KnownHost 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 KnownHost account at my.knownhost.com is where you pay hosting invoices, manage services and open support tickets. KnownHost lets you protect that account with two-factor authentication (2FA) from an authenticator app. Its help article covers just one method: a QR code you scan, then a 6-digit code at each sign-in (KnownHost). Turning it on is optional; KnownHost's pages don't say it's required for anything.
This is separate from the 2FA inside cPanel, WHM or other control panels on your hosting. Those have their own settings and articles, such as the one for cPanel (KnownHost). This guide is only about the KnownHost account itself. The steps use Authenticator App - Novaz on iPhone, but any authenticator app works the same way.
How we checked this guide: the KnownHost steps come from KnownHost's own knowledge base, linked below, which we read on October 21, 2026. We haven't tested them on a KnownHost account, so a label may differ slightly. The Novaz steps are checked against the app, version 1.0.5.
Labels may have moved
KnownHost's 2FA article dates from September 2022 and calls the site the Billing Portal. Newer articles call it the Client Portal, and a 2026 one reaches account pages through a profile icon at the top right (KnownHost). A 2024 article still uses the same Manage Account and Authentication path (KnownHost). If a menu looks different, look for those two names.
Turn on 2FA with an authenticator app
These steps follow KnownHost's article (KnownHost):
- Sign in at my.knownhost.com with your email address and password.
- Go to Manage Account. KnownHost gives the direct address as my.knownhost.com/client/main/edit/.
- Open Authentication.
- Check Enable Two-Factor Authentication and type your password in the CURRENT password field. Leave NEW and CONFIRM empty: you aren't changing your password.
- KnownHost shows a QR code with instructions. In Novaz, tap +, then Scan QR code, and point the camera at it. If the portal is open 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 into the field below the QR code.
- Click Update My Information to save.
KnownHost's article doesn't mention a text key you could type instead of scanning. If you can't scan the code and the page does show a key, add it in Novaz with +, then Enter key manually, filling in Service and Setup key. See What is a 2FA setup key?
Signing in afterwards
Once 2FA is on, KnownHost asks for the 6-digit code from your app the next time you sign in, after your email address and password (KnownHost). The article doesn't mention a way to trust a device or skip the code.
No backup codes in the docs
KnownHost's help doesn't mention backup or recovery codes for 2FA. As far as its pages show, the authenticator app is your only second step. Novaz's keys exist only on your iPhone unless you turn on iCloud backup or export a backup file, so plan for losing that phone before it happens:
- Find your Support Pin now. KnownHost staff ask for this four-digit number on live chat and phone calls to check that you own the account. You find it under Support Pin in the portal's navigation, which you can't reach once you're locked out (KnownHost). Write it down somewhere other than your phone.
- Set a recovery email. It's on the same Authentication tab. KnownHost says it gets a copy of password reset emails, in case your main address stops working (KnownHost). The page talks about passwords only and doesn't say it helps with 2FA.
If KnownHost rejects your code
KnownHost's pages don't give advice for a rejected code. The most common cause is the iPhone's clock: go to 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
KnownHost doesn't describe how to move 2FA to a new phone. With a Novaz iCloud backup or backup file, you restore KnownHost on the new iPhone with your other accounts. Without one, you'll set KnownHost up again on the new one. Do it while the old phone still works, so you can still sign in and get to the Authentication tab. See How to transfer your authenticator app to a new iPhone.
If you lose your authenticator
KnownHost's help doesn't describe a recovery process for a lost authenticator, what proof it asks for, or how long it takes. Your route is KnownHost's support team, which it says is available around the clock, every day of the year (KnownHost). Tickets are normally opened from the portal's Helpdesk section (KnownHost), which you can't reach while locked out. Instead, use the live chat, phone numbers or billing email address on KnownHost's contact page, and have your Support Pin ready. More in Lost the phone with your authenticator app?
Turning 2FA off
KnownHost's help doesn't document how to turn 2FA off. The only 2FA setting its pages show is the Enable Two-Factor Authentication option on the Authentication tab.
