Anyone can browse public content on Synapse, but in order to download and create content you will need to register for an account using your email address. To create an account, you must be over the age of 13 and have an email address. You will receive an email message for verification to complete the registration process.
Certain actions in Synapse require additional steps, such as Certification or Validation. Explore the different Synapse user account types to learn more about which account type you need.
Managing Your Profile
Visit your Profile Page, which can be accessed by clicking your name in the top right corner and selecting Profile from the menu. From there, you can click on Edit Profile in order to take any of the following actions:
Change your Synapse username
Add or edit your first and last names
Add or edit additional information, such as your affiliation or title
Upload a profile picture
Include a brief biography
Link your ORCID credentials
You can also find a link to edit your profile under Settings, which can be accessed by clicking your name in the top right corner and selecting Settings from the menu. From your Setting page, you can manage your password, preferred email, your preferred date/time format, and your Synapse API key.
Important: Do not reuse passwords from other sites. We recommend generating a unique password and using a secure password manager to protect your Synapse account.
Adding Additional Email Addresses
Your Synapse account can have multiple email addresses associated with it. For each new email that you add, a notification will be sent to the chosen email address with a confirmation link. Follow the link to confirm ownership of the email account.
Adding Google Email Addresses to Enable SSO
Synapse integrates with Google’s Single Sign On (SSO) using OAuth 2.0, allowing you to sign in with your Google credentials. If you are already signed in to Google in your web browser, then you can sign in to Synapse without entering a password once you have connected your Google account.
To enable SSO, create your Synapse account using your Google email address, or add a Google email address as a secondary email. You can use a Gmail address, or an institutional email address configured to be used with Google Suite. To add a secondary Google email, go go to your accounts settings by clicking your name in the upper right of any Synapse page (you must be logged in to Synapse) and select Settings. Scroll down to the Email section of your account settings and add your Google-recognized email address (as shown in Gmail ) to your account.
Sometimes it is not obvious what your Google-recognized email is, and you may have more than one alias. One way to check is to open Gmail in your browser and click on your photo or icon in in the upper right corner. The dialog that pops up will show the correct address.
Once you have created your Synapse account and added your Google email address, sign out of Synapse and sign back in using Google by clicking “Sign in with Google” on the Synapse login page.
API Key
Using a Synapse API key is highly recommended when logging in to Synapse from the command line, Python or R clients instead of a password. API keys are almost always more secure than a password and need to be protected similarly to a password.
To find your API key, from your user icon in the top right corner, select Profile and Settings. Your Synapse API key is available in the box furthest to the bottom of Settings and can be made visible with Show API Key.
Email Notification
Synapse sends platform notifications via email, but it only sends them to the single email address you have selected to be your primary email. You can manage this on your Settings page. Synapse will also use your primary email to pass on messages sent to your username@synapse.org email address by other users, such as @mentions in discussion forums or direct emails from other users.
Deactivating Your Account
All user activity on Synapse is recorded for auditing purposes. So, although they can be updated, Synapse accounts cannot be deleted. All of your public activities are and will remain publicly viewable. All of your activities within private projects are and will remain viewable to the people within that project. If you wish to deactivate your account, please contact us.
Related articles:
User Types, /wiki/spaces/DOCS/pages/1985904796