Blackbaud 2FA: how to set up an authenticator app for your Blackbaud ID
By the Novaz team · Updated October 29, 2026
Novaz steps checked against version 1.0.5
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A Blackbaud ID is the one sign-in you use for Blackbaud's software, whether you work at an organization that runs it or you're a parent or student using a school's Education Management solution. For most people, multi-factor authentication (MFA) isn't a choice: Blackbaud requires it on every Blackbaud ID that signs in through Blackbaud's own authentication service and is a direct user of its solutions. Parents and students in Education Management solutions are the main exception, though Blackbaud still urges them to turn it on (Blackbaud).
You can get codes from a mobile authenticator app, which Blackbaud calls the most secure option, or by text message. This guide uses Authenticator App - Novaz on iPhone, but any authenticator app works the same way. Blackbaud's own list names Google Authenticator, Auth0 Guardian, Authy and Microsoft Authenticator only as suggestions (Blackbaud).
How we checked this guide: the Blackbaud steps come from Blackbaud's own help pages for Blackbaud ID, linked below, which we read on October 21, 2026. Blackbaud's newer documentation site (docs.blackbaud.com) only shows its text with JavaScript, so we couldn't read it there. We haven't tested the steps on a Blackbaud account, so a label may differ slightly. The Novaz steps are checked against the app, version 1.0.5.
Who this applies to
- You sign in with an email address and password: Blackbaud requires MFA, and you set it up the first time you sign in, right after creating your password (Blackbaud).
- You sign in with Apple, Facebook, Google or Microsoft: Blackbaud relies on that account for authentication, so its two-step settings are the ones that count (Blackbaud).
- Your organization uses single sign-on (SSO): your organization controls MFA. Blackbaud admins can't manage MFA for individual users (Blackbaud).
Turn on MFA with an authenticator app
If Blackbaud prompts you at your first sign-in, follow its screens. To set it up from your profile, Blackbaud's help describes these steps (Blackbaud):
- Open your Blackbaud profile at app.blackbaud.com/user.
- Select the edit button beside Multi-factor authentication, then Turn on MFA.
- Choose Mobile authenticator app (most secure) and select Next.
- Blackbaud shows a QR code. 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.
- If you'd rather type it, Blackbaud also shows a 16-character code. In Novaz, tap +, then Enter key manually, fill in Service (for example, Blackbaud), and type the code as the Setup key. See What is a 2FA setup key?
- Within five minutes, type the 6-digit code from Novaz and select Next.
- Copy the recovery code Blackbaud shows, then select I saved my recovery code.
- Select Turn on multi-factor authentication to finish.
Blackbaud doesn't require a phone at all: its help says you can pair a hardware key, such as a YubiKey, with an authenticator app that reads codes from it.
Your recovery code and recovery phone
Setup gives you one 24-digit recovery code. It works once: when you use it, Blackbaud shows a replacement, and you need to save that one too (Blackbaud). If you lose the phone without a Novaz backup, this code is your way back in. Keep it in a password manager or on paper, away from your phone. See 2FA backup codes.
If you use an authenticator app, Blackbaud also asks you to add a recovery phone after you sign in. It's a second fallback for when you've lost the recovery code too, and it's only available to authenticator app users. You can add or change it under Recovery phone in your profile's MFA settings.
Lost the recovery code but can still sign in? In your profile, open Multi-factor authentication, then Manage, New recovery code, and Reset. The old code stops working.
When Blackbaud asks for a code
You need a code each time you sign in. If you choose Remember this browser, Blackbaud skips the code on that device and browser for 30 days. It still asks on other devices, in other browsers, and in private or incognito windows (Blackbaud). Don't use that option on a shared computer.
If Blackbaud rejects your code
You have five minutes to enter a code once Blackbaud asks for it. If that time runs out, sign in again with a fresh code from Novaz. If Blackbaud keeps timing out, its FAQ points to a computer clock that was set by hand: switch it to set the time automatically (Blackbaud). The iPhone clock matters too: Settings > General > Date & Time > Set Automatically. Novaz warns you when it's 15 seconds or more off. More causes are in Authenticator code not working?
Changing phones
Blackbaud has no transfer option. To use a new phone, you reset MFA: in your profile, open Multi-factor authentication, select Manage, Change setup, confirm with Change setup, and set up the authenticator app again (Blackbaud). Do this while the old phone still works. On the Novaz side, an iCloud backup or a backup file lets you restore your accounts on the new iPhone, so you can skip the reset. See How to transfer your authenticator app to a new iPhone.
If you lose your authenticator
On the code screen, select Can't access your authenticator app?. Blackbaud first emails you a 6-digit code (valid for 10 minutes) to enter on the Confirm email tab. Then, on the Recovery code tab, enter your 24-digit code, and save the new one it gives you (Blackbaud).
No recovery code? Select Don't have your recovery code? instead. Blackbaud confirms your email again, texts a code to your recovery phone, and then lets you choose Set up MFA to start over with a new authenticator.
If you have neither a recovery code nor a recovery phone, Blackbaud's FAQ says to contact Support (Blackbaud). Its pages don't say what proof Support asks for or how long it takes. More in Lost the phone with your authenticator app?
Turning MFA off
Only users Blackbaud doesn't require MFA for can turn it off, such as parents and students in Education Management solutions. In your profile, select Manage, Disable, confirm, and enter the code Blackbaud emails you. If Disable isn't there, MFA is required for your account (Blackbaud).
