Website technical support and online account access

If you don't remember your username, go to the Forgot username screen. After you verify your identity, we'll send your username to the registered e-mail address on file.

If you need to change your username, you'll need to re-register. After you've re-registered, you'll have immediate access to your accounts; however, we'll place a seven-day hold on terminations, withdrawals, electronic bank transfers, and dividend elections processed online. We'll still process all other transactions, including loans via check, during this seven-day hold.

If you don't remember your password, select Forgot your Password? on the password screen. After you verify your identity, we'll issue you a temporary password. After logging on with your temporary password, you'll set up a new, permanent password.

Your permanent password must contain 6 to 20 characters and include 2 letters and 2 numbers. You may use most special characters and a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters to help make your password stronger.

We use "cookies" to recognize the computers you use to log in to vanguard.com. Over time, cookies can be removed from your computer through system updates (e.g., browser security updates) or human action (e.g., proactively deleting cookies from your browser).

If you want us to recognize the computer you're using to log in, select Yes, I plan on using this computer to sign on to Vanguard.com in the future on the screen that asks your security question.

If you don't want us to recognize the computer, select No, this is a public computer or one I don't plan on using often to sign on to Vanguard.com on the security question screen.

Cookies and other similar data files are tiny pieces of information that we ask your browser to store. If your browser doesn't accept cookies, you won't be able to view your account information online. Vanguard.com uses two types of these data files:

Session cookies. These data files are temporary cookies that are deleted when you shut down your browser, when you log off, or after your computer is inactive for 15 minutes. These cookies let us know that you've logged on and they allow us to maintain your privacy as you move from page to page. They also act as timers, logging you off after prolonged inactivity to prevent unauthorized account access.

Permanent or persistent cookies/data files. These types of data files are stored on your hard drive and are read by your browser each time you visit our website. They're used to remember which investments you entered in your Watch List, which funds you're tracking through Outside Investments, the results from your last visit to our Narrow Your Fund Choices tool, and to help verify your identity when you try to access your account information or initiate an online transaction. We also use them if we need to send you important messages while you're online.

Important notes:

• We use data files such as cookies only when alternative means are not practical or available.
• We disclose all uses of these data files on this page.
• We limit the size of our cookies to 4 kilobytes. (It would take about 20 million cookies to fill a 2-gigabyte hard drive.)
• You may receive multiple cookies or similar data files during each visit to vanguard.com. For example, when you navigate within a secure area, temporary cookies may be created each time you leave a page.

We require a valid e-mail address so we can communicate any changes or updates to your account information. A valid e-mail address also enables you to reset your own username, password, and security questions.

Current versions of most browsers that are optimized for our website now offer the option of saving passwords for different websites, including Vanguard's. While we make every effort to protect the security of your accounts, we don't recommend storing your Vanguard password on your browser in case your computer becomes compromised.

If your Vanguard password has already been saved by your browser, we've listed step-by-step instructions below for how to remove it. When your password has been removed from the list of passwords, please close out your browser and open a new window before continuing to use our website.

To remove your Vanguard password so that it's not stored on your browser, locate your browser below and follow the instructions:

A good first step is to try clearing your cache and cookies to ensure you are accessing the latest version of our website. Not sure how to do so? See below for tips for your specific browser.

To clear your browser's cache (temporary internet files), locate your browser below and follow the instructions:

To clear your browser's cookies, follow the instructions for your browser below.

In order to use our site you may need to disable your popup blocker(s). First, you need to locate the applications, then disable the popup blockers. There are three major types of popup blockers that may be installed on your system:

Blockers built into your web browser
Internet Explorer 6 and higher, Firefox, Safari, and Google Chrome all have popup blockers built into the applications. See below for instructions for specific web browsers.

Blockers you add through a toolbar
Some of the most popular web browser toolbars, such as Google Toolbar and Yahoo! Companion include popup blockers you can control in the toolbar window. We recommend that you check the toolbar manufacturer's website for instructions for disabling the popup blocker, as most manufacturers keep this information in their online help files.

Stand-alone blockers
You can also purchase or download applications that block popup windows and other advertisements as part of an overall security package. These include applications such as Popup Stopper, Ad-Subtract, and Ad-Aware, as well as firewall or antivirus applications including Norton Internet Security and Zone Alarm. We recommend that you check the manufacturer's website or the help files for the application for instructions for disabling the popup blocker.

Note: Most popup blockers running on Windows computers can be temporarily disabled by holding down the Control (Ctrl) key and Alternate (Alt) key on your keyboard while clicking a link. This is the fastest and easiest first step.

To disable a popup blocker on your web browser, follow the instructions for your browser below.