Kahoot PIN not working: what each error means

How it works

1. Read the message

   Not found and not available have different fixes.

2. Copy the current PIN

   Take it from the host's screen, not from an old link.

3. Start while the lobby is open

   A run can wait for the game, but not for a lobby that never opens.

4. Switch inputs if needed

   A quiz link or quiz ID never has to join the game.

What each Kahoot PIN error means

The Answer Solver, the Game Joiner Bot and the Flooder all use the same wording for a PIN that leads nowhere, so the fixes below apply to every tool that takes a Kahoot game PIN.

• Kahoot game not found. Check the PIN. The game may have ended: Kahoot has no game under that number. The PIN has a typo, it belongs to an earlier game (Kahoot gives every new game a new PIN), or the host already closed the game.
• Kahoot game not available: the PIN exists, but the game behind it has ended, the host left, or the lobby hasn't opened yet. Check the PIN and start a new run while the host's lobby is open.
• Kahoot could not be reached: Kahoot didn't answer in time. Try again in a moment.
• Kahoot asks for two-step join, or Kahoot asks for a player ID: the PIN is right, but the host turned on a lobby setting no bot can pass. See Kahoot lobby settings that block bots.
• Kahoot refused the bot name: that name is already in this game. Try a different bot name.
• The game did not start within 45 minutes: the run waited in the lobby, but the host never started. Start a new run when the host opens the game.

Fix a Kahoot PIN that doesn't work

1. Look at the host's screen

   Copy the Kahoot game PIN shown there now. A PIN from an old link or yesterday's class is out of date.

2. Check that the lobby is open

   If the host is still choosing a quiz or settings, the game isn't available yet. Wait until players can join.

3. Start a new run

   A finished run doesn't retry by itself. Press Get Answers again with the current PIN.

4. Read the new message

   If it names a lobby setting or the bot name, follow that fix.

5. Use the quiz instead

   If you have the Kahoot quiz link or the Kahoot quiz ID, enter that. It reads the quiz directly and never joins the game.

What you can enter in the PIN field

The Answer Solver's PIN, quiz ID, or URL field reads more than a bare number, as long as what you paste contains one of these:

• A game PIN on its own, or with a trailing dot.
• A PIN inside text or a link, such as join at kahoot.it/1234567, kahoot.it 1234567 or a kahoot.it/?pin=1234567 join link. The text must hold only one number of PIN length.
• A Kahoot quiz link, such as create.kahoot.it/details/ followed by the quiz ID, or the host's lobby link play.kahoot.it/v2/lobby?quizId= followed by the ID. A quiz ID typed from a photo, with O for zero or l for one, is corrected.
• A Kahoot challenge PIN, as in kahoot.it/challenge/1234567. The challenge is read directly.
• A challenge link that only holds the challenge ID, or a solo link such as kahoot.it/solo/ followed by an ID. StudyOutlaws asks Kahoot for that challenge's PIN and continues from there.

Inputs that are refused at once

Some inputs can never lead to a game, so the run stops at once, uses no credits and tells you what to enter.

• The address of your own player screen, such as kahoot.it/answer/result, kahoot.it/start, kahoot.it/getready or kahoot.it/lobby: This link doesn't include the Kahoot game. Enter the game PIN shown on the host's screen instead.
• A Wayground, Blooket, Gimkit or Google Forms link: the message names the platform and points you to its own tools on the dashboard.
• A quiz title, a username or other text with no PIN, quiz ID or challenge in it: This doesn't look like a Kahoot game. Enter the game PIN shown on the host's screen, a Kahoot quiz link, or a quiz ID.

When to start a run with a Kahoot PIN

Start once the host's lobby is open and before the first question if you can. With a live PIN, the Answer Solver joins the lobby under your bot name and waits. The whole watch, lobby wait included, stops after 45 minutes.

If the lobby closes before the game starts, the run ends with The game closed before it started. If the game ends before any correct answers appear, the run says so and suggests starting before the first question next time, so answers can be collected from the start.

PIN errors in the Game Joiner Bot and Flooder

A Kahoot bot PIN problem looks the same in the Game Joiner Bot and the Flooder: not found and not available have the meanings above. These two tools can also report Kahoot game is locked, which means the host locked the lobby and no new player can join. Ask the host to unlock it, then start a new run. Neither tool can use a quiz link instead, because they have to join the live game.

Common questions