Dext 2FA: how to set up an authenticator app

Dext is a bookkeeping platform for small businesses and accounting firms, used to capture and process bills and invoices (Dext). Two-factor authentication (2FA) is optional. Codes can come from an authenticator app, a text message or an email, and Dext marks the app as recommended (Dext). Decide before you start: Dext's FAQ says "If 2FA is enabled for your account, it cannot be disabled." You can switch methods later, but not go back to a password alone (Dext).

This guide uses Authenticator App - Novaz on iPhone. Any authenticator app works the same way.

How we checked this guide: the Dext steps come from Dext's own help center articles, including their screenshots, which we read on October 19, 2026. We haven't tested them on a Dext account, so a label may differ slightly. The Novaz steps are checked against the app, version 1.0.5.

Know it as Dext Prepare? Dext's older, now removed help article used that name for the same settings (read in an archived copy) (Dext, archived).

Before you start

• 2FA belongs to your login, not to a business. It sits in your user settings, which apply across all the Dext accounts you're part of (Dext).
• Single sign-on users can skip it. Dext says you don't need 2FA if you log in with single sign-on, such as Intuit (Dext, Dext).
• Passkeys skip the code. Signing in with a passkey replaces both your password and the 2FA code (Dext).

Turn on 2FA with an authenticator app

These steps follow Dext's June 2026 article and its screenshots (Dext):

1. In the Dext web app, click your Profile icon (top right), select User settings, and open the Security tab.
2. Under Two-Factor Authentication, click Enable next to Authenticator app (recommended).
3. Enter your current password and select Continue.
4. Dext shows a QR code. In Novaz, tap +, then Scan QR code. If Dext is open on the same iPhone, take a screenshot, tap +, then Choose a photo. See scanning a QR code on the same iPhone.
5. If you can't scan it, switch to Enter manually, which shows what Dext calls a 16-digit setup key. In Novaz, tap +, then Enter key manually, type Dext as the Service and the key as the Setup key. See What is a 2FA setup key?
6. Type the 6-digit code from Novaz under Enter the verification code and click Enable.
7. Copy the backup codes Dext shows, tick I have stored these backup codes somewhere safe, and click Close.

Dext's codes are 6 digits and last 30 seconds (Dext), which is what Novaz makes from a typed key, so scanning and typing both work.

Keep the 12 backup codes

The authenticator app setup gives you 12 backup codes, each usable once (Dext). To use one, sign in with your email and password, turn on Use a backup code on the verification screen, enter an unused code and select Verify.

Dext's pages don't say how to get a fresh set. If your iPhone is gone and you have no Novaz backup (iCloud backup or a backup file), these codes are your way back in. Store them in a password manager or on paper. See 2FA backup codes.

When Dext asks for a code

After your password, Dext shows Enter your verification code. Type the code from Novaz and select Verify. You can then trust the browser: the newest article mentions a Don't ask me for the code for 30 days option (Dext), while an older one shows a Trust device button that lasts until you remove the browser (Dext).

Dext asks again on another browser, in a private window, or after you clear cookies (Dext). The Dext mobile app treats your phone as trusted on its own (Dext).

If Dext rejects your code

Dext says to enter the code within its 30 seconds and to check that your device sets its date and time automatically (Dext). On iPhone, that's Settings > General > Date & Time > Set Automatically. Novaz warns you when the clock is 15 seconds or more off. Other causes are in Authenticator code not working?

Changing phones

Dext's FAQ suggests moving your authenticator setup across if your app can; otherwise, sign in with a backup code and set up 2FA again (Dext). Novaz can, through iCloud backup or a backup file restored on the new iPhone. Keep a backup code ready anyway, in case your backup is older than your Dext setup. See How to transfer your authenticator app to a new iPhone.

If you lose your authenticator

1. Use one of your backup codes, as above.
2. If you have none left, email support@dext.com from the address you log in with and ask for your 2FA to be temporarily disabled. Dext only acts on requests from that address. Once it's off, sign in and set up 2FA again (Dext).

Locked-out colleagues and clients must write in from their own login email. Dext doesn't say how long it takes or what other proof it needs; its human support team works 24 hours a day, Monday to Friday (Dext). More in Lost the phone with your authenticator app?

Turning 2FA off

Dext only lets you change the method. The same FAQ answer also mentions turning 2FA off under User settings > Security when it isn't enabled for your account, without explaining (Dext).

Official Dext help

• How to set up two-factor authentication (2FA) in Dext
• FAQs about two-factor authentication (2FA) in Dext
• What are two-factor authentication backup codes?
• Trusted devices and two-factor authentication
• User settings in Dext
• How to set up and use passkeys in Dext
• How to contact the Dext support team
• 2-Factor Authentication for Dext Prepare (removed; archived copy from January 2026)