How to set up 2FA with an authenticator in Chrome
Most sites let you protect your account with codes from an authenticator app. You don't need a phone for that. Here's how to set it up with Never Lose Codes, including the step people skip and regret later.
Step 1: Turn on 2FA on the site
- Sign in to the site and open its security settings. Look for two-factor authentication, 2-step verification, or authenticator app.
- Choose the authenticator app option.
- The site shows a QR code. Many sites also offer a text setup key, often behind a link like "Can't scan it?".
Step 2: Add the account to Never Lose Codes
Open Never Lose Codes in the full view and choose Add account, then the easiest way:
- From a QR image: take a screenshot of the QR code and drop it on the page, or paste it with Ctrl+V. The image is read on your computer and isn't uploaded.
- Scan with webcam: handy if the QR code is on another screen or on paper.
- Type a setup key: paste the text key the site shows. A whole otpauth:// link works here too.
Delete any screenshot of the QR code once you're done. It holds the account's secret.
Step 3: Confirm with a code
The site asks for a code to finish. Click the code Never Lose Codes shows for that account to copy it, and paste it in. If the site says it's wrong, check your computer's clock (more fixes).
Step 4: Save the recovery codes (the step people skip)
Many sites give you a set of one-time recovery codes. They get you in if you ever lose your authenticator. Save them somewhere that isn't your authenticator: a password manager, a printed page, or a file on a USB stick. Google's backup codes page shows how Google's work.
Step 5: Check your backup
Never Lose Codes writes an encrypted backup file to Downloads/NeverLoseCodes a few seconds after every change. Open Shield and check the backup line. If this is your first account, make sure you saved your recovery key. Without it, backups can't be opened.
Questions
Which sites does it work with?
Any site that offers time-based authenticator app codes, which follow an open standard (RFC 6238). A site doesn't know whether the app is on a phone or a computer.
Should I also keep the account on my phone?
For your most important accounts, yes. Scan the same QR code with your phone while the site still shows it, or copy it later with Move to phone.
Can the extension see the sites I visit?
No. Never Lose Codes asks Chrome for no access to websites, which is why you copy the code yourself instead of it filling in. How it protects your codes has the details.
Never Lose Codes is a Chrome extension that keeps your 2FA codes encrypted on your computer, with backup files you hold and a recovery key. See how it works.