20i 2FA: how to set up an authenticator app for My20i
By the Novaz team · Updated October 29, 2026
Novaz steps checked against version 1.0.5
On this page
My20i is the control panel for your 20i hosting, domains and reseller account. Two-factor authentication (2FA) is optional there. Once you turn it on, every My20i sign-in needs your password and a code from an authenticator app. 20i's help pages describe no text-message or email codes, and no backup codes. What 20i does instead is let you register as many authenticator "devices" as you like, and it asks you to keep at least two (20i). This guide uses Authenticator App - Novaz on iPhone. Any authenticator app that makes time-based (TOTP) codes works the same way.
How we checked this guide: the 20i steps come from 20i's own support database, linked below, which we read on October 22, 2026. The live pages show a security check to automated visitors, so we read archived copies on web.archive.org, saved in February and June 2026. We haven't tested the steps on a 20i account, so a label may differ slightly. The Novaz steps are checked against the app, version 1.0.5.
Turn on 2FA with an authenticator app
- Sign in to My20i and open Security Details, found under Account Preferences.
- Scroll down to the section called Two-Factor Authentication.
- Enter your current My20i password and a Device Name. The name is only a label for you. Select Add Device.
- 20i shows a QR code. In Novaz, tap +, then Scan QR code, and point the camera at it. If the QR code is on the same iPhone, take a screenshot, tap +, then Choose a photo. See scanning a QR code on the same iPhone.
- Select Done in My20i.
20i's pages don't mention a text key you could type instead of scanning, so plan on scanning the QR code. They also don't say whether My20i asks you to type a first code before it saves the device. If it does, type the 6-digit code Novaz shows for 20i.
Add a second authenticator straight away
This is the part that matters most with 20i. Its help suggests at least two devices in case one is lost or unavailable, and there's no limit on how many you add (20i). Once the first device is on the account, each new one is added on the same Security Details page by typing a code from a device you already have.
Novaz keeps its keys on your iPhone unless you turn on iCloud backup (PRO) or save a backup file with Export to file… (free), and either one lets you restore them on a new iPhone. A second device is still the safer fallback: an authenticator app on another phone, a tablet or a computer. 20i says its system should work with any standard TOTP app. Because 20i documents no backup codes, a second device or a Novaz backup is the only way to sign in yourself if your iPhone is gone.
When 20i asks for a code
20i says a My20i sign-in is only completed with both your password and an authenticator code once 2FA is on (20i). Its pages don't mention a way to remember a trusted browser.
If My20i rejects your code
20i's help doesn't cover rejected codes. 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. If you have two devices on the account, try a code from the other one. More causes are in Authenticator code not working?
Changing phones
While you still have the old phone or another registered device, add the new iPhone as a new device in Security Details, confirming with a code from the device you already have. Then remove the old phone: select delete next to it in your list of authenticator devices (20i). In Novaz on the old iPhone, open the 20i account and tap Remove account.
If you have a Novaz iCloud backup or backup file, restoring the 20i account on the new iPhone also works, because the codes stay the same. Without one, this new-device route is the way to do it. See How to transfer your authenticator app to a new iPhone.
If you lose your authenticator
First, sign in with your second device if you added one, and remove the lost phone from the list.
If you have no working device, 20i's help says to phone its sales team on 0333 344 2720 and choose option 1, or to email sales@20i.com. It says the lines are open "24 hours a day" and that the team will work with you to reset your access (20i). The page doesn't say what proof of ownership 20i asks for or how long a reset takes. See also Lost the phone with your authenticator app?
Turning 2FA off
20i documents removing devices, one at a time, with delete on the Security Details page. Its pages don't say what happens when you delete the last one.
Other 20i logins
My20i 2FA doesn't cover everything 20i runs:
- StackCP: users of 20i's StackCP control panel set up their own 2FA under Security Details in the top-left menu. Resellers can manage their users' devices from the StackCP Users area of My20i (20i).
- SSH: a hosting package's SSH access has its own authenticator setup. In My20i, open Manage Hosting, pick the package, then SSH Access under Security, set an SSH password and choose Set up Authenticator to get a QR code. 20i's article names Google Authenticator and says to wait 30 minutes before you first connect (20i). This is a separate entry from your My20i one, so scan it into Novaz as its own account.
