Science & Technology

How to Add Two Factor Authentication to Your Google Account

📚 Main topics

What the QR code doesThe “black square” is a QR code that the Google Authenticator app scans to set up two-factor authentication. The app then generates a changing six-digit code. 0:32
Setting it up on a Google accountFrom your Google Account’s Security settings, choose Authenticator, scan the displayed QR code with the app, and enter the six-digit code to verify setup. 1:34
If you can’t scan the QR codeSelect “Can’t Scan It” to view the setup key, then enter that key manually in the authenticator app. 5:18
Using the authenticator to sign inWhen signing in on a new device, enter the current code from the app along with your username and password. 6:23

✨ Key takeaways

What you needYou need a smartphone with a camera, Google Authenticator or a compatible app, and an account that supports this type of two-factor authentication. 1:04
Multiple devices are possibleScanning the same QR code on more than one device will make them display the same six-digit codes. 8:32
Save setup information securelyKeeping a screenshot of the QR code or a copy of its key can help you restore access or set up another device, but anyone with that information can configure the authenticator for your account. 7:25

🧠 Lessons learned

Protect your accountTreat the QR code and setup key as sensitive information, and store them somewhere secure, such as a password vault. 8:32
Remember trusted devicesYou generally won’t need to enter an authenticator code again on a specific browser and machine unless its cookies are cleared. 6:55

🏁 Conclusion/next steps

Enable two-factor authenticationUse the setup steps to add an authenticator to your Google account and strengthen its protection against hacking. 9:03

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Transcript excerpt

0:00 How to add two-factor authentication to your Google account. Hi, everyone. Leo Notenboom here for askleo.com. Here's a question I got just recently. My biggest challenge thus far is how to use from start to finish the two-step authentication process as I fail to understand how to use the black square, I'm sure of the technological term, that requires you to set up either by taking a picture of it or what to move on to the next step.

0:32 Okay, the black square, as you call it, is more properly referred to as a QR code. Qr stands for quick response. And while we don't actually take a picture, we will use the camera on a mobile device to set up Google Authenticator compatible to factor authentication by looking at it. Let's walk through those steps. There are a couple of prerequisites that I want to make sure are in place. In order to set up this type of two-factor authentication, you'll need the following:

1:04 a smartphone with a camera, the Google Authenticator or a compatible app installed on that smartphone, and then an account that supports a Google Authenticator compatible authentication. Now, the example I'm going to use here, of course, is a Google account. So the last item, a given. The process with accounts from any other provider that supports this type of two-factor authentication is very similar. All right, what do we do?

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