Skip to main content
To join, open Join a Team… in Elephas, sign in with the email address your invitation was sent to, and register this computer. An Owner or Admin then approves it, and the Team Brains shared with you appear on their own.
You need an invitation from your team’s Owner or an Admin. Joining a Team does not use or change your own Personal plan.

​
Before you start

  • Elephas installed on your computer. See Install on Mac or Install on Windows.
  • The invitation email, and access to that exact address. You must sign in with the same address the invitation was sent to.
  • An internet connection.

​
Steps

1

Open Join a Team

Click the Workspace switcher at the top of the sidebar and choose Join a Team….
Join a Team, step 1 of 5. The steps Sign in with the invited address, Get this computer approved, and Start asking are listed above the Sign In to Join button.
2

Sign in with the invited address

Click Sign In to Join and finish signing in in your browser, using exactly the address the invitation was sent to. If the browser did not open, click Copy Sign-In Link and paste the link into your browser.
Finish signing in in your browser. Elephas waits for the browser and shows the sign-in link with a Copy link button in case the browser did not open.
3

Choose the Team

Under Choose the Team to Join, find your Team marked Ready to join and click Select.
Which Team are you joining? A Team invited as Member and marked Ready to join is selected, another is marked Not ready because the owner has not finished setting it up, with Continue and Refresh buttons.
4

Name this computer

On Register This Device, enter a Device name your admin will recognize, such as “Priya’s MacBook”. You can also change the Workspace name (local only), which only you see. Click Register Device.
Name this computer step with a Computer name field, a Workspace name field shown only on this computer, and Ask to join and Back buttons.
5

Show the confirmation words and wait

Elephas shows Waiting for Approval and five Confirmation Words. Your Owner or Admin approves this computer from Team Devices. You can close Elephas. It carries on once you are approved.
Waiting for the owner to approve this computer, with five confirmation words, a note that Elephas can be closed and finishes on its own once approved, and a Join a Different Team button.
For the Owner or Admin who sent the invitation: open the Team workspace, go to Team Devices, find the new computer by its name and click Approve for This Team. Sometimes the Confirmation Words do not appear on your screen. The computer’s name still shows, so check that the name and the person are right, then approve it. See approve and manage Team devices.
6

Open the workspace

When approval arrives, Elephas installs the Team keys and shows You have joined the Team. Click Open the Team Workspace.
Joined screen. All five steps are complete, the documents shared with you are arriving, and the Open the Team Workspace button is below.

​
What happens next

  • Your Team workspace appears in the Workspace switcher. Your Personal workspace stays exactly as it was.
  • Team Brains appear under Brains once an Owner, Admin or Brain Manager shares them with you and their keys reach your computer. Until then, the Team workspace can be empty.
  • What you can do in each Team Brain depends on your Brain role: Reader, Contributor or Manager. See Roles and permissions.
  • AI in the Team workspace follows the Owner’s AI policy. See Team AI policy.

​
How it works

​
Why approval is needed

Team Brains are end-to-end encrypted. A new computer cannot read anything until an approved Owner or Admin lets it in, and Brain keys are only delivered to approved computers. Signing in proves who you are. Approval decides which computers may hold the Team’s keys.

​
The five confirmation words

The words are computed on your computer from this specific registration. “The approving device must show exactly these words.” Read them to your admin by phone or in person, not by email or chat, so they know the request really came from you.

​
Troubleshooting

No Team invitation for this account. Elephas asks you to accept the invitation email with exactly the address it was sent to, notes invitations can take a few minutes to arrive, and shows a Try Again button.

When no invitation matches the account you signed in with

Join a Team showing This device is blocked in this Team. Your Personal workspace is unaffected. Ask a Team Owner or Admin. A Join a Different Team button is below.

When this computer is blocked in the Team

More fixes in Team errors.

Teams overview

Team Brains

Roles and permissions

Create an account and sign in