Account & Workspace Basics

Create your DS160.io account, sign in, and find your way around your workspace and forms.

This guide covers the basics: creating an account, signing in, and understanding how your workspace and forms are organized. If you’re brand new, start here.

Create your account

Go to the Sign up page and register with your email and a password. You can also sign up with Google, which skips the password step entirely.

After signing up with email, we send a 6-digit activation code to confirm your address. Enter it on the screen that loads right after signup. The code is good for a single use — if it expires or doesn’t arrive, check your spam folder and request a new one.

Sign in

Returning users sign in from the Log in page with the email and password (or Google account) used at signup. If you’ve turned on two-factor authentication, you’ll be asked for a 6-digit code from your authenticator app after your password — see Account & Security.

Your workspace

A workspace is the container for your forms. Most personal users have a single workspace, which is created automatically the first time you sign in. Everything you do — creating forms, reviewing answers, submitting — happens inside it.

If you belong to more than one workspace (for example, you were invited to an agency), a workspace switcher appears in the sidebar so you can move between them.

Your forms

The Forms screen lists every DS-160 form in your workspace, each with a status badge:

  • Not started — created, but no answers yet
  • In progress — partially filled
  • Completed — every required section is answered and valid

From here you can open a form to keep editing, review it, or start a submission.

Next steps