Use this guide when an existing user cannot sign in, a new account is created unexpectedly, or a visitor is blocked from creating an account through Social Login, Magic Link or Email OTP.
A block is often intentional Guardrail behavior. The most common surprise runs the other way: accounts are created where you did not expect them, because several settings default to on and some surfaces are not covered by any Guardrail.
Start With the Surface
First checks:
- Identify the exact surface: the WordPress login form, a page using the [ventraconnect_sl_social_login] shortcode, the WordPress registration screen, a Pro integration login form, WooCommerce My Account or checkout, or another signup flow.
- Check the setting that governs that surface: Allow new accounts from default login forms for
wp-login.php; the WooCommerce or integration “Allow new accounts from … login form” setting in Pro. - For Magic Link or Email OTP, then check whether the method is Login only or Login & Register.
- Test once with an email that already belongs to a WordPress user, then with an email never used on the site.
Simple rule: find out which rule governs the surface, then check whether the method is allowed to register. See the Overview for the full list.
A New Email Cannot Create an Account
This is not automatically an error. On a surface intended for existing users, blocking account creation is what Guardrails are for.
Messages you may see when a request is refused:
| Message | Meaning |
|---|---|
| “This sign-in method is currently unavailable.” | The method is turned off. |
| “New registrations are disabled for this login method.” | The method is set to Login only. |
| “You can’t create a new account with this login method on this screen. Please register using the site’s sign-up form first.” | A Guardrail setting blocks account creation on this surface. |
| “This request could not be verified. Please reload the page and try again.” / “This page has expired. Please reload the page and try again.” | The page was stale or cached. Reload and retry. |
| “New accounts can’t be created from the WooCommerce login form…” / “Creating an account during checkout is not available on this store…” / “Account registration is not available on this store…” | WooCommerce rules (login-form setting or WooCommerce account settings) block account creation. |
| “Creating a new account with a passkey is not available on this site.” | The Passkey Registration mode (or another passkey sign-up requirement) blocks it. |
A Login Form Is Creating New Users
If new accounts appear from a surface that should authenticate existing users only, check these in order:
Common causes:
- Was the account created from a page using [ventraconnect_sl_social_login]? Allow new accounts from default login forms does not cover it unless you use [ventraconnect_sl_social_login context="shortcode"].
- Was it created from the WordPress registration screen? That screen is not covered by the setting.
- WooCommerce: is Allow new accounts from the WooCommerce login form still on (default)? Do WooCommerce’s checkout and My Account account settings allow accounts? See the decision table.
- Membership / LMS: is the integration’s “Allow new accounts from … login” setting still on (default)?
- Social Login cannot be set to Login only. Disable the provider on surfaces where new accounts are unwanted.
- Magic Link / Email OTP: use Login only if the method should never register a user.
- The WordPress setting Anyone can register (Settings → General) is not checked for Social Login, Magic Link or Email OTP. Turning it off does not stop these methods from creating accounts. It only controls the WordPress registration screen itself and Passkey registration.
- Passkey accounts: see the Passkeys section below.
- Sites upgraded from older versions may still have a WooCommerce Cart placement saved. It has no setting in 1.4.x; contact support to clear it.
- Test while fully logged out using a completely new email address. Button placement alone does not decide whether account creation is allowed.
An Existing User Is Not Being Matched
First confirm the email being authenticated matches the email stored on the existing WordPress user.
Security behavior: VentraConnect does not use an unverified provider email as a fallback for email-based Social Login account matching.
Do Not Troubleshoot by Creating Another User
If the person already has a WordPress account, creating another can leave them with separate profiles, memberships, orders, enrollments or permissions. Confirm the email on the original user first. For Social Login, also confirm the provider is one that returns a verified email matching that account; otherwise have the user sign in normally and link the provider from their profile. For Magic Link or Email OTP, test with the existing account email.
Passkey Registration Looks Different
The Guardrail behavior for Social Login, Magic Link and Email OTP does not govern passkey registration. A new account can be created with a passkey only on the WordPress registration page (wp-login.php?action=register), and only when WordPress Anyone can register is on, Register form is enabled in VentraConnect → Settings, and the Passkey Registration mode is Login & Register (default).
A Blocked Signup on an Integration Login Form May Be Correct
For supported membership and LMS integrations, turning off the integration’s “Allow new accounts from … login” setting keeps its login form for existing users. Those visitors should use the plugin’s registration, membership checkout, enrollment or signup flow. Remember the settings are on by default, so a login form creates accounts until you turn its setting off. See Guardrails with Membership & LMS Flows.
WooCommerce: My Account and Checkout Behave Differently
Do not treat every WooCommerce surface alike. My Account login follows Allow new accounts from the WooCommerce login form; checkout follows WooCommerce’s own account setting. Test My Account and checkout independently with an existing customer and a brand-new email.
What to Include When Asking for Help
If support asks for more detail, Debug mode is in the General settings.
Please include:
- VentraConnect Free and Pro version numbers
- The exact authentication method
- The state of Allow new accounts from default login forms when the issue is on the WordPress login form, or of the WooCommerce / integration login-form setting
- The method’s Login only / Login & Register setting where applicable
- The exact page or integration where the behavior occurs, and whether it uses the [ventraconnect_sl_social_login] shortcode
- Whether you tested with an existing email or a brand-new email
- Your WordPress / WooCommerce / integration registration configuration
- The VentraConnect diagnostics snapshot when relevant
