Enable identifier-first login in Service Portal

---
title: Enable identifier-first login in Service Portal
description: Service Portal uses an identifier-first login authentication method where the authentication path is determined by the username or email entered. The path is evaluated against configured identifier-first login policies. Identifier-first login takes precedence over any identity provider or local login options configured for the portal.
locale: en-US
canonical_url: https://www.servicenow.com/docs/r/australia/platform-user-interface/service-portal/identifier-first-login-service-portal.html
release: australia
product: Service Portal
classification: service-portal
topic_type: task
last_updated: "2026-09-10"
reading_time_minutes: 1
breadcrumb: [Managing portal access, Configuring Service Portal, Service Portal, Configure UIs and portals, Configure user experiences]
---

# Enable identifier-first login in Service Portal

Service Portal uses an identifier-first login authentication method where the authentication path is determined by the username or email entered. The path is evaluated against configured identifier-first login policies. Identifier-first login takes precedence over any identity provider or local login options configured for the portal.

## Before you begin

-   The multi-provider SSO plugin is installed and activated on your instance. For more information, see [Multi-Provider single sign-on \(SSO\)](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/platform-security/c_MultipleProviderSingleSignOn.md).
-   The policy-based login experience is enabled, and at least one active identifier-first login policy is configured on your platform instance. For more information, see .

Role required: admin

## Procedure

1.  Navigate to **All** > **Service Portal** > **Portals**.

2.  Select a portal to apply the identifier-first login authentication.

3.  In the **Authentication Settings** section, select **Enable portal-specific authentication**.

4.  Select **Identifier first login**.

    **Note:** The identifier-first login field appears when the multi-provider SSO plugin is active. If this field is not visible, confirm that the multi-provider SSO plugin is installed and enabled on your instance.

5.  Clear conflicting login options such as local login and portal identity provider.

6.  Select **Update**.

    **Note:** If a login widget for a portal is customized or copied, manually update the login widget with the identifier-first login changes or revert to the original login widget.


## Result

When accessing the portal login page with identifier-first login applied, a username/email entry field appears first. Only the identifier-first login configuration is applied to the portal.

**Parent Topic:**[Managing portal access](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ServiceNow/ServiceNowDocs/australia/markdown/australia/platform-user-interface/service-portal/portal-security.md)