Account & profile — Everything starts here

Sign up with email and password

The simplest way to create an Olaf Wishlist account: your email address and a password of your choice. You also enter your first name (or a nickname) — that's what your loved ones will see in the groups you join. No other information is requested at sign-up: no phone number, no postal address, no date of birth.

A few basic rules for the password: it must be at least 6 characters and must not be identical to your email address. For the rest, you're free — pick something you'll remember. If you forget your password, the Forgot password link on the sign-in page lets you reset it via a secure email link (valid for one hour).

Once the form is submitted, your account is created immediately but remains in unverified status — you can't sign in yet. The next section explains why and how to complete the activation.

Sign up via Google, Facebook or Apple

If you'd rather not create yet another password, Olaf Wishlist supports OAuth authentication with three providers: Google, Facebook and Apple. One click on the matching button opens a secure window at the provider's end, you confirm the sign-in, and your Olaf account is created automatically with the linked email address.

This sign-up method offers several advantages. Your password is never shared with Olaf — Google, Facebook or Apple handles the authentication. Your email address is automatically verified (no confirmation link to click, your provider has already done it). And signing in on every visit takes just two clicks, with no password to type.

An email address can only be tied to a single sign-in method. If you try to sign up with Google using an address already linked to a password-based account (or vice versa), Olaf will prompt you to use the method originally chosen. This rule prevents confusion and keeps your account secure.

Verifying your account by email

After a classic sign-up with email and password, Olaf immediately sends you a verification email containing a secure link. As long as you haven't clicked this link, your account exists but sign-in is blocked — a clear message on the sign-in page reminds you if you try too early. This step guarantees that the email address entered is indeed yours.

The verification link is valid for 24 hours and can only be used once. Once clicked, your account moves to verified status and you can sign in normally. If you can't find the email in your inbox, check your spam folder — and use the Resend verification email button on the sign-in page to request a new one.

Sign-ups via Google, Facebook or Apple skip this step: as the address has already been verified by the provider, your Olaf account is immediately active. No verification email is sent in that case.

Choosing and customising your avatar

Your avatar is the image that represents you in groups, next to every message in the chat, on the wishlists you've created. Olaf offers two ways to set it, from the My profile page.

The first option: upload a photo. Accepted formats: JPG, PNG, WebP, GIF, AVIF, HEIC or HEIF, maximum size 25 MB. The image is automatically cropped and resized by Olaf to display nicely everywhere while preserving the best possible quality. This is the natural choice if you want to use a real photo of yourself, a drawing, or any image that represents you.

The second option: generate an artistic avatar. If you'd rather not put up your photo, Olaf can create a unique drawn avatar for you — a small stylised, colourful character generated from a random combination of features. Click New avatar as many times as you like: each click brings up a new visual. When you find one you like, save it and it becomes your official picture. You can generate a new one or switch back to a photo upload at any time.

Personal preferences: language, timezone, birthday

From the My profile page, several preferences fine-tune Olaf's behaviour to match your daily life.

The interface language defaults to your browser's language, among 16 supported languages. You can change it at any time via the selector at the top right of the page, and your choice is remembered for all future visits. The emails sent by Olaf (notifications, invitations, reminders) automatically follow this same preference — so every recipient receives emails in their own language.

The timezone lets you adjust the sending time of notifications so they reach you at the right moment, wherever you are in the world. Olaf detects your timezone automatically at sign-up, but you can change it if needed.

Your date of birth is optional. If you enter it, you can choose to share it with your groups — option disabled by default. When enabled, the other members of your groups are notified a few days before your birthday so they have time to organise. Only the day and month are shared, never the year. This option can be turned off at any time.

Finally, your notification preferences (email, mobile push, by category) are also managed from this same page. The notifications guide covers this system in detail.