Buy Me a Coffee 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 Buy Me a Coffee account runs your creator page, with its tips, memberships and shop, and the money it earns is paid out to your Stripe account (Buy Me a Coffee, Buy Me a Coffee). Two-factor authentication (2FA) is optional, though Buy Me a Coffee strongly recommends it. You can get the second code by email or from an authenticator app. If you joined with a social login such as Google or Twitter, email isn't offered, so the app is your only choice (Buy Me a Coffee, Buy Me a Coffee).
Plan for the worst case: if you lose the app and your recovery codes, Buy Me a Coffee resets 2FA only after you send ID and a recorded video. This guide uses Authenticator App - Novaz on iPhone, but any authenticator app works the same way.
How we checked this guide: the Buy Me a Coffee steps come from Buy Me a Coffee's own help center, linked below, which we read on October 20, 2026. We haven't tested them on a Buy Me a Coffee 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
From Buy Me a Coffee's setup article, last updated in March 2026 (Buy Me a Coffee):
- Sign in and open My Account from the menu in the top-right corner. The 2FA article spells it My Accounts; newer help pages say My Account or My account (Buy Me a Coffee).
- Scroll down to two-factor authentication and select Setup.
- Choose the authenticator app rather than email.
- In Novaz, tap +, then Scan QR code, and aim the camera at the QR code. If the page is open on the same iPhone, take a screenshot, tap +, then Choose a photo. See scanning a QR code on the same iPhone.
- Can't scan? Buy Me a Coffee lets you enter the code manually, though its help doesn't say what the key is labeled. In Novaz, tap +, then Enter key manually, and paste it into Setup key. See What is a 2FA setup key?
- Type the 6-digit code from Novaz and select Verify.
- Download your recovery codes and store them safely.
The help doesn't say how often the codes change, so scan if you can. A QR code carries the code settings; a key typed into Novaz always gets 30 seconds.
Your six recovery codes
Buy Me a Coffee gives you six. If you use them all, the Regenerate button in My Account gives you a new set (Buy Me a Coffee). They're what gets you in if your iPhone is lost and Novaz has no iCloud backup or backup file to restore from. Keep them away from the phone, in a password manager or on paper. See 2FA backup codes.
When you'll need a code
Every sign-in asks for both your password and a code. The help doesn't mention remembered devices, or how the prompt works for Google or Twitter sign-ins (Buy Me a Coffee).
If Buy Me a Coffee rejects your code
The help's only troubleshooting is for email codes (Resend Email, then support). For app codes, check the iPhone's clock: Settings > General > Date & Time > Set Automatically. Novaz warns you when the clock is 15 seconds or more off. More causes are in Authenticator code not working?
Turning 2FA off, or switching phones
To turn it off, go to My Account, scroll to the bottom, select Disable, then Remove. Buy Me a Coffee emails you a 6-digit code; enter it and select Verify (Buy Me a Coffee). Note that this confirmation comes by email, not from the authenticator, so protect that inbox well.
The help doesn't cover moving to a new phone. The documented steps still work: while you can sign in, turn 2FA off, set it up again with the new phone, and save the new recovery codes. Do this before you give up the old one, or restore Novaz on the new iPhone from iCloud backup or a backup file instead. See How to transfer your authenticator app to a new iPhone.
If you lose your authenticator
Use a recovery code if you have one. Without codes, Buy Me a Coffee's reset procedure, updated in August 2026, works like this (Buy Me a Coffee):
- Email support@buymeacoffee.com. Say you've lost your 2FA key, and include your username and details of your last access.
- Be ready to answer questions about the account, show a government ID or passport, and share details such as recent transactions.
- Record a video. Buy Me a Coffee "requires a well-lit video for identity verification", showing your face, your ID in focus, and you stating your name, the date and your reset request. If your login email should change too, say the old and new addresses.
- Upload it through the secure link support sends you.
Once you're verified, support turns 2FA off temporarily, and you're asked to set it up again with new recovery codes. The page gives no timeline. More in Lost the phone with your authenticator app?
