brings back the ones you have already seen.

Your meeple

If you have no profile photo, Deshelved shows you as a meeple: a little game piece in your colour, with your initials on it. It appears beside your name in your crew, at game nights and on the back of a play card. At a game night, the host's meeple wears a crown.

Until you choose, your meeple's colour and eyes come from your name, so the same name always looks the same. To pick your own, go to Settings → Your meeple and choose the Eyes and one of 32 colours. Each tap saves straight away. Use the colour that comes from my name goes back to the automatic colour.

Sharing your collection

Your Collection page has a Share button that gives you a public link to your games. How the link works, and how to replace it, is covered in Your collection.

Upgrading from a guest session

After joining an event as a guest, a banner appears at the bottom of the page: Want to join future events from any device? Create a free account. Your existing votes, slot, and any shared game sessions carry over automatically.

Other help articles: Mobile apps · Your collection · BoardGameGeek sync · Your crew · Hosting an event · Joining as a guest · Voting & results · Availability & dates · Play log · Sharing a shelf with your family · Passwords & security · FAQ