Affinity 2FA: how to set up an authenticator app for your Affinity account
By the Novaz team · Updated October 29, 2026
Novaz steps checked against version 1.0.5
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Affinity now has two kinds of sign-in, and it helps to know which one this guide covers. The new, free Affinity app from Canva uses Canva sign-in. Serif's site says your old Affinity Store purchases can be linked to a Canva account (Affinity). That Canva account has its own security settings, which this guide doesn't cover.
This guide is about the older Affinity account on the Serif store at store.serif.com, sometimes called your Affinity ID. It holds your orders, product keys and downloads for Affinity Designer, Photo and Publisher V1 and V2. Serif says the site keeps managing these accounts and V2 licenses stay valid (Affinity). The V2 apps also use this account when you sign in through My Account inside the software (Affinity).
Serif calls its 2FA two-step verification (2SV). It's optional, and you can get codes from an authenticator app or by email. Serif recommends the app, because anyone who gets into your email could also get the email codes (Affinity). This guide uses Authenticator App - Novaz on iPhone. Any authenticator app works the same way.
How we checked this guide: the Affinity steps come from the Affinity Store's own help pages on store.serif.com and affinity.serif.com, linked below, which we read on October 21, 2026. We haven't tested them on an Affinity account, so a label may differ slightly. The Novaz steps are checked against the app, version 1.0.5.
Turn on two-step verification with an authenticator app
Serif's help article gives these steps (Affinity):
- Sign in at store.serif.com and go to Account details.
- Under Account security, select Enable.
- Confirm your password, then follow the steps on screen. Serif offers two methods, so pick the authenticator app rather than email.
Serif's article doesn't describe the setup screens, so it doesn't say whether you get a QR code, a text key, or both. When a QR code appears, open Novaz, tap +, then Scan QR code. If the code is on the iPhone you're holding, take a screenshot, tap +, then Choose a photo (how to scan a QR code on the same iPhone). If you're given a key to type instead, tap +, then Enter key manually, and fill in Service, Account (optional) and Setup key (what a setup key is). Then type the code Novaz shows to finish.
Save the backup codes right away
At the end of setup, Affinity gives you backup codes. You get one look at them: Serif says you can't see them again from your account (Affinity). Write them down or store them in a password manager, away from your phone.
Each code works once. If you run low or lose them, sign in, go to Account details, select Manage under Account security, then Regenerate. Your old codes stop working when the new ones are created (Affinity).
Novaz keeps its keys on your iPhone unless you turn on iCloud backup or export a backup file, so if that phone is gone without a Novaz backup, the backup codes are your way back in. More in 2FA backup codes.
When Affinity asks for a code
Once 2SV is on, Serif says you'll be asked for a code "every time you want to sign in" (Affinity). Its article doesn't mention trusted devices or a way to skip the code on a familiar computer.
If Affinity rejects your code
Serif's article 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. Other causes are in Authenticator code not working?
Moving to a new phone
Serif doesn't describe moving the authenticator to a new phone. Its route for changing method is to turn 2SV off and then on again (Affinity), and the same steps work for a new phone. Do it while you still have the old phone. With a Novaz iCloud backup or backup file, you can restore the account on the new iPhone instead; without one, you set Affinity up again on the new one. See How to transfer your authenticator app to a new iPhone.
If you lose your authenticator
When Affinity asks for a verification code, type one of your saved backup codes instead (Affinity). Once you're in, you can turn 2SV off and set it up again with your new phone.
Without backup codes, you have to contact Serif's customer services through its support request form. They'll ask you questions about your account to confirm it's yours (Affinity). Serif doesn't list the questions or say how long recovery takes. More in Lost the phone with your authenticator app?
Turning two-step verification off
Sign in, go to Account details, select Manage under Account security, then Disable, and follow the steps on screen (Affinity). Once it's off, open Affinity in Novaz and tap Remove account.
