Okta End User FAQ

Whether you're just getting started with Okta or you’re curious about a new feature, our End User FAQ offers insights into everything from setting up and using your dashboard to explaining how Okta’s plugin works and more. Find answers to your Frequently Asked Questions about Okta below.

General Questions

What is Okta?

Okta is a single, integrated platform that offers secure access to enterprise applications and information. We connect any person, via an device, in any context, to the technologies they need to do their most significant work.

Can my admin see my login information?

Your helpdesk administrator can see your username, but he or she does not have access to view your password.

Which browsers does Okta work on?

Okta supports the following Web Browsers: Firefox, Safari and Chrome.

What happens if Okta goes down?

Okta is built on an “Always On” architecture. You can always go to www.okta.com/trust to see our high reliability metrics and to learn more about the reliability of our service. If our services were to go down, you would not be able to log in to your Okta organization and access your applications via Single Sign-‐On. However, some applications might still be accessible through a direct link.

Who do I contact in case of Okta emergencies?

In the case of an Okta emergency, contact your company's helpdesk for assistance. https://nars.freshservice.com/support/home

Passwords/Credentials

What is my username and password for Okta?

Your username is your email address. If you've forgotten your password, use the 'Forgot password' link at the bottom of the sign-‐in page to generate a new one.

Is my password secure?

Yes, Okta provides rigorous security measures and controls to protect your information. These controls are audited and attested to in our SOC2 report, and all passwords are 256-‐bit AES encrypted. For more information see Password and Key Storage Article

How do I make a safe password?

Okta supports strong passwords through the use of password complexity rules (think combinations of letters, numbers, capitalizations, special characters, etc). Your company's help desk determines the rules for your company's passwords.

Why do I have to input my password for some apps and not others?

With Okta you can access your applications through a single, unified dashboard. Access to these applications is delivered through single sign-‐on (SSO) technology via either Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) or Okta’s own Secure Web Authentication (SWA) technology.

With SWA, you need to maintain your own password, meaning if an app requires you to make a password change, you should do so within the Okta dashboard. With SAML, Okta automatically passes on access through a token, so you don’t need to manually make a change when the app requires an update.

How do I change my password for an app?

To change your password for a specific application, hover your mouse over the app's icon. Click the gear to go to settings, which should open a menu that gives you the option to change your password for that specific application.

Can I be confident my password is safe?

Yes -‐-‐ nobody (including your helpdesk) has access or visibility into your password data.

Where & how is my username and password stored?

Just as we use strong encryption to secure your data at Okta, we use strong (256-‐bit AES) encryption for your username and password credentials as well. This information is stored and maintained by Okta. For more information see Password and Key Storage Article

Dashboard

How do I change my username/password for an existing app?

To change your existing password, hover the mouse above an application's icon. On the upper right-‐hand side of the icon, there will be a gear. Click the gear to open the settings menu, and provide your current username and password to verify your identity. Once verified, you'll be able to put in a new password.

If you are not able to update the username and password, contact your helpdesk to have them set it for you.

How do I create a new tab?

To create a new tab, click on the '+' sign next to the last tab. You will be asked to enter a new tab name (for example, "Personal"). Enter the new name of the tab and click save to create it.

How many tabs can I have?

You can have up to five tabs.

How do I delete a tab?

To delete a tab, you will need to move all applications out of that tab into another one. Once the tab has been emptied you will see a Delete Tab option. Select that option and your tab will be deleted.

How can I change the order in which my apps appear?

To change the order of your apps, click and hold on an app icon, then drag and drop the app to the location you would like it to be displayed.

How do I move an app from one tab to another?

To move an app from one tab to another, click and hold on the app icon, then drag and drop your app to the new tab.

How do I remove an app?

Apps you've installed can be removed by hovering over the app and selecting the gear icon. In the app setting screen, you'll see the option to delete it. Apps issued by your Help Desk cannot be removed, but there is a way to move the app out of sight. The best way to do so is to create a new tab to store unused and unwanted applications.

How do I add an app?

