Help Scout 2FA: how to set up an authenticator app

Help Scout is a shared inbox and help desk for support teams. Each person on a Help Scout account has their own login, and each person turns on two-factor authentication (2FA) for themselves, from their own profile. Codes can come from an authenticator app or by text message (Help Scout).

One thing to know before you start: if you lose your phone and your recovery codes, Help Scout's own support team can't help. Only an Administrator or the Account Owner in your company can reset your 2FA.

This guide uses Authenticator App - Novaz on iPhone. Any authenticator app works the same way, and Help Scout says its QR code isn't tied to a particular app.

How we checked this guide: the Help Scout steps come from Help Scout's own help pages, linked below, which we read on October 21, 2026. We haven't tested them on a Help Scout account, so a label may differ slightly. The Novaz steps are checked against the app, version 1.0.5.

Is 2FA required?

That depends on your company. Account Owners and Administrators can make 2FA mandatory for every user under Settings (gear icon) > Authentication > Two-Factor Authentication. Once they do, everyone has to set it up before they can log in (Help Scout). Admins can see whether you have 2FA on, but they can't set it up for you (Help Scout).

If you log in with Google or with your company's SAML single sign-on, Help Scout's 2FA isn't available. Your Google account or your SSO provider handles the second step instead (Help Scout).

Turn on 2FA with an authenticator app

These steps follow Help Scout's setup article (Help Scout):

1. Log in to Help Scout, click your avatar or initials in the top right corner, and choose Your Profile.
2. In the left sidebar, click Authentication. On the Security tab, turn on the 2FA toggle, then confirm your password.
3. Select Authenticator App and click Next step.
4. Help Scout shows a QR code. In Novaz, tap +, then Scan QR code, and point the camera at it. If Help Scout 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 6-digit code from Novaz and click Verify.
6. Help Scout then asks for a backup phone number for text messages. Enter it and click Send code to confirm the number. You can Skip this, but Help Scout strongly recommends adding one in case you lose your authenticator.

Help Scout's article only mentions the QR code. It doesn't say whether you can get a text key to type in instead, so plan to scan.

Save your recovery codes

Help Scout gives you recovery codes for when you can't use your phone. Each one works for a single login. You can see them later in Your Profile > Authentication. Help Scout suggests keeping them in a password manager, or printing them. If you make a new set, the old codes stop working, so save the new ones right away (Help Scout).

These codes and your backup number are your safety net, even with Novaz's iCloud backup or a backup file. Without one of those, Novaz's keys are only on your iPhone. More in 2FA backup codes.

When Help Scout asks for a code

After you turn it on, you'll enter a code after your password when you log in. The setting covers every device you use, including the Help Scout iOS and Android apps (Help Scout). Help Scout's article doesn't say whether it remembers trusted devices.

If Help Scout rejects your code

Help Scout's pages don't cover rejected codes. The most common 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. For other causes, see Authenticator code not working?

Changing phones

Help Scout doesn't describe a phone switch. What its article does say is that Your Profile > Authentication lets you change your primary method, change your backup number, see your recovery codes, or turn 2FA off (Help Scout). So make the change while you can still log in with the old phone.

With a Novaz iCloud backup or backup file, you restore your accounts on the new iPhone; without one, you'll add Help Scout again on the new phone. See How to transfer your authenticator app to a new iPhone.

If you lose your authenticator

Try these in order (Help Scout):

1. A recovery code. Enter one in place of the app's code.
2. Your backup number. If you added one during setup, Help Scout can text a code to it.
3. Your own admins. Ask an Administrator or the Account Owner in your company to reset your 2FA. They do it under Settings (gear icon) > Users > your user > Authentication.

Don't contact Help Scout's support team for this. The article says plainly that "Help Scout support cannot make changes to your authorization settings" (Help Scout). If you are the Account Owner, make sure another admin could reset you, or keep your recovery codes extra safe. Help Scout doesn't say what happens if no one in the company can do the reset.

More in Lost the phone with your authenticator app?

Turning 2FA off

Go to Your Profile > Authentication and turn it off there (Help Scout). If your company requires 2FA for all users, check with an admin before you turn it off. Afterward, open Help Scout in Novaz and tap Remove account.

Official Help Scout help

• Set Up Two-Factor Authentication
• Create and Manage User Accounts
• Manage Your User Profile
• Manage Company Settings