# AO3 _ Archive of Our Own, Login, Search and Status :: Discussions

AO3 is back online — here is what is happening right now

Archive of Our Own, usually called AO3, is back online today, 15 November 2026, after a long outage that started on 29 October 2026. The site came back with limited functionality, so some pages load slowly, some features are still switched off, and you may see error messages while the team finishes the recovery work. If you are trying to log in, search for a story, or check whether your bookmarks are safe, you are in the right place. This page explains what AO3 is, what happened during the outage, and how to use the archive safely.

AO3 is a nonprofit fan archive run by the Organization for Transformative Works, known as the OTW. It is not a company chasing profit. It is ad-free, it is funded by donations, and it was built by fans to give fan works a stable home that would not disappear when a commercial platform changed its rules. The project was created in 2008 and opened to the public in open beta on 14 November 2009. That volunteer-run model explains why a serious security incident takes longer to fix than at a large tech company.

Quick facts about AO3

• Full name: Archive of Our Own (AO3)
• Official site: archiveofourown.org — this is the only official address
• Run by: Organization for Transformative Works (OTW), a nonprofit
• Created: 2008, open beta from 14 November 2009
• Size: More than 16 million works in more than 75,000 fandoms (October 2025 figures)
• Ads: None. The archive is donation-funded
• Official app: There is no official AO3 app
• Award: Hugo Award for Best Related Work in 2019
• Current status, 15 November 2026: Back online with limited functionality after the 29 October security incident

What happened on 29 October and why the site was down so long

On 29 October 2026 AO3 went down after a security incident. The team first announced maintenance of around 12 hours. That estimate changed quickly. Once the team understood the scale of the problem, the maintenance window was extended to 2 to 4 weeks, with a clear message that safety would come before speed. That choice frustrated a lot of readers, and it is easy to understand why. People had stories mid-chapter, exchanges with deadlines, and bookmarks they rely on every day. But rushing a fan archive back online after a security incident risks user accounts, private drafts, and email addresses. The slower path was the responsible one.

Today, 15 November, the archive is back with limited functionality. Core reading is returning first, but some tools may be missing or slower while checks continue. If a page fails, wait and try again later. You can read the full timeline in our post on whether AO3 is down and what happened in the October to November outage, which tracks the incident day by day.

How login and accounts work on AO3

You do not need an account to read most works on AO3. Guests can open public stories, browse fandoms, and use search. You do need an account if you want to post your own works, leave kudos while logged in, bookmark privately, subscribe to authors and series, or comment under your own name. Accounts are free, but AO3 does not let everyone sign up instantly. New accounts need an invitation.

The invitation system sounds old-fashioned, and readers ask about it a lot. AO3 uses an invite queue to control growth and to slow down spam and abuse. You join the queue with your email address on the official site, you wait for your invitation to arrive, and then you create your username and password. Existing users also receive invitations from time to time that they can share with friends. There is no paid fast track, and anyone selling AO3 invitations or accounts is not part of the official system. If you are still waiting, our post on how AO3 invitations work and how to get an account walks through the queue, the wait, and the mistakes that make people miss their invite email.

When you log in, check the address bar before you type your password. It must say archiveofourown.org. Not a similar name, not a shortened link, not an app login screen that looks close enough. Your AO3 password should also be different from passwords you use elsewhere, and you should turn on extra care with your email account, because password resets go through email.

Search and tags — the real strength of AO3

People stay on AO3 because the search system respects how fans actually look for stories. You are not stuck with a single search box and a prayer. You can search and filter by fandom, rating, archive warnings, category, characters, relationships, additional tags, language, and word count. You can sort by date posted, date updated, title, author, word count, kudos, comments, bookmarks, and hits. That range lets you find a 2,000-word one-shot in one fandom tonight and a 200,000-word slow burn in another fandom tomorrow, using the same tools.

Tags do most of the work. Authors tag characters, relationships, settings, themes, and content notes. Readers learn to include the tags they want and exclude the tags they do not want. The exclude filters are just as important as the include filters, especially if you want to avoid spoilers, certain warnings, or crossovers. If search has ever felt confusing, start simple. Pick one fandom, set your language, set a word count range you actually enjoy, and sort by kudos. Then add one or two tags at a time. Our step-by-step post on how to search AO3 with tags, filters and sorting shows the exact order that gives clean results without hiding everything.

Downloading works — what AO3 actually offers

AO3 lets you download works from inside the archive itself. At the top of a work you will find download options in AZW3, EPUB, MOBI, PDF, and HTML. The download covers the whole work, not single chapters on their own. EPUB suits most phones and e-readers. PDF is better for fixed pages. HTML works in any browser.

There is no separate AO3 downloader you need to install, and this site does not offer any AO3 download. If you want the full explanation of what can and cannot be downloaded, see our download page, which explains why AO3 has no app to download and how the built-in EPUB download works. Keep downloads for your own reading. Do not repost someone else's work elsewhere as if it were yours.

Safety — fake AO3 sites and fake apps

Every time AO3 trends or goes down, fake sites appear. Some copy the name and colours. Some promise an official app. Some ask you to log in again to “restore” your account. Do not do it. There is no official AO3 app, and AO3 will only ever ask for your password on archiveofourown.org. A fake login page can steal your account in seconds, and a fake app can ask for permissions your reading app never needs.

Use three checks. Read the domain letter by letter. Type the official address yourself instead of following random login links. Be suspicious of any site asking for payment to read or to speed up an invitation. AO3 is free to read and free to join.

Frequently asked questions

Is AO3 down right now?

As of 15 November 2026, AO3 is back online with limited functionality after the outage that began on 29 October. Some features may still be slow or unavailable while recovery continues. If the official site does not load for you, wait and try again later rather than using a mirror.

What is the official AO3 website?

The only official website is archiveofourown.org. Any other domain using the AO3 name is not the official archive.

Is there an official AO3 app?

No. AO3 has no official app for Android or iPhone. The archive is designed to work in your mobile browser. Apps that claim to be the official AO3 app are not official.

Do I need an invitation to read on AO3?

No. You can read public works as a guest. You need an invitation only to create an account, which you need for posting, subscribing, and private bookmarks.

Can I download stories from AO3?

Yes, from inside AO3 itself. Open a work on archiveofourown.org and use the download button to save the whole work as AZW3, EPUB, MOBI, PDF, or HTML.

Who runs AO3?

The Organization for Transformative Works, a nonprofit run largely by volunteers. AO3 won the Hugo Award for Best Related Work in 2019.

Be patient while the limited return settles, keep your login on the official domain only, and use the search tools well. The archive is at its best when you can find exactly the story you need and trust it will still be there next year.