# How to diagnose an Unknown Error during login to your Sourcegraph instance

This document will attempt to identify a common reason for an `Unknown Error` when attempting to login using a username and password to your organizations Sourcegraph instance.

## Prerequisites

-   This document assumes that Sourcegraph is set up and you are trying to login via an existing username and password
-   For the step to check the site config, you will need to ask your organizations site-admin to check for you (this may not be required)

## Steps to identify and remedy

### Symptoms

1. You are attempting to login with your username and password and see an `Unknown Error` message above the username and password boxes

2. This is often a result of an `http/https` protocol mismatch between what is in the site configuration for `externalURL`, and what the user is trying to log in to

    - For example, if the protocol in the site configuration is set to `https://sourcegraph.your_instance_name.com`
    - And the user is trying to login at the `http://sourcegraph.your_instance_name.com`, then this error can be displayed

### Things to check

1. Check your Browsers URL bar for a message such as `Not Secure` indicating that you are trying to authenticate via `http` instead of `https`

    - For example, on a Chrome browser you would see the message on the top left hand corner of the URL bar

2. If you were trying to login with `http` protocol, try again with `https` instead

3. If you are still having issues, you can ask a site-admin to double check the `externalURL` configured in the Site configuration so you have the correct login landing page
    - See [Configuring the external URL](/self-hosted/url)

## Further resources

-   [Sourcegraph - Site configuration](/admin/config/site-config)