Getting started

Townwell gives neighborhoods, clubs, and local organizations one private place for members, a shared feed, events, documents, reservations, and direct messages — with end-to-end encryption, so your community's conversations stay yours.

Townwell is invite-only during the private alpha. Everything below assumes you've been invited by a community that uses Townwell.

Create your account

1. Open the invite you received and follow it to the signup page.
2. Create an account with a username and password.
3. Write down your recovery key and keep it safe. Townwell is end-to-end encrypted — because your content can only be decrypted with your key, your recovery key is the only way to get back in if you ever forget your password. Anyone who has it can recover your account, so treat it like a password. See the Privacy & encryption guide.
4. You can optionally create a passkey for faster, more secure sign-in on your device.

Join or create a community

• Joining: a community admin can send you an invite. Accept it, and you'll be a member of that community's shared spaces (feed, events, documents, reservations, and direct messages).
• Creating your own community: from your home screen you can start a new community, invite your neighbors or club, and set up its shared spaces.

What's inside

Once you're in, these are the guides for each part of Townwell:

• Feed & posts — Posts, comments, attachments, and what everyone in the community can see.
• Events & calendar — The community event calendar, RSVPs, and your personal calendar overlay.
• Documents — The community document library — sharing and visibility.
• Shared resources & reservations — Booking community resources — windows, availability, and avoiding double-booking.
• Member profiles — Viewing and editing member profiles — including the org-defined fields your community's admins configure.
• Direct messages — Private, end-to-end-encrypted messages between community members.
• Personal layer — Your private space in Townwell — personal calendar, notes, and documents that even your communities can't see.
• Mobile app (PWA) — Install Townwell on your phone as an app — step-by-step for iPhone (Safari) and Android (Chrome).
• Reporting content & safety — How to report a post, image, or message — to your community's admins or to the Townwell safety team.
• Privacy & encryption — A plain-language explainer of Townwell's end-to-end encryption — what the server can and can't see.
• FAQ & support — Common questions about Townwell, planning, invitations, and how to reach support.

Need a hand?

Something not working or a question we haven't answered? See the FAQ or use the contact form to reach the Townwell team.

If you need to report a post, image, or message, there is one report action — most reasons go to your community's admins, and a few go straight to the Townwell safety team. See Reporting content & safety.