In this tutorial, you will learn how to extend the default session expiration time within Sitecore CMS. Having to manually log into the CMS every time you need to access the editor is very annoying. It also wastes time and prevents you from being as productive as possible. Extending the default timeout setting will mean you will not be prompted to log into the CMS as often, allowing you get more shit done more quickly. Extending the timeout setting is a simple tweak, however, the change will allow you to build your website that much quicker. If this sounds good to you, read on 🔥🔥🔥

The Sitecore Client Timeout Setting

The session expiration time within Sitecore is based on the underlining FormsAuthentication settings. This setting defines the non-activity period that must be hit before you are auto-logged out of Sitecore. By default, this is usually set at 60 minutes, I usually make this 3 hours on my development config. This means I can go to lunch without having to log back in 😊. To update this setting go to your web.config file and find this section:

Sitecore authentication also uses the .NET membership provider. This means you will also need to update the forms authentication timeout value here. Find this section within your web.config and update the timeout value accordingly:

The last timeout configuration change that you may need to change is the session timeout. The session timeout will only affect your website if you have configured your application to manage sessions via the database instead of a cookie. Update the timeout value accordingly:

Sitecore Log Out Troubleshooting Tips

  • If you make these tweaks and still have issues, double-check that you are the only person using the user account. If you share the same user account between different people (which is not a recommended practice for a number of reasons), you may find you encounter strange log-out behaviour. Before Sitecore v7.1, if the same log-in was used concurrently if one of the accounts was logged out, all the others would as well. If you are experiencing strange timeout issues, it might be a good idea just to check everyone has an individual Sitecore account 🤔

  • In Sitecore, some licenses have a restriction about the number of users who can use the editor at the same time. This can cause issues when one user needs to log in but another user has one of the available log-in spots. If you encounter a strange Session expiration issue check your license types.

Happy Coding 🤘