DeepL 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 DeepL account is the one you sign in with on deepl.com and in the DeepL desktop and mobile apps, and it's where your plan lives (DeepL, DeepL). DeepL's help calls the extra login step multi-factor authentication (MFA), while the setting itself says two-factor authentication. There's one method: after your email and password, you enter a code from an authenticator app (DeepL). It's optional, and DeepL doesn't say any plan requires it.
The catch: DeepL doesn't give you backup codes. If you lose the app, it emails you a recovery code instead (DeepL), so your mailbox matters almost as much as your phone. The steps here use Authenticator App - Novaz on iPhone, and other authenticator apps follow the same pattern.
How we checked this guide: the DeepL steps come from DeepL's own help center, linked below, which we read on October 20, 2026. We haven't tested them on a DeepL account, so a label may differ slightly. The Novaz steps are checked against the app, version 1.0.5.
Can you turn it on?
- You sign in with a DeepL email and password: yes.
- Your team signs in with SSO: DeepL's MFA is only for organizations without single sign-on, so members who log in through their company's identity provider won't see it. Admins are the exception: the same article says MFA is available to them (DeepL), and they normally log in with DeepL credentials rather than SSO (DeepL).
- You created the account with Google or Apple: your password is then managed by that provider (DeepL). The MFA article doesn't say whether the setting covers these accounts, so turn on 2FA for the Google or Apple account itself.
Turn on 2FA with an authenticator app
DeepL's steps, with the Novaz part added (DeepL):
- Sign in and open the Account tab of your DeepL account (app.deepl.com/your-account).
- In the section Set up two-factor authentication for your personal account, select Enable.
- When the QR code appears, open Novaz, tap +, then Scan QR code, and aim the camera at it. Working on the iPhone itself? Take a screenshot, tap +, then Choose a photo (scanning a QR code on the same iPhone).
- Type the code Novaz shows into DeepL.
DeepL's example apps are Microsoft Authenticator, Google Authenticator and Aegis. Its article only talks about scanning: it doesn't mention a text key, the number of digits or how long each code lasts. So scan the QR code, which passes those settings to Novaz. If DeepL does show a key, tap +, then Enter key manually, and paste it into Setup key (about setup keys).
Signing in afterwards
From your next login, DeepL asks for a code after your email and password (DeepL). Its articles don't mention remembered devices, or whether the desktop app, mobile apps and browser extensions ask too, so keep Novaz at hand the first time you sign in to each.
Your email is the fallback
DeepL's help lists no backup codes to save. Its only documented fallback is the emailed code below, which means:
- Going by DeepL's steps, your password plus access to your inbox gets you past the authenticator. Give your email account its own 2FA.
- The recovery email goes to the address you signed up with. You can change your sign-in email under Login details and name on the Account tab (DeepL), but DeepL doesn't say which address gets the code after a change. Keep access to the old mailbox.
Unless you turn on iCloud backup or export a backup file in Novaz, that email is your real safety net.
If DeepL rejects your code
A wrong clock on the iPhone is the usual suspect. Turn on Set Automatically under Settings > General > Date & Time. Novaz shows a warning once the clock drifts 15 seconds or more.
If it still fails, DeepL treats it like a lost app: request an emailed recovery code, as below (DeepL). For other reasons a code fails, see Authenticator code not working?
If you lose your authenticator
DeepL's recovery steps (DeepL):
- On the DeepL login page, enter your email and password.
- Select Request recovery code. DeepL emails a code to the address you signed up with.
- Enter that code in the Authentication code field to get back in.
Once you're in, DeepL suggests turning MFA off and on again, which is how you link a replacement phone (next section).
If the email doesn't work, DeepL's next step is a request through its support form. It doesn't say what proof it asks for or how long a reset takes. General advice is in Lost the phone with your authenticator app?
Moving to a new iPhone
DeepL doesn't describe a transfer, only a reset: on the Account tab, select Disable, then Enable, and scan the new QR code with Novaz on the new iPhone (DeepL). Do it while the old phone still works, or after a recovery code. If you use iCloud backup or a backup file in Novaz, you can skip the reset and restore your accounts on the new iPhone (more on switching phones). Afterwards, open the old DeepL entry on the old phone and tap Remove account.
Turning it off
On the Account tab, select Disable in Set up two-factor authentication for your personal account. After that, DeepL asks only for your email and password (DeepL). The article doesn't say whether you need a code to turn it off.
