How does the 'Keep me signed in' option work in ArcGIS Online?

Answer

The ‘Keep me signed in’ option, available when logging into ArcGIS Online, offers a time-saving feature for users who access the application on a regular basis.

Checking this option saves the account credentials to the web browser, based on the type of ArcGIS Online account used to login. From ArcGIS.com, the application redirects a request to log in based on whether the user accesses ArcGIS Online through a public account or an organizational account.

Logging in with a public account
Using this option, ArcGIS Online provides a general membership to ArcGIS.com and saves the login credentials from the browser cache directly to ArcGIS.com.

Logging in with an organizational account

Using this option, ArcGIS Online reads the provided subscription information and redirects the website to an organizational sub-domain of ArcGIS Online, <orgshortname>.maps.arcgis.com. The saved credentials are then associated to the web browser in use at <orgshortname>.maps.arcgis.com/home, rather than ArcGIS.com.

To save time when navigating around the application, consider bookmarking the home page in the browser. This allows users to return easily to the organizational website without having to pass credentials through the ArcGIS.com sign-in page a second time.

Checking this option should keep users signed into the account for two weeks unless users sign out or clear the browser cache.