Search and check in guests at an event

Find guests by name or by scanning their QR code, and check them in as they arrive. Searching and checking in also work offline, and offline check-ins synchronize when connectivity returns (see Work offline).

To check in guests, you need the Check in guests permission. Learn more about Permissions.

Note

Users can always see the guests they've added themselves. To see guests added by others, you need the View guests permission.

Check-ins are tracked in logs (see View event log) and analytics (see View event analytics). Analytics show promoter performance data like which users added guests that attended. Logs display which user checked in guests and when.

Steps to search and check in by name

1. Go to Events (main menu) > your event > Guests
2. Use the search field with initial/prefix search:
   • For "John Smith" type "j s" instead of the full name
   • Refine with more letters: "j sm"
   • Order doesn't matter: "s j" also works
3. Select the guest from the results
4. Select the Check in button

The counter on the button shows checked in / total guests. Select it once per person for partial check-ins of groups.

Free and paying guests

If a name has both free and paying guests, two buttons appear, Check in free and Check in paying, so you can track each type separately. Each button's counter shows only its own type.

Enable custom field search

By default, search uses guest names only:

1. Select Filters (next to search field, or More > Filters on mobile)
2. Select which custom fields to include in search
3. Selected fields appear in results and become searchable

Additional filtering options

Select Filters (or More > Filters on mobile) to access:

• Checked in - filter by check-in status
• Guest lists - filter by specific lists
• Added by - filter by who added guests
• Sort by - change sort order (first name, last name, custom field)

Edit check-ins and undo

To undo a check-in or adjust the count:

1. Select the guest
2. Select Edit check-ins
3. Enter the correct number of checked-in guests
4. Select Save

Scan QR codes

Note

The Scan button is only visible on mobile apps, not on the website.

You can scan QR codes to check in guests:

1. Go to Events (main menu) > your event > Guests
2. Select Scan (next to search field) or press the scan button on your dedicated scanner device (like the Zebra TC58)
3. Scan the QR code with your device camera or the dedicated scanner

What you can scan

Currently QR codes are supported. You can scan:

• Tickets - for both paying and free guests (see Manage event ticketing and QR codes)
• Passes (see Passes)
• Guest confirmations - for guest lists with 1 QR code per name (see Guest confirmations)

How scanning behaves

For guest lists, there are two types of QR codes with different default behaviors:

• 1 QR code per guest: Automatically checks in one guest when scanned
• 1 QR code per name: Selects the guest so you can manually check in each person who arrives

For passes, scanning selects the guest (like the 1 QR code per name option).

After a ticket is checked in by a scan, the screen shows the guest and Checked in. Select the name to open the guest. If the ticket has already been checked in, the scanner shows "Ticket has already been checked in" and when it was checked in. A ticket for another event or an unknown code is also rejected, so a guest with the wrong QR code is never checked in.

The scanner works in offline mode, synchronizing check-ins when connectivity returns. See Work offline.

Configure scanning behavior

To change how the scanner works:

1. Select Scan
2. Select the gear icon at the top of the scanner
3. Uncheck Automatically check in guest after scan, so that scanning a "1 QR code per guest" code selects the guest instead of checking them in

The setting also applies to scans from a dedicated scanner device.

Using dedicated scanners

Built-in camera scanning works for most events. For high-volume events requiring speed and precision in dark conditions, consider a dedicated scanner device like the Zebra TC58. Its built-in scanner can be faster and more precise than a regular device camera, but for most events a normal iOS or Android device with the camera scanner is sufficient.

Contact support before purchasing hardware to confirm compatibility.

Best practices

• For speed: Use initial search (type "j s" for "John Smith") - often faster than QR scanning without needing to distribute codes
• For security: QR codes prevent guests from using fake names or IDs
• For VIP experience: Name search provides a personal touch when welcoming high-profile guests and works well when checking IDs