Hootsuite 2FA: how to set up an authenticator app
By the Novaz team · Updated October 29, 2026
Novaz steps checked against version 1.0.5
On this page
Hootsuite is where many social media teams schedule posts and run several brand accounts from one dashboard, so one stolen password can reach every profile you've connected. Hootsuite calls its two-factor authentication "two-step verification." It's optional, it's set per user, and it works with an authenticator app. The help pages we read don't mention a way for an organization to require it for its members.
Two things make Hootsuite different from most services. You choose whether it asks for a code at every sign-in or only when you sign in from somewhere new. And there are no backup codes: if you can't reach your authenticator, Hootsuite emails you a code instead (Hootsuite). This guide uses Authenticator App - Novaz on iPhone, but any authenticator app works the same way.
How we checked this guide: the Hootsuite steps come from Hootsuite's own help center, linked below, which we read on October 20, 2026. We haven't tested them on a Hootsuite account, so a label may differ slightly. The Novaz steps are checked against the app, version 1.0.5.
Turn on two-step verification
You can only set it up in Hootsuite on the web, not in the mobile app. Once it's on, it covers both (Hootsuite).
- Sign in to Hootsuite in a web browser.
- Select Account, then Profile.
- Select Security.
- Select Enable two-step verification. Hootsuite then gives you a QR code to scan, or a secret code to type.
- In Novaz, tap +, then Scan QR code, and point the camera at the screen. If Hootsuite is open on the same iPhone, take a screenshot, tap +, then Choose a photo. See scanning a QR code on the same iPhone.
- To type it instead, use what Hootsuite calls the secret code. In Novaz, tap +, then Enter key manually, put "Hootsuite" in Service and the secret code in Setup key. See What is a 2FA setup key?
- Choose how often Hootsuite should ask: every time you sign in, or only when you sign in from a different location.
Hootsuite's article stops at that choice without naming a final button. Its help says the codes are 6 digits but doesn't say how often they change. Scanning the QR code is the safer way, since it hands Novaz the code settings directly.
Signing in afterwards
At hootsuite.com/login, enter your email and password and select Sign in. Hootsuite then asks for the 6-digit code from your app (Hootsuite). The same check applies when you sign in to the Hootsuite mobile app.
Don't confuse this with Hootsuite's login verification, a separate check. That one emails a confirmation code to your account address when you sign in from a new location or IP address, or after too many failed attempts (Hootsuite). Hootsuite says the two are different features, so you may see an email code even without two-step verification turned on.
If Hootsuite rejects your code
Hootsuite's only advice is about the phone: if codes from a mobile authenticator don't work, the app may need syncing, and it points to a Google help article for that (Hootsuite). On iPhone, codes go wrong when the clock drifts. Open Settings > General > Date & Time and turn on Set Automatically. Novaz warns you when the clock is 15 seconds or more off. More causes are in Authenticator code not working?
If you lose your authenticator
On the screen that asks for your code, select Skip this step, then Send to followed by your account email address. Hootsuite emails a confirmation code. Type it on the sign-in page, or use the link in the email to confirm and sign in (Hootsuite).
That makes your email inbox the real backup for this account. Protect it with its own two-factor authentication, and keep the address on your Hootsuite profile current.
If you can't remember which email address is on the account, Hootsuite's sign-in troubleshooting page says to contact Support (Hootsuite). If you've lost both your authenticator and your email, Hootsuite's two-step article doesn't describe a recovery process, proof it would ask for, or a time frame. Its general support page lists a support request form, which asks you to be signed in, and Hootsuite's help accounts on X and Facebook (Hootsuite). See also Lost the phone with your authenticator app?
Changing phones
Hootsuite doesn't describe moving to a new phone. The closest thing in its help is Revoke access, which it says to use when you need a new QR code or secret code, after which you run the setup again (Hootsuite). The article doesn't show where that button sits. Do it before you give up the old iPhone, while you can still sign in normally.
If you back up Novaz with iCloud backup or a backup file, you can restore your accounts on the new iPhone and skip that fresh setup. Without a backup, the new phone needs it. See How to transfer your authenticator app to a new iPhone. Once the new phone works, you can delete the entry from Novaz on the old iPhone: open it and tap Remove account.
Turning it off
Hootsuite advises against it, but you can. Go to Account > Profile > Security and select Reset. Hootsuite asks you to confirm, then signs you out (Hootsuite).
