The improved security of a Jagex Account is now available to all players.
Upgrade today to benefit from a stronger password, improved MFA (with backup codes) and access to all your characters from a single log in.
Your Jagex Account works with the Jagex Launcher to ensure you can access your characters more easily, while offering the best protection against hijacking. You can also continue to play using the official client or RuneLite via the Jagex Launcher, after you upgrade.
Please make sure to read through this blog before you begin your upgrade. We've included a button further down in the blog to let you begin the process rapidly, but want to make sure you have as much information as possible before you upgrade.
It is the people who are trying to hijack your account who have the most to gain from you delaying your upgrade. So don’t delay, don’t give them the opportunity.
We'd like to reiterate that account security is a major concern for players and a core focus for us! Jagex Accounts allow for increased security and stability, far superior to what is currently offered with an Old School/RuneScape Account by using modern, industry-standard technology to allow your account(s) to be safer than ever before! This includes the ability to set up more complex passwords, options for email or app multi-factor authentication, and perhaps most importantly the provision of backup codes that serve as the only way for you to recover an account should you forget your details or lose access to your preferred authentication method.
It's worth pointing out that the Jagex Accounts system is as much for us as it is for all of you! By modernising our security, we're better able to protect systems that manage player access to the games so upgrading your account means you're also helping us to keep the game running smoothly.
Please remember: it is important to be wary of any emails sent from 'Jagex' as bad actors will try to pose as Jagex and the Old School team. Any emails regarding Jagex Accounts will always include your character name. However, the safest method to upgrade is to login to the official Old School RuneScape Website and visit your account settings, rather than click any links sent via email. You can find more information below!
In January we launched the Closed Beta for Jagex Accounts, which brings with it improved account security. Initially, we limited the Beta to Player Moderators as part of our invite-only 'phased release' approach – but we’re now ready to extend the invitation to all players!
Rather than rehash what we've already said, we'll briefly explain what Jagex Accounts are and why we're using them to bring you updated account security. That said, please do revisit the original blog to learn more about Jagex Accounts in greater detail.
Account security is a major concern for players and a core focus for us. The current system has reached the end of the road as our security solution. The new Jagex Account system will let us provide you with increased security, stability, and sustainability using modern, industry-standard technology. We’ll be able to keep bringing you more Old School for years to come without you worrying that your hard-earned stats and equipment will fall into the hands of hackers.
Jagex Accounts will use a different multi-factor authentication (MFA) integration to current RuneScape Accounts. When setting up MFA for your Jagex Account, you’ll be provided with 10 backup codes to use as your second factor if you lose access to your authenticator device. These codes will only be shown once and can only be used once each – so be sure to record them safely and securely!
To import a character to a Jagex Account, you’ll log in to that character and enter your authenticator details as usual. Once a character has been imported, the MFA for the associated RuneScape Account will no longer work – you’ll need to use the MFA associated with your Jagex Account.
You can still play multiple characters at once and make progress simultaneously, assuming all those characters are linked to your Jagex Account.
In short, the Jagex Account and Launcher is how we’re going to provide you with strong, modern account security – as well as an easier way to log in and manage multiple characters!
As an additional reminder make sure you always set up multi-factor authentication on your email account too. This remains a vulnerability for a number of players and is part of what makes the additional security measures offered by Jagex Accounts a necessity. It's also worth noting that while email authentication is an option for you to sign in to your Jagex Account, making use of an authenticator app is highly recommended as best practice when it comes to security.
This bit of the blog idetails everything you need to know to upgrade to a Jagex Account. We've prepared a handy how-to video that shows you:
- Upgrading to a Jagex Account
- Managing your Jagex Account settings
- How to import additional RuneScape characters to your Jagex Account
To keep things simple, we've put together a nifty infographic showing you step-by-step how to upgrade to a Jagex Account. Before you upgrade, however, we want to reiterate a few pieces of information:
- Migrating your existing characters over to your new Jagex Accounts means they'll all sit under a single, secure login, protected by the new security features we've launched. The Jagex Launcher is required to play using your Jagex Account, since the Launcher is an additional key component of our security solution.
- If you've been using the Jagex Launcher already and haven't yet upgraded to a Jagex Account, you'll need to sign out of the Jagex Launcher after upgrading. Then, you'll log back in to the Launcher using your new Jagex Account credentials and be able to access all of your imported characters to play using either the Official Client or RuneLite.
- At the moment, the Jagex Launcher requires Admin access to run on your machine. This means if you're on a shared network (such as a school or work network), it's possible you won't be able to install and run the Jagex Launcher. We're looking into this but don't have an update at this stage.
- The Jagex Launcher is not supported on the Linux OS. If you want to continue playing on a Linux machine after upgrading to a Jagex Account, there's guidance available in this Support article.
- While HDOS is an approved client, it is not available on the Jagex Launcher at this time. We aren't ruling it out at this stage, but please bear in mind that you won't be able to use HDOS immediately after upgrading to a Jagex Account.
- Only import characters that you own - once a character is imported to a Jagex Account, nobody will be able to log in to the character bar the Jagex Account owner.
- Jagex Accounts are the best way to ensure your accounts are secure. Make sure you understand everything above before upgrading. It is not possible to 'downgrade' from a Jagex Account. After all, the ability to do so would undermine the new security features provided.
Hopefully with all of the information above you're feeling ready to upgrade! Click the button below to get started on the Jagex Account upgrade process!
That should be all you need to know! As we see more questions, feedback, and issues we'll update this blog. You can also check out the original blog for more information, and Player Support have even put together a handy FAQ which you can visit by clicking right here.
If you'd like to take part in the beta but you're worried that a character you'd like to import has been compromised follow these steps to recover your account. Remember that once your character has been imported it will be secured under your Jagex Account, meaning any and all of your imported characters benefit from new Account Security features like backup codes! The best way to protect your account is to upgrade now!
If you receive an error message stating "Please enter a valid email address or username", it's possible that you've forgotten your login name or email. In this case, you can follow the steps in our Forgotten login article to recover your login details.
If you're certain that you're entering the correct login information and are still unable to access your account, it's possible that your account has been hijacked and imported to a Jagex Account.
In this case, contact Jagex Support immediately with the button below so we can take action to secure your account and transfer it away from the hijacker's Jagex Account.
You can discuss this update on our official forums, the 2007Scape subreddit, the Steam forums, or the community-led OSRS Discord in the #gameupdate channel. For more info on the above content, check out the official Old School Wiki.
The Jagex Publishing Platform & Old School teams