When QR codes are enabled for the event, each ticket confirmation email includes a QR code. Event staff can scan these codes or search by name to check in attendees at the door. This guide covers setup, check-in workflows, and what to do when issues arise.
When check-in opens
Check-in opens 30 minutes before your event's start time. This applies to single events, each session of a recurring event or Event Series, and free RSVP events.
Before then, the event page shows Check-in opens with the exact date and time in your event's time zone, and the check-in controls on the guest list are locked with the label Check-in opens on event day. There is no separate Check-in tab: check-in lives on the event page, and the Open check-in action appears there in the action ribbon below the event details once the window opens. There is no setting to move the opening time earlier.
Before doors open: setup checklist
Complete these steps before your event starts:
Open your event in the Eventually dashboard on your phone
Open check-in from the event page so the attendee list loads. This action appears 30 minutes before the event starts
Confirm you can see attendee names and ticket types
Test searching by typing a few letters of an attendee name
Keep the event page open so the attendee list stays loaded for searching
No app download or special hardware required. Your phone is the tool — just open the dashboard in your browser and you're ready to check people in.
Checking in attendees
Check in at the door by scanning a ticket's QR code or by searching for the attendee by name or email. There are two ways to scan: a phone camera opens the guest's ticket page, and the in-app Scan tickets tool verifies the ticket and checks the guest in.
To check in by QR code
Check-in opens 30 minutes before your event's start time. From then on, the Open check-in action on your event page opens full-screen check-in mode; there is no separate Check-in tab. Adding ?checkin=true to the event-page URL opens that mode directly.
Open check-in from your event page.
Tap Scan tickets.
Point the camera at the guest's QR code, on their phone or printed ticket.
The tool validates the ticket and checks the guest in. When the ticket shares an order with other people or add-ons, the scan shows the whole order first. See the next section.
Tap Flashlight when the scanner shows it to light up the guest's code in a dim room. The control only appears when the camera supports it.
Scan and check in an entire order
When the ticket you scan shares an order with other people or add-ons, the scanner shows the whole order: the scanned item first, then the rest under In this order. People show their name and ticket type. Add-ons show the item name, quantity, and any add-on answers, such as Size: M.
Open check-in from your event page and tap Scan tickets.
Point the camera at one QR code from the order.
Review the order panel: the scanned person or add-on appears first, and the other items in the order appear under In this order.
Tap Check in for each person who has arrived, or tap the bulk button, such as Check in 2 people, to check in everyone still waiting at once. Add-ons are never included in the bulk action.
For an add-on, tap Mark picked up when the guest collects the item, for example at the T-shirt table. The add-on then shows Picked up, and Undo reverses it.
Tap Scan next when you are finished with the order. The panel stays open until you do, and tapping it clears the order and keeps the camera scanning.
You can also mark an item picked up from the check-in list the same way.
Scanning an add-on's code never checks anyone in. The scanner shows Pick up at the table, and you mark the item picked up instead of checking it in.
Scanning a person who is already checked in shows Already checked in, or Already checked in at 10:42 AM when a check-in time was recorded. The time is shown in your event's time zone.
Answers stay with what they belong to. An add-on's answers, such as a shirt size, appear on that item in the order panel. Attendee answers are not shown in the scanner; they appear in the confirmation email under each person's ticket as Your answers.
To check in from a phone-camera scan
Current ticket QR codes encode the full public ticket page URL, so scanning one with any phone camera opens the guest's ticket page instead of showing raw token text.
Scan the guest's QR code with your phone camera.
Sign in to the event's team if you aren't already.
In the Staff check-in bar, tap Check in.
Guests and logged-out visitors see the normal ticket page without the staff bar. A guest who is already checked in shows ✓ Checked in with an Undo button instead of Check in.
To check in by name search
Open check-in from your event page.
Use the search field to find the attendee by name or email.
When you see their name, press Enter to check them in.
If your search matches exactly one pending attendee, pressing Enter checks them in automatically and clears the search field for the next guest.
Staff can check in from several phones at the same event. Every phone's Open check-in screen shows checked-in and pending counts that refresh while check-in mode is open: check-ins made on another phone appear on your screen within about 20 to 40 seconds, and new or refunded attendees appear without reopening check-in (the list refreshes for roster changes at most once a minute). If tapping an attendee row fails, the row goes back to its previous state and shows "Couldn't save. Check the connection and try again." with a Retry button. An offline phone can keep searching attendees on its loaded list, but a failed row change needs a connection: retry it once you're back online.
Offline check-in
Searching works offline once the attendee list has loaded — name and email filtering happens on your device. Checking a guest in, whether by scan or by name, requires a connection: the scanner sends each code to the server for its verdict, and manual check-ins save to the dashboard. If you lose connectivity at the door, you can keep searching, but check-ins won't register until you reconnect.
The attendee list loads when you first open check-in. Load it while you still have a connection so it's available for offline searching.
Troubleshooting common door issues
An attendee is already checked in
If you scan a QR code or search for an attendee and see that they're already marked as checked in, check a few things:
Ask the attendee — They may have already been checked in by another staff member or at a different entrance.
Check the attendee list — Look for duplicate registrations or similar names.
Verify manually — If you're certain this is an error and the person hasn't entered yet, you can note it and proceed. The status display will show "Already checked in." If this is a mistake, use Undo from the ticket page to reverse the check-in.
QR code won't scan or scan fails
If a QR code isn't scanning properly:
Use name search instead — Search for the attendee by name or email and check them in manually. This is the fastest fallback.
Check screen brightness — If the code is on the attendee's phone, ask them to turn up their screen brightness.
Try a different angle — Glare or holding the phone at an odd angle can interfere with scanning.
The scanner reports a ticket problem
The in-app scanner shows one of these verdicts:
Different event — The ticket belongs to another event.
Ticket not active — The registration isn't active, for example if it was cancelled or refunded.
Not a valid ticket — The code isn't a valid ticket.
Signed out — sign in again — You need to sign in to the event's team.
Couldn't verify — check connection and rescan — The scan couldn't reach the server.
Scanning a series ticket at a session
A series ticket from an Event Series scans at every session it covers. Scanning it at a session checks the holder into that session. If the holder bought a drop-in for that session, the scan checks in the drop-in. If the seat for that session is no longer active, for example after a cancellation, the scanner reports "Ticket not active".
No attendee found in search
If you search for an attendee by name or email and see "No attendees match your query":
Check spelling — Try partial names or alternate spellings.
Search by email — Email addresses are often more unique than names.
Check the correct event — Make sure you have the right event open, especially if you're running multiple events or sessions.
Walk-in registration — If the person isn't registered but needs to attend, add them as a guest directly from your dashboard and check them in. See Check in walk-in guests.
Attendee may have cancelled or refunded
The check-in list excludes cancelled and refunded registrations. If someone claims to have registered but doesn't appear:
Check your orders or registrations list in the dashboard to see if their ticket was cancelled or refunded.
If you need to admit them anyway, you can manually add them as a guest using the Add Guest option.
Check-in is not available yet
Before your event, the Open check-in action does not appear on the event page and the check-in controls on the guest list are locked. This is expected: check-in opens 30 minutes before the event's start time, and the event page shows the Check-in opens time while you wait. If you need the check-in screen before then, add ?checkin=true to the event-page URL to open it directly.
After the event
Export your check-in records as a CSV file for attendance tracking and reporting:
From your event dashboard, find the Guests or Attendees section.
