Minds 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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Minds is the open-source social network at minds.com, where people post to a channel and join groups. Unlike most services, Minds doesn't wait for you to opt in to two-factor authentication (2FA). Every account already gets it in a basic form: a code sent to your email address. If you want something stronger, Minds lets you switch to an authenticator app (Minds). This guide walks through that switch with Authenticator App - Novaz on iPhone. Any authenticator app that makes time-based codes works the same way.
How we checked this guide: the Minds steps come from Minds's own help center, including the screenshots in its two-factor article, linked below, which we read on October 21, 2026. Minds's sites refused our automated requests, so we read the help articles in archived copies on web.archive.org, saved in early October 2026. The article was last updated on February 20, 2024. We haven't tested the steps on a Minds account, so a label may differ slightly. The Novaz steps are checked against the app, version 1.0.5.
Email codes vs. an