How to Get an AO3 Account & Invite (2026)

What is AO3?

AO3 (Archive of Our Own) is one of the largest fanfiction archives on the internet, hosting millions of works across thousands of fandoms. It is a nonprofit project run by the Organization for Transformative Works (OTW), funded entirely by voluntary donations.

Unlike many other platforms, AO3 has no ads, no premium subscriptions, and no paywalls. It won a Hugo Award in 2019 and is widely considered the gold standard for fanfiction hosting. The site uses an invite system to manage server capacity and prevent spam, but the process is straightforward.

How to Request an AO3 Invite

Follow these steps to request your free AO3 invite and create an account:

Go to the AO3 homepage

Open your browser and navigate to archiveofourown.org. You can also type ao3.org, which redirects to the same site.

Click "Get Invited!"

Near the top of the AO3 homepage, you will see a button or link that says "Get Invited!". Click it to open the invite request form.

Enter your email address

Type your email address into the form and submit it. Make sure you use an email address you can access, because your invite link will be sent there. Double-check for typos before submitting.

Wait for your invite email

AO3 processes invite requests in the order they are received. You will get a confirmation email right away letting you know you are in the queue, and then a second email with your actual invite link once it is your turn.

Click the link in your invite email

When you receive the invite email from AO3, click the link inside to begin creating your account. If you do not see the email, check your spam or junk folder. The email comes from the address "do-not-reply@archiveofourown.org".

Create your account

Choose a username and password, accept the Terms of Service, and submit the form. Your username will be visible to other users, so pick something you are comfortable with. You can change your username later, but only once.

How Long Does an AO3 Invite Take?

In most cases, you will receive your AO3 invite within 1 to 3 days after joining the queue. However, wait times can vary:

Low demand periods: Invites can arrive within a few hours.
Normal periods: Expect 1 to 3 days. This is the most common experience.
High demand periods: During viral fandom events or when AO3 is in the news, wait times can stretch to a week or occasionally longer.

If more than a week has passed and you still have not received your invite, check your spam folder first. If it is not there, you can re-submit your request or contact AO3 Support through their website.

What to Do While You Wait

The good news is that you do not need an AO3 account to start reading. Here is what you can and cannot do without an account:

Without an account

Browse all public fandoms and tags
Read the vast majority of works
Use search and filtering tools
View work statistics (kudos, comments, bookmarks)

Requires an account

Leave kudos on works
Post comments
Bookmark and organize fics
Subscribe to works or authors
Publish your own fanfiction
Read works restricted to logged-in users

Tips for New AO3 Users

Once you have your account, here are some resources to help you get the most out of AO3:

Learn to use filters

AO3's tagging and filtering system is powerful but can be overwhelming at first. Our AO3 Filtering Guide walks you through everything from excluding tags to sorting by kudos.

Understand ratings and warnings

AO3 uses a specific rating and warning system to categorize content. Read our Ratings & Warnings Guide so you know what each label means before you start reading.

Learn the lingo

Fanfiction has its own vocabulary. Check out our Fanfiction Glossary to learn terms like "fluff," "angst," "OTP," "canon," and more.

Set your preferences

After creating your account, go to My Preferences to set your default skin (theme), enable or disable warnings, choose your default work search settings, and configure email notifications.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is AO3 free?

Yes, AO3 is completely free. It is a nonprofit project run by the Organization for Transformative Works (OTW) and funded entirely by voluntary donations. There are no ads, no premium subscriptions, and no paywalls.

Do I need an account to read on AO3?

No. The vast majority of works on AO3 are publicly accessible and can be read without logging in. However, some authors choose to restrict their works to logged-in users only. You also need an account to leave kudos, comment, bookmark, or post your own work.

Can I get an AO3 invite faster?

The fastest way is to ask an existing AO3 user if they have a spare invite to share. AO3 periodically gives users a limited number of invite codes they can send to friends. Otherwise, the official queue typically processes requests within 1 to 3 days, which is the most reliable method.

What can I do with an AO3 account?

With an account you can leave kudos on works you enjoy, post comments, bookmark and organize your favorite fics, subscribe to works or authors for update notifications, publish your own fanfiction, participate in collections and gift exchanges, and access works that authors have restricted to logged-in users.

How to Get an AO3 Account