Credly 2FA: how to set up an authenticator app

Credly holds the digital badges that organizations issue to you, such as professional certifications. You need a Credly account to accept a badge, and issuers rely on Credly to show that your credentials are verified (Credly). Two-factor authentication (2FA) is optional. Credly's help describes a single method: a code from an authenticator app, which you add by scanning a QR code (Credly). This guide uses Authenticator App - Novaz on iPhone, but any authenticator app works the same way.

One thing sets Credly apart: resetting your password with Forgot Password also switches 2FA off (Credly). That's Credly's documented fix for a new or lost phone, so your email inbox guards your badges as much as the code does.

How we checked this guide: the Credly steps come from Credly's own help center, including the screenshots in its articles, linked below, which we read on October 20, 2026. We haven't tested them on a Credly account. The screenshots date from 2022 and Credly redesigned its dashboard in 2026, 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

The switch is in your account settings, on the privacy and security page (Credly, Credly):

1. Sign in at credly.com, select your profile icon, and choose Settings.
2. In the menu on the left, select Privacy + Security. Credly's article titles write it as Privacy & Security.
3. Under Two-Factor Authentication, check Require two-factor authentication. A QR code appears under the box.
4. In Novaz, tap +, then Scan QR code, and point the camera at the code. If Credly is open on the same iPhone, take a screenshot, tap +, then Choose a photo. See scanning a QR code on the same iPhone.
5. Type the code Novaz shows into the Authorization Code field and select Confirm.

Credly's help and screenshot show only the QR code, with no text key to type by hand, and don't say how many digits the codes have or how often they change. Scanning handles that, because the QR code passes those settings to your app. The article says any authenticator app works and names Google Authenticator as Credly's pick.

If the menu looks different, Credly's dashboard redesign, described in September 2026, may have moved it: Credly says some features may now appear elsewhere. The new dashboard can also suggest two-factor authentication under Next Steps (Credly).

No backup codes, so plan for the reset

Credly's help doesn't mention backup or recovery codes, and without iCloud backup or a backup file, Novaz keeps its keys only on your iPhone. Your fallback is the password reset, so set things up for it now:

• Protect the email account behind your Credly account with its own 2FA. Anyone who can read a Credly reset email could get past your authenticator code.
• Credly sends reset emails only to your primary address or a confirmed secondary one (Credly). Credly suggests keeping your extra addresses on the account, partly because they give you another way to verify and sign in (Credly). You add them under Settings > Account.

When Credly asks for a code

Credly's help doesn't spell this out. Its reset article is for people locked out by 2FA, so expect a code when you sign in with your password. The help doesn't say whether the code applies to signing in with Google or Apple, which Credly offers for verified Google or Apple email addresses (Credly).

If Credly rejects your code

Credly's help has no advice on codes that don't work. The usual cause is the iPhone's clock: open Settings > General > Date & Time and turn on Set Automatically. Novaz warns you when the clock is 15 seconds or more off. Other causes are in Authenticator code not working?

Changing phones

Credly's reset article notes that a new phone often means resetting 2FA, and its route is the password reset below: once the reset turns 2FA off, turn it back on in Privacy + Security and scan the new QR code (Credly). The help doesn't describe a way to switch phones from settings while you're still signed in. If you use iCloud backup or a backup file in Novaz, you can restore your accounts on the new iPhone and skip the reset. Without one, the new phone needs a fresh scan. See How to transfer your authenticator app to a new iPhone.

If you lose your authenticator

Credly's steps are the same password reset (Credly, Credly):

1. On the Credly sign-in page, select Forgot Password.
2. Enter the email address on your account.
3. Use the email Credly sends to set a new password. This also turns off 2FA, so you can sign in.
4. Go to Settings > Privacy + Security and set up 2FA again.

If the email doesn't arrive, look in your spam or junk folder for a message from admin@credly.com or admin@youracclaim.com, and check that you used your primary or a confirmed secondary address. If it still isn't there, Credly asks you to Submit a request to its support team. If you no longer have the inbox your account uses, support will ask you to validate that email address (Credly). Credly doesn't say what that involves or how long it takes.

More in Lost the phone with your authenticator app?

Turning 2FA off

The password reset is the only way to turn 2FA off that Credly's help documents. It doesn't say whether clearing the Require two-factor authentication box works, or whether that asks for a code. Once it's off, you can delete the Credly entry in Novaz: open it and tap Remove account.

Official Credly help

• Credly Settings- Privacy & Security
• How do I reset my Two Factor Authentication?
• How do I access my Credly account settings?
• How do I change my password?
• Not receiving a password reset email?
• Can I add multiple emails to my account?
• Creating an account and signing in with SSO.
• Get to know the new Credly Earner Dashboard!
• FAQs about Privacy