If your organization allows you to add your own apps, there will be a +Add Apps’ button on the top right of your Okta dashboard. Select that button, search for your app and click the ‘Add’ button on the right to place it on your dashboard.

How do I request an app to be added?

You should make application requests to your company’s helpdesk. If the app is not yet in the Okta Application Network, it’s easy to add. Select the ‘Add an App’ button, create a ‘Bookmark,’ input the login URL and finally, check the box that reads ‘Request App -‐ Ask Okta IT to add this app’.

What is a bookmark?

A bookmark is a way to save the URL login of an app not currently available to you. When you create a new bookmark, your Okta dashboard will display an app icon to that app URL login. This bookmark will only store the URL -‐-‐ not your username and password.

How do I add a bookmark?

To add a bookmark, go to the "+Add Apps" button on the top right of your dashboard to open a search menu. (If you can't see this button, your organization doesn't allow you to add a bookmark at this time.) Search for your app. If no app is found, Okta will display the option to create a bookmark. Enter the URL of the app and the the name of the bookmark you would like displayed. Click ‘Add’ button to create your bookmark. Click on "Home” at the top of your dashboard to see your new bookmark.

How do I Search an app if I can't remember which tab I put it on?

At the top of your dashboard, you can find apps in the "Launch App" search bar. If you can't remember which tab your app is on, go to the Launch App search, type in the name of your app and select the name to open it when it appears.

Getting Started/Setup

Where do I log in to get to Okta?

To open Okta, go to your company's custom Okta URL in any web browser (Firefox, Chrome, etc.). Your company's custom Okta URL will be "narisk.okta.com"

How do I use Okta?

You can watch this short video on how to use your Okta org called Getting Started with Okta

Why do I need to set up a secondary email?

Secondary emails are useful in case you forget your Okta password. If your helpdesk administrator allows you to receive 'Forgotten Password' help, then you can request a password help link be sent to your email address. If you're accessing your company's email through Okta, though, then you won't be able to access the email that was sent. If you have provided Okta with a secondary email address, then Okta will also send the forgotten password email to your secondary email address -‐-‐ making it easy to access and reset your password.

How change my security image?

To change your security image, login to your Okta org on a computer or mobile device. Click on your username in the top menu, and select the ‘Settings’ menu item.

Go to the Security Image section and select Edit. Select a new Security Image and click Save.

How do I change my Okta password?

Your Okta password is the same as your Windows Password. Submit a ticket on the FreshService portal to request a password reset.

How can I change my Forgotten Password question?

To change your Forgotten password question, login to your Okta org on a computer or mobile device. Click on your username in the top menu, and select the ‘Settings’ menu item.

Go to the Forgotten Password question section, and select Edit. Choose a new question and enter your answer and click Save.

How can I change my secondary email address information?

To change your secondary email address information, login to your Okta org on a computer or mobile device. Click on your username in the top menu, and select the ‘Settings’ menu item.

Go to the Personal information section and select and select Edit. Enter the new secondary email address and click Save.

Security

Is my information secure?

Yes, your information is secure. Okta offers multifactor authentication, meaning there are multiple steps someone has to take before accessing your information. That authentication is also flexible -‐-‐ meaning you’ll use a traditional password and you can also choose your second authentication to be either a text message pin number, a 6-‐digit soft token or a security question.

Multifactor Authentication (MFA)

How does Multi-‐factor Authentication (MFA) work?

Your user credentials are encrypted using both an industry-‐standard encrypted AES and a randomly generated symmetric key. This key-‐store, containing your symmetric encryption keys, is then encrypted with a master key that is held only in memory and only accessible to the Okta app.

At startup, the app is provided a master passphrase allowing it to access, decrypt, and store the master key in memory. A technical operations administrator at your company inputs the master passphrase. Only a select number of administrators know this master passphrase. As a result, attackers can only decrypt the data if they have the master key, private key, as well as the user's app context.

How do I set up Okta Verify?

