Backblaze 2FA: how to set up an authenticator app

Your Backblaze account is the one behind Computer Backup and B2 Cloud Storage on Backblaze's website. Two-factor verification there is no longer optional: every account needs multi-factor authentication (MFA), and unless you pick another method, Backblaze emails you a 6-digit code (Backblaze). The alternatives are an authenticator app (Backblaze says ToTP) and single sign-on. This guide moves you from email codes to an app. We use Authenticator App - Novaz on iPhone, but any authenticator app works the same way.

How we checked this guide: the Backblaze steps come from Backblaze's own help center, documentation and blog, linked below, which we read on October 20, 2026. Backblaze's step-by-step article for authenticator apps dates from 2022, and we haven't tested it on a Backblaze account, so a label may differ slightly. The Novaz steps are checked against the app, version 1.0.5.

Backblaze announced the email default in April 2025 and suggested choosing your own method first (Backblaze blog). If you sign in through single sign-on, such as Google, your provider handles verification and Backblaze's two-factor options aren't available (Backblaze).

Turn on 2FA with an authenticator app

1. Sign in to Backblaze's website and open My Settings. Newer docs put it in the user menu at the upper right (Backblaze); the 2022 article shows it in the left-side navigation.
2. In the Security section, select Sign In Settings (Backblaze).
3. Under Two-Factor Authentication, choose On, then choose Authentication Application. Backblaze shows a QR code.
4. In Novaz, tap +, then Scan QR code. If the QR code is on the same iPhone, take a screenshot and use Choose a photo instead. See scanning a QR code on the same iPhone.
5. Can't scan? Select Or enter key manually.. below the QR code. In Novaz, tap +, then Enter key manually, and type it as the Setup key. Backblaze doesn't publish its key format, so scanning is the safer choice. See What is a 2FA setup key?
6. Type the 6-digit code from Novaz and select Verify. Backblaze says below the field whether it worked.
7. Keep Generate backup codes checked. Allow fallback to SMS is optional.
8. Select Update. Save the backup codes Backblaze lists, because it signs you out right after.

Backup codes and SMS fallback

You get 10 backup codes, each good for one sign-in. Backblaze suggests storing them somewhere secure, such as a password manager (Backblaze). If that phone is gone and you have no Novaz backup, those codes are how you get back in. A new set, requested from the backup codes link under Security in My Settings, cancels the old one (Backblaze blog). More in 2FA backup codes.

The SMS fallback texts a code to your verified phone number. The 2022 article says SMS opens up only after your first payment, typically after 30 days. Backblaze's September 2025 security page lists only email, ToTP and SSO, so SMS may not be offered to you (Backblaze). See authenticator app vs. SMS.

When Backblaze asks for a code

After your password, a Two-Factor Verification screen asks for the code. Turn on the switch next to Trust this browser. Don't ask again to skip it in that browser; other browsers and devices still ask (Backblaze).

If Backblaze rejects your code

Backblaze's troubleshooting page only covers text messages that don't arrive (Backblaze). For a refused app code, check your iPhone's clock: Settings > General > Date & Time > Set Automatically. Novaz warns you when the clock is 15 seconds or more off. More in Authenticator code not working?

Enterprise web console

Organizations on Backblaze's new enterprise web console for B2, in private preview, set MFA elsewhere: your email address at the upper right, then Settings, then Edit under Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), then Set Up for the authenticator app. Scan the QR code, enter the 6-digit code and click Done (Backblaze).

Changing phones

Backblaze doesn't describe switching phones in the standard web console. In the enterprise console, Reset and then Reset Account give you a new QR code to scan (Backblaze). If you restore Novaz on the new iPhone from iCloud backup or a backup file, your codes keep working; either way, keep your backup codes nearby while you switch. See How to transfer your authenticator app to a new iPhone.

If you lose your authenticator

On the Two-Factor Verification screen, select Use Backup Code, or Send SMS Fallback Code if you set up the SMS fallback (Backblaze).

Otherwise, contact Backblaze Support: a support request gets an answer within a business day, and live chat runs on weekdays during Pacific Time business hours (Backblaze). For SMS trouble, the older troubleshooting article points to chat, since verification is time-sensitive (Backblaze). Backblaze doesn't say what proof it asks for or how long recovery takes. See Lost the phone with your authenticator app?

Turning 2FA off

A 2023 article says to choose Never (two-factor authentication is off) in Sign In Settings and select Update. Backblaze then warns that your app's code stops working and that you should delete the entry (Backblaze). In Novaz, open the account and tap Remove account. That article predates required MFA; Backblaze doesn't say whether the option remains or whether email codes take over.

Official Backblaze help

• Two Factor Verification
• How Do I Disable Two Factor Verification?
• Two Factor Verification Issues
• Account Security
• Resolve Two-Factor Verification Issues
• Reset an Account Password
• How to Manage Accounts in the Enterprise Web Console
• Help Resources and FAQs for Backblaze Cloud Solutions
• Updated Backblaze Password Requirements
• New Backblaze Security Features