# FAQ and troubleshooting

> Source: https://support.usebluehill.com/customer-portal-faq-and-troubleshooting  |  Updated: 2026-10-27T13:54:45Z

## Access and visibility

**My customer can't see a ticket a colleague opened.** Their portal account is not linked to the customer record. Open **Support → Portal users** and pick the customer in the **Customer** column; the company-wide view appears straight away. See [Link a portal user to a customer](./customer-portal-manage-portal-users#link-a-portal-user-to-a-customer).

**Can one portal user see two customers?** Not within one workspace: a portal user is linked to one customer at a time. If someone works with you through two companies, give them a portal account for each email address they use.

**Why does the portal say "Showing requests you've submitted"?** The signed-in user is not linked to a customer. Link them, or leave it if they should only see their own requests.

**Why is the Tickets link missing for a customer?** Their **Access** does not include **Support tickets**. Change it on the Portal users page. If **Home** is missing instead, they lack **Onboarding & tasks** or are not linked to a customer.

**Can I preview the portal myself?** Yes. Workspace owners and admins can sign in to the portal with their own email. You are not linked to a customer, so you see only requests you submitted yourself; link a test account to a customer if you want the full picture.

**How do I remove a portal user?** Click **Deactivate** on the Portal users page. Accounts cannot be deleted, but a deactivated user cannot sign in to the portal. **Reactivate** brings them back.

## Invitations and sign-in

**The invitation link has expired.** Invitations last 7 days. Click **Re-invite** in the Contacts tab, or **Resend** under **Pending invites** on the Portal users page.

**The customer says they never received the code.** Ask them to check spam for an email from BlueHill with the subject **Your sign in code for BlueHill**. Codes expire after 10 minutes, so they should request a new one with **Resend code**; a new code cancels the old one. Sending is limited to a few codes per address every ten minutes.

**The customer sees "You don't have access to any organizations".** Their address has a BlueHill account but no portal access in any workspace. Common causes: the person is a member of your own team (they use the main app), their portal account was deactivated, or they are signing in with a different address from the one you invited.

**Why does the invitation email come from BlueHill, not from us?** Invitations and sign-in codes are sent by BlueHill and carry its branding. The portal itself shows your name, logo and colours. Your support replies come from your own sending address as usual.

**Why is there a Change Password button if sign-in uses codes?** Some accounts set a password when they were created from an invitation. Sign-in always works with the emailed code; a password is never required.

## Tickets

**Can customers close their own tickets?** No. They reply to tell you the problem is fixed, and you solve the ticket from the inbox. Replying to a solved ticket reopens it.

**Can customers attach files?** Images only: PNG, JPG, GIF or WebP, up to six per message and 12 MB in total. For other files, ask them to reply by email; the email joins the ticket.

**Where are closed tickets in the portal?** Under the **All** tab. **Solved** shows only tickets in a solved status.

**Do I get an email when a portal ticket arrives?** Only the agent that routing or round-robin assigns it to is emailed. Set up routing rules if portal tickets should always reach someone's inbox.

**Why does our reply show as "Support" instead of the agent's name?** The portal labels each message with the name it was sent under, which for a shared inbox is usually **Support**; automatic replies carry the brand's name. Agents' email addresses are never shown.

**Can customers rate our support in the portal?** Not in the portal. Satisfaction surveys are sent by email; see the Support guides for CSAT.

**What is the difference between the contact form and the portal?** Both open a ticket with the channel *Portal*. The contact form on the help center needs no account and asks for a name and email; the portal is for signed-in users, who can also follow and reply to tickets there.

**A customer replied in the portal but the ticket did not reopen.** Check **Support settings → Workflow**: when replies are limited to solved and closed tickets, a pending ticket stays pending.

## Self sign-up

**Someone signed up but is not linked to a customer.** Their email did not match a customer exactly, or matched more than one. Link them by hand on the Portal users page, or add the customer's domain to the customer record so future sign-ups match.

**A customer from an allowed domain cannot sign up.** Check the domain is spelt correctly under **Allowed email domains** on the right site; brand sites can have their own list. Also check that the person is not already a portal user or a team member.

**Can I turn self sign-up on for one brand only?** Yes. Pick the brand's site at the top of the help center settings and change its **Self sign-up** card; it stops following the default site's policy.

Back to the [user guide index](./customer-portal-overview).