How Students Join a Pixton Class with a Class Code

Why this happens

When you create a class in Pixton — the My Groups tab, then New Classroom — the final setup step asks how students will log in. Pixton’s documentation is clear that classes created with the Username option are not compatible with classes created with the Google, Microsoft or Clever SSO options. You are not choosing a default. You are choosing the only way in.

Under the email option, students receive a join link and land on a “Join Your Class” screen, where they sign in with the same SSO provider the teacher used. Under the usernames option, you add students by name during setup, Pixton auto-generates a username for each one, and students open a student login link and type their username at the “Hello Students, type username here” prompt. Neither flow involves a password.

Students can also enter a class code directly at login.pixton.com. Direct join links take the form join.pixton.com followed by a short code.

What you need to know

1. Create the class from the My Groups tab with the New Classroom button, or “Create My First Classroom” on a new account. Name it, choose the grade level, choose a subject for grade 6 and up (K–5 skips that step), then work through the special-options, avatar-maker and comic-maker settings.
2. At the login-method step, choose usernames or email SSO. If your school uses Clever, choose Clever: it cannot be changed afterwards and it does not support usernames.
3. For an email SSO class, copy the join link and share it through your LMS, a QR code, or on the board. Students click it, land on “Join Your Class,” and sign in with the same provider you used.
4. For a usernames class, add each student by name so Pixton generates their username. Then open “Student Login info” at the top right of the class to see every username, and share the student login link. Tell students to bookmark it.
5. Have students join before the lesson, not during it. Pixton has a feature for viewing the class from a student’s perspective; use it to confirm the join worked.
6. If a student arrives at the main Pixton.com homepage instead of your link, stop them. That path leads to a Solo Student account, which cannot join a class and is gated to students 13 and over.

Usernames or SSO: how to decide

Usernames win when students are under 13, do not have school email, or your district blocks third-party sign-in. They cost nothing at sign-up and never involve the IT department. The trade-off is that you own distribution of the login link and the usernames, and a student who loses either comes back to you.

Google or Microsoft SSO wins when your school already runs on one of them and IT permits app sign-in. There is nothing for students to remember. The trade-off is that a district OAuth block takes out the entire class at once, and every student must use the same provider you did.

Clever is the special case. If you use it, you are committed to it for that class, and the usernames option is off the table.

Sharing the link without creating stray accounts

The most common setup failure is a student typing “Pixton” into a search engine, landing on Pixton.com, and creating a Solo Student account. That account sits outside your class, is gated to 13+, and cannot be converted. Worse, if a student creates a Teacher account, Pixton’s policy is to delete it. Share the exact join link and tell students not to search for the site.

Questions people also ask

Where is the Pixton class code?

Inside the class, as the teacher. For an SSO class, share the join link. For a usernames class, open “Student Login info” at the top right for the usernames and the student login link. Students can also enter a class code at login.pixton.com.

Can students join a Pixton class without an email address?

Yes. That is what the usernames option exists for. The teacher adds students by name, Pixton generates usernames, and students log in with the username and the class login link. No email or password is involved.

Can I change a Pixton class from usernames to Google later?

No. Pixton states the two are incompatible. Create a new class with the method you want and have students join it. Pick one method for all your classes from the start.

Do students need a Pixton password?

No. Pixton stores no passwords. SSO students use their Google, Microsoft or Clever credentials; username students use only the username and the link.

If it is actually a different problem

• Pixton login not working — if a student already in the class cannot get in
• Student work has disappeared — if they are in, but you cannot see what they made

Checked September 2026 against Pixton's published documentation. How we research · Report an error