123 Reg 2FA: how to set up an authenticator app
By the Novaz team · Updated October 29, 2026
Novaz steps checked against version 1.0.5
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Your 123 Reg account controls the domains, hosting and billing you have with the UK registrar. Two-factor authentication there is optional, and it's set up in two parts. First you add a verification method. On its own, that only makes 123 Reg check it's you for risky changes, such as a new password, or when a sign-in looks suspicious (123 Reg). To be asked for a code every time you sign in, you then switch on 2-Step Verification, which is a separate setting and needs at least one method in place first (123 Reg).
The methods 123 Reg offers are a third-party authenticator app, a passkey or hardware security key, and text messages to a phone number (123 Reg). This guide uses Authenticator App - Novaz on iPhone, but any authenticator app works the same way.
How we checked this guide: the 123 Reg steps come from 123 Reg's own help center, linked below, which we read on October 21, 2026. The older support address for this topic now forwards to that help center. We haven't tested the steps on a 123 Reg account, so a label may differ slightly. The Novaz steps are checked against the app, version 1.0.5.
Part 1: add Novaz as a verification method
From 123 Reg's help (123 Reg):
- Open the 123 Reg Login & Security page (sso.123-reg.co.uk/security). Sign in if it asks you to.
- In the Security list, under Verification Methods, select Add verification method.
- Pick Authenticator app and select Next.
- 123 Reg shows a barcode to scan. In Novaz, tap +, then Scan QR code, and hold the camera over it. Working on the iPhone itself? Take a screenshot, tap +, then Choose a photo. See scanning a QR code on the same iPhone.
- Type the code Novaz shows, give the app a name (Novaz is fine), and select Next.
The help article doesn't mention a text key as an alternative to the barcode. If the setup screen offers one, tap + in Novaz, then Enter key manually, and put it in the Setup key field. More on that in What is a 2FA setup key?
Part 2: switch on 2-Step Verification
- Go back to the Login & Security page.
- In the Security list, under Enhanced Security, turn on the 2-Step Verification toggle.
From then on, 123 Reg asks for your default verification method at every sign-in and before high-risk actions (123 Reg).
Plan a backup before you need it
123 Reg's help pages don't mention backup or recovery codes. What they recommend instead is a second verification method, ideally on another device, so you can still get in if you lose the first one (123 Reg). A passkey can't be your only method.
Novaz keys stay on your iPhone unless you turn on iCloud backup or export a backup file in Settings › Backup, and even then it's wise to choose a second method that doesn't depend on that phone, such as a hardware security key. Internet phone numbers like Google Voice can't receive 123 Reg's text codes.
If 123 Reg rejects your code
123 Reg's troubleshooting page is about text codes that don't arrive, not about authenticator codes that fail (123 Reg). The usual cause is the iPhone's clock. Open Settings > General > Date & Time and turn on Set Automatically. Novaz also warns you when the clock is 15 seconds or more off. For other causes, see Authenticator code not working?
Too many code requests can lock a method for 24 hours, according to the same page. If you see that message, wait and try again.
Moving to a new iPhone
With a Novaz iCloud backup or backup file, you restore your accounts on the new iPhone and 123 Reg's codes keep working (how to move to a new iPhone). Without one, set 123 Reg up again: while the old phone still works, add the new one with Add verification method as in Part 1. Then remove the old entry: on the Login & Security page, select Edit next to it, then Remove, then Confirm Deletion (123 Reg). Adding first matters: removing every method turns 2-Step Verification off.
If you lose your authenticator
123 Reg covers this in two help pages (123 Reg, 123 Reg):
- You have a backup method: when the code screen appears, select Try another way, choose the backup and select Continue.
- You don't: select Recover your account and answer the questions about your identity. 123 Reg may use biometric checks through its vendor, Persona. If your answers match, you're signed in, but every verification method on the account is deleted, so add Novaz again afterwards.
- The check fails: under Could not verify your identity, select Continue, fill in the Account Recovery form and select Submit Recovery Request. 123 Reg says it replies within 48 hours.
The Account Recovery process asks for a color copy of a government-issued photo ID that shows your full name, signature, date of birth, and issue and expiration dates. If a company is listed on the account, you also need business documents for it. The recovery page is at supportcenter.123-reg.co.uk/accountrecovery, under Verification Method / 2-Step Verification Issues (123 Reg).
More in Lost the phone with your authenticator app?
Turning it off
Switching off the 2-Step Verification toggle stops the code at every sign-in, but your methods stay, so 123 Reg still checks you for high-risk actions or sign-ins it suspects (123 Reg). To delete the authenticator itself, use Edit, Remove and Confirm Deletion on the Login & Security page. Then open the 123 Reg entry in Novaz and tap Remove account.
