Question 1

How do I reset my password?

Accepted Answer

On the sign-in screen, tap "Forgot password" and enter your account email. We'll send a reset link that stays valid for 1 hour.

If you don't see the email within a minute, check your spam folder. Still nothing? Contact us and we'll reset it manually.

Question 2

How do I change the email on my account?

Accepted Answer

The email on your account can't be changed yourself yet — in Settings → General you'll see your email listed but the field is read-only.

To switch it, contact us from your current email and tell us the new address. We'll move your account over so your registrations, history, and messages stay intact.

Question 3

How do I delete my account?

Accepted Answer

Go to Settings → Security → Data management → Delete account. Deleting is permanent — your registrations, match history, and messages will be anonymized and can't be restored. (The same section can export a copy of your data first.)

If you have an active tournament registration, withdraw first to see your refund options.

Question 4

What's the minimum age to use EliteBrackets?

Accepted Answer

You must be at least 13 years old to create an EliteBrackets account. We verify this with the date of birth you provide during onboarding — accounts that report an age under 13 are not accepted.

This is a requirement of the U.S. Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA): we don't knowingly collect personal information from children under 13.

If you're a parent or guardian and believe a child under 13 has created an account, contact us and we'll remove it. For more detail, see our Privacy Policy (section 11) and Terms of Service (section 2).

Question 5

The app is slow or stuck loading

Accepted Answer

First, confirm you're online — the app requires a steady connection to show live bracket and match updates.

If the connection is fine, hard-refresh the page (Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + R). Still stuck? Let us know which page and a screenshot if possible.

Question 6

I'm not getting notifications

Accepted Answer

Check Settings → Notifications to confirm the channels you want (In-App, Email, SMS) are switched on for each notification type. Emails can also land in spam if you haven't added us to contacts.

For match-ready alerts on your phone, make sure your browser or device allows notifications from EliteBrackets.

Question 7

Is EliteBrackets free to use?

Accepted Answer

The app is free to download and use. You only pay when you register for a tournament — any fees are set by the tournament director and shown clearly at checkout before you pay.

Question 8

What are your support hours?

Accepted Answer

Our support team monitors tickets daily, with most responses within 24 hours. Urgent tournament-day issues are prioritized.

For immediate tournament-day help, reach out to your director first — they can resolve most on-site issues faster than we can.

Question 9

How do I create my first tournament?

Accepted Answer

From the Tournaments page, click "New tournament" and the create wizard walks you through the basics: name, dates, venue, registration window, and your first divisions.

It starts as a draft that only you can see. A checklist in the sidebar shows what's left before you can publish — usually a header image (added under Branding) and Stripe payouts so players can pay. When you first open a draft, a short guided tour points out each of these.

Once the checklist is green, hit Publish to make the tournament visible and open registration. You can keep editing afterward.

Question 10

Is there a guided walkthrough for setting up a tournament?

Accepted Answer

Yes. The first time you open a new draft tournament, a short spotlight tour highlights the key stops: your dashboard, the publish checklist, Divisions, Settings, and Branding (where the required header image lives).

To take it again, click "Take a tour" on a draft tournament's dashboard. You can turn the guided tours off (or back on) under Settings → Guided tours.

The tour runs on the web app on a desktop-sized screen — on a phone or narrow window it steps aside, since the sidebar it points to is tucked away.

Question 11

How do I add divisions and stages?

Accepted Answer

Inside a tournament, open the Divisions page and add a division (e.g., Mens 4.0, Womens Open). Each division has one or more stages — typically Round Robin followed by Single Elimination, but you can configure any combination.

Stages run in order; completing one automatically opens the next with the advancing teams seeded in.

Question 12

How do I message my players?

Accepted Answer

Each tournament has a Messages page — a unified inbox of player conversations and your broadcasts. Filter tabs across the top (All, Conversations, Announcements) let you focus on one or the other.

Use Conversations to read and reply to individual players. Compose an Announcement to broadcast to everyone in a division or team. There's also a top-level Messages inbox that groups every tournament's conversations together, and unread counts show in the sidebar so you don't miss anything.

Question 13

How do I approve or deny a refund?

Accepted Answer

Open the tournament and go to the Players page — it covers roster, payments, and refunds. Set the Refunds filter to "Refund eligible" to see who's awaiting a decision; the Players nav item shows a badge with the pending count.

From a player's row (or a bulk action) choose to issue the refund through Stripe or decline it. Depending on the tournament's refund policy, some refunds are auto-approved on withdrawal and need no action from you.

Help for tournament directors