Troubleshooting

reCAPTCHA errors

When signing up for a PubNub account through the Admin Portal, you may occasionally encounter issues related to the Google Enterprise reCAPTCHA.

Google Enterprise reCAPTCHA is used to protect our sign-up process from automated abuse and malicious activity. It may trigger verification challenges (such as image or checkbox prompts) or block the action entirely if suspicious patterns are detected.

Root cause

These errors are not always explicit and may appear as a failed verification or an inability to proceed with registration.

Below are potential triggers that may cause reCAPTCHA to appear frequently or fail validation:

Category	Potential triggers
Automated Browsing or bot-like behavior	Use of browser automation tools (like Selenium or Puppeteer) Multiple rapid sign-up attempts from the same IP Use of browser extensions that spoof behavior or modify traffic
Suspicious network conditions	Shared or VPN-based IP addresses with previous suspicious activity Use of data centers or anonymizing proxies Inconsistent or mismatched geolocation and browser metadata
Browser or device anomalies	Disabled or blocked cookies and local storage JavaScript errors or script-blocking browser extensions Unusual device fingerprints (for example, headless browsers)
Google account reputation	Being signed out of Google or using an account flagged for abusive behavior may increase CAPTCHA sensitivity Browsers in Incognito/Private mode may have lower trust scores

Fix reCAPTCHA error

To reduce the chance of reCAPTCHA errors:

• Use a standard browser (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge) with JavaScript and cookies enabled.

• Avoid using VPNs, proxies, or automated tools during registration.

• Disable browser extensions that modify page behavior.

• Ensure your network or IP hasn't been associated with abusive traffic (try switching to a different network or mobile hotspot).

If the problem persists and you are unable to complete registration, please contact PubNub Support with the approximate time of your attempt and the email address used during sign-up.