IVPN 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
IVPN is a VPN service that doesn't ask for an email address. Since November 2020, a new account is just a generated Account ID in the form i-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX, and that ID is all you need to manage your subscription and sign in to the apps (IVPN). Unless you add an email and password yourself, there's no password behind it (IVPN). That makes the ID something like a password in itself. IVPN asks you to keep it secret and points to two-factor authentication (2FA) as the extra layer (IVPN).
IVPN's 2FA is optional and works with any time-based (TOTP) authenticator app. IVPN's help doesn't list SMS or email codes as alternatives. This guide uses Authenticator App - Novaz on iPhone; any authenticator app works the same way.
How we checked this guide: the IVPN steps come from IVPN's own help center and blog, linked below, which we read on October 21, 2026. We haven't tested them on an IVPN account, so a label may differ slightly. The Novaz steps are checked against the app, version 1.0.5.
Which sign-ins it protects
2FA started with the website's Account area in 2020. On September 9, 2021, IVPN extended it to all of its apps: Android, iOS, and the desktop apps and command-line client on Linux, macOS and Windows. Once it's on, the apps ask for a code from your authenticator when you log in (IVPN).
There's one catch. App 2FA only works for accounts in the newer i-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX format. If your Account ID looks like ivpnXXXXXXXX, your subscription predates November 2020, and IVPN says to contact its customer service to switch formats if you want 2FA in the apps (IVPN). You can find your ID in the IVPN app under Settings > Account (IVPN).
Turn on 2FA with an authenticator app
IVPN's help article describes these steps (IVPN):
- Log in to the Client Area on ivpn.net.
- Go to Account settings and check the 2-factor authentication box.
- IVPN shows a barcode (a QR code). In Novaz, tap +, then Scan QR code, and point the camera at it. If you're on the same iPhone, take a screenshot, tap +, then Choose a photo. See scanning a QR code on the same iPhone.
- Type the 6-digit code from Novaz and click Enable.
- The next page shows your Backup Codes. Save them before you leave it.
IVPN's article only mentions scanning. It doesn't say whether a text key is shown as well, or how often the codes change, so scan the QR code: that carries the code settings into Novaz. If you do find a key to type, use + > Enter key manually and paste it into Setup key (What is a 2FA setup key?).
Another IVPN article places account sign-in settings on an Authentication tab inside Account Settings, so the checkbox may sit there now (IVPN).
Keep the backup codes
IVPN's help says the backup codes can be used to turn 2FA off later. That's the only use it mentions. It doesn't say how many codes you get or whether they let you sign in in place of an app code. With an account that has no email and no password, and no Novaz backup, those codes may be the only thing standing between a lost phone and a locked account, so store them away from your iPhone, in a password manager or on paper. More in 2FA backup codes.
IVPN's Device Management FAQ, which covers seeing and logging out the devices on your account, also suggests 2FA for both the Account area and the apps as extra security (IVPN).
If IVPN rejects your code
IVPN's help has no advice for rejected codes. Most often the iPhone's clock has drifted. Open Settings > General > Date & Time and turn on Set Automatically. Novaz also warns you when the clock is 15 seconds or more off. Other causes are in Authenticator code not working?
Moving to a new iPhone
IVPN doesn't describe moving 2FA to a new phone. With a Novaz iCloud backup or backup file, you can restore your accounts on the new iPhone and skip this. Without one, plan to set IVPN up again. IVPN's help doesn't give a separate off switch, only that the backup codes can turn 2FA off. So do the move while you still have the old phone and your codes: turn 2FA off, then turn it back on and scan the new QR code with the new iPhone. See How to transfer your authenticator app to a new iPhone.
If you lose your authenticator
Use a backup code to turn 2FA off, then set it up again (IVPN).
Without the codes, IVPN's help doesn't describe a recovery route for 2FA. The only option it points to is its support team, through the Contact IVPN page or support@ivpn.net. For a forgotten Account ID, support can try to find your account from details of your last payment, such as a transaction ID or voucher code (IVPN). IVPN doesn't say whether the same proof is enough to reset 2FA, or how long it would take. See Lost the phone with your authenticator app?