For Apple users, go to iTunes and download Okta Verify. For Android users, go to the Google Play Store and download Okta Verify. For Windows Mobile users, go to the Windows Store and download Okta Verify. Once installed, you will need to login to your Okta organization on a computer. If multi-‐factor authentication is required in your company, you will need to click on the Setup button and select the type mobile device you are using (iPhone, Android, or Windows). From there you will need to scan a QR code to finish the setup.

Then, open Okta Verify and using your mobile device camera, focus the camera on the QR code in the screen, and once it recognizes the code you will see 6 numbers appear on your device in the Okta Verify app. On your computer, click next to enter the code from your device, then click on Verify. If your organization has enabled Okta Verify with Push, you can also send a push notification to your mobile device by clicking on the Push to Device button.

How do I scan in a new Okta QR code?

You will only need to scan a new QR code if you change mobile devices. To change devices, download Okta Verify on to your new device, and login to your Okta environment on a computer. Click on your username in the top menu, and select the ‘Settings’ menu item.

On this page, click on the “Edit Profile” button, enter in your password and second factor, if enabled, and navigate down to the “Extra Verification” section. Click on the Reset button next to the Okta Verify mobile app. A warning message will appear to alert you that you will be reconfiguring your multifactor authentication. Click yes to proceed and select the new mobile device operating system you are using (iPhone, Android, or Windows). Click next and the new QR code on the screen with your new mobile device. Using the camera on your mobile device, focus the camera on the QR code. Once your device recognizes the QR code, you will see 6 numbers appear on your device in the Okta Verify app. On your computer, click next to enter the code from your device, then click on Verify. If your organization has enabled Okta Verify with Push, you can also send a push notification to your mobile device by clicking on the Push to Device button.

How do I setup or reset my Multifactor Authentication (MFA)?

To reset your MFA, login to your Okta org on a computer or mobile device. Click on your username in the top menu, and select the ‘Settings’ menu item.

Go to the Extra Verification section, and select Setup or Reset, next to the MFA Factor that you want to setup or reset. Enter the required information and save. See MFA Quick reference sheets for more information.

What do I do when...

What do I do if I am locked out?

If you cannot log into Okta, submit a ticket to your company's helpdesk or click the 'Forgot Password' link on the Okta login screen to reset your password.

Plugins

What is a plugin?

Plugins are applications that can easily be installed and are used as a part of a web browser.

Do I have to use a plugin?

No, you only have to use the Okta plugin if your administrator has allowed apps to use Secure Web Authentication (SWA). If your company is using Security Assertion Markup Language (SAML) apps, you will not need the Okta plugin.

Is it safe to install the Okta plugin?

Yes, the Okta plugin is very safe to install.

Mobile

What is Okta Mobile?

Okta Mobile is an application that you download from either Apps Store (Apple users) or the Google Play Store (Android Users). It allows you to have same access to your Okta Application via your mobile device, which means you don’t have to be at your desk to get your work done.

How do I set up Okta mobile?

For Apple users, go to App Store and download Okta Mobile.

For Android users, go to the Google Play Store and download Okta Mobile.

Once installed, you’ll need to know your company's Okta Org name For example https://abc.okta.com then your Okta Org would be ‘ABC’ and your Okta username and password. Once authenticated, Okta Mobile will ask you to create a PIN. Simply confirm your PIN again, and you’re ready take Okta on the road.

What is the difference between Okta Mobile and Okta Verify?

'Okta Mobile' is the mobile app that allows you to access all of your applications on a mobile device. 'Okta Verify' is the mobile app that allows you to have a second factor for Multifactor Authentication (MFA).

How do I enroll my Apple Device in Okta Mobility Management (OMM)?

To login your Apple Device in OMM, simply log into Okta Mobile and you will be prompted to enroll in Okta Mobility Management. To watch a video please click on the link below:

Enrolling Your Apple Device in Okta Mobility Management

If you have dismissed the enrollment prompt previously, you can enroll later by clicking on the banner prompt at the footer of the screen.

How do I enroll my Android Device in Okta Mobility Management (OMM)? To login your Android Device in OMM, simply log into Okta Mobile and you will be prompted to enroll in Okta Mobility Management. To watch a video please click on the link below:

Enrolling Your Android Device in Okta Mobility Management