With improvements to Church websites, new navigation menus, links to social media, and more interactive web resources, an LDS Account is one of the most overlooked and powerful features of the Church’s web presence. It allows you to use a single user name and password multiple places, and in many places connects you seamlessly from one location to another. Single sign-in has been around for a while. It has reduced development costs, improved user security, and facilitated web integration. Obtaining an LDS Account is an easy process from wherever you see a sign-in link on a Church-sponsored website. LDS Accounts are managed centrally from https://ldsaccount.lds.org. When logged into your account profile, you can change your password, display name, preferred language, and a number of other things related to online access. When registering for an LDS Account, Church members will be asked to provide their membership record number (MRN) and their birth date. Members can obtain MRN information by asking the ward clerk or by looking on their temple recommends. If the user name or password are lost or forgotten, the MRN can help with account recovery using an email address or text to a mobile phone provided during the registration process. Church websites take advantage of LDS Account information to determine or grant appropriate access to applications based on callings, such as Leader and Clerk Resources, or provide calling-specific help and training materials for applications. You can browse to your heart’s content in many places, but more options are waiting for you to explore once signed in. The following great features are among those that make an LDS Account a powerful tool for user access: Under “My Account and Ward” at LDS.org, access your ward and stake calendars and use the directory to look up member addresses. From the directory, link to maps to show you where people live.

Use “Account Settings” under the sign-in menu at LDS.org to update your display name, or change your password or email address. Subscribe or unsubscribe to “Inspiration and News from the First Presidency”.

Link from LDS.org directly to “My Family Tree” to view your family history information and prepare names for temple work. View and upload stories, photos, and audio files into “Memories.”

Use the link when signed in at http://familysearch.org for Indexing and participate in extracting information from public records. Follow the “Partners” link to set up a free member account with four different genealogical repositories to help you with family history research.

Request a copy of your patriarchal blessing or that of a deceased ancestor from LDS.org.

Work on Personal Progress and Duty to God awards online. Record and track your progress and keep a digital journal.

Mark up and highlight text, and take notes as you study, from a digital edition of the scriptures and other Church publications at LDS.org. Bookmark and create journal entries using the links that become visible on the status bar. Annotations on all your digital devices sync to your personal space at LDS.org.

Sign in at http://tech.lds.org and leave comments on the blog, or ask or answer a question in the forum. Join a project at LDSTech.

Leave comments on articles and videos at http://youth.lds.org. Share what inspires you with friends through email, Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest.

Create a profile for yourself at Mormon.org, upload a picture, and tell your story. Many browsers allow you to cache or save sign-in information. If you use a public computer or share the same computer with family members, you’ll want to avoid this option. Youth under the age of 13 will need a parent’s membership number or email address to register. Now that you know some of the wonderful things you can do with an LDS Account, share the news with your friends, post something new on social media, and take full advantage of all the benefits.