Getting started

MacroLens is a macroeconomic indicators database that you use in a web browser (current versions of Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox) and through a Microsoft Excel add-in. Every user has personal login credentials; the number of sign-ins and operations is unlimited.

This page explains how to sign in for the first time, how two-factor authentication works, how to choose the language, how to find your way around and how to install MacroLens as an app.

First sign-in

When your account is created you receive an invitation e-mail with a link. The first time you sign in:

1. Open the invitation link and set your password. It must be at least 12 characters long and contain at least three of the four character types: lower-case letters, upper-case letters, digits and other symbols. It must not contain the name part of your e-mail address. The link is valid for 14 days and can be used only once. If it has expired, choose Forgot your password? on the sign-in page — a new link is sent to your e-mail address; or write to henrik.aavik@sixtyfour.ee and we will send a new invitation without delay.
2. Open https://macrolens.sixtyfour.ee and sign in with your work e-mail address and the password you have just set.
3. Confirm your identity with a second factor: link an authenticator app and enter the six-digit code it shows or, if you cannot install an app, choose Code by e-mail (see the next section).
4. After linking the app, 10 recovery codes are shown — save them (print or download them).

The MacroLens home page then opens. If you received a temporary password instead of an invitation, you are asked to replace it with a permanent one right after signing in.

Security. Login credentials are personal and must not be passed on to other people. Every user signs in with their own account.

Two-factor authentication (MFA)

In addition to your password, signing in requires a second factor. On the sign-in page you can choose one of three ways — one of them always works without any app:

To link the app. Any standard (TOTP) app works, for example Microsoft Authenticator or Google Authenticator.

1. Open the authenticator app on your phone and choose to add a new account (usually a “+” sign).
2. Scan the QR code shown by MacroLens. If you cannot scan it, type in the secret key shown below the QR code.
3. An entry “MacroLens” appears in the app with a code that changes every 30 seconds. Enter it in MacroLens.

Every time you sign in you enter your e-mail, password and the code currently shown in the app (or use another method).

Code by e-mail

On the sign-in page choose Code by e-mail and click Send the code. A six-digit one-time code is sent to your work e-mail address (and nowhere else). The code is valid for 10 minutes and can be used only once; a new code replaces the previous one. A new code can be requested after one minute, at most 5 times an hour. If the e-mail does not arrive, check your spam folder. At your organisation's request an administrator can turn this method off.

Recovery codes

When you link the authenticator app, 10 one-time recovery codes (e.g. k7m2p-x9qfr) are shown once. Keep them somewhere safe and separate from your phone — print them, download them or keep them in a password manager. Each code works only once. After signing in with a recovery code, the My account page shows how many codes are left. There, after confirming with your current password, you can generate a new set — the previous codes then stop working.

Remember this device

On your own work computer you can tick Remember this device for 30 days when signing in — that browser then does not ask for a code for 30 days (you still enter your password). Do not tick it on a shared computer. Remembered devices are listed on the My account page (under “Active sessions”), where you can forget them at any time. Changing your password or an administrator resetting two-factor authentication forgets all devices automatically.

Changed or lost your phone? Sign in with a code by e-mail or a recovery code, then link the app again on the My account page. If none of the methods works for you, contact support or write to henrik.aavik@sixtyfour.ee — after verifying your identity we reset the authentication so that you can link a new device.

Password and account lock-out

• You can change your password at any time on the My account page (click your name in the top-right corner).
• If you forget your password, choose password reset on the sign-in page — a single-use reset link, valid for 60 minutes, is sent to your e-mail.
• After 5 unsuccessful sign-in attempts (or wrong codes) signing in is blocked for 15 minutes. This protects against password guessing. The block always ends by itself; you do not have to wait — setting a new password through the reset link removes it at once. Support can also remove it immediately.

Session duration

A sign-in is valid for up to 12 hours. If you do nothing for 120 minutes, you are signed out automatically. When you finish work on a shared computer, sign out: click your name and choose Log out.

All your work (analyses, charts, tables, reports, presentations) is stored on the MacroLens server, so you can reach it from any computer by signing in with your account.

Language

The MacroLens interface is available in Lithuanian and English. Switch the language with LT or EN in the top bar; your choice is remembered. You can also set the default language on the My account page.

Series titles are shown in the interface language. In the Lithuanian interface the series of all sources have Lithuanian titles: the State Data Agency and the Bank of Lithuania publish them themselves, and the titles of the international sources (Eurostat, OECD, IMF, ECB, AMECO, FAOSTAT, World Bank), which publish in English, are translated into Lithuanian by MacroLens — the source's original English title is shown under the Lithuanian one in search results and on the series page. In the English interface the English titles are shown, with the Lithuanian title under them. If a title component newly published by a source has not been translated yet, the English title is shown until the translation is added. Search works in both languages: Lithuanian (nedarbo lygis) and English (unemployment rate) words find the series of all sources.

Navigation

The menu on the left contains the main areas:

The top bar contains a quick search box — type a word and press Enter. On narrow screens the menu opens with the ☰ button in the top-left corner.

Planned maintenance is announced in advance with a banner at the top of the page (and by e-mail).

MacroLens as an app on a Windows 11 PC

You can install MacroLens as a separate app: it opens in its own window, appears in the Start menu and can be pinned to the taskbar. Data is still stored on the server — the app simply opens MacroLens more conveniently.

Microsoft Edge:

1. Open https://macrolens.sixtyfour.ee and sign in.
2. Click the … menu in the top-right corner → Apps → Install this site as an app (or click the app install icon in the address bar).
3. Confirm with Install. Choose whether to pin the app to the taskbar and the Start menu.

Google Chrome:

1. Open https://macrolens.sixtyfour.ee and sign in.
2. Click the install icon on the right of the address bar (a monitor with an arrow) or the ⋮ menu → Cast, save and share → Install page as app….
3. Confirm with Install.

Menu labels may differ slightly between browser versions. To remove the app, open its … menu and choose Uninstall, or use Windows Settings → Apps.

If you do not see the install option, your organisation's IT administrators may have disabled it. In that case use MacroLens in the browser as usual (bookmarking the address is convenient).

What next?

• Find your first time series: Searching and filtering.
• Complete the 60-minute training programme — it introduces all the main functions through practical exercises.
• Print the quick-reference card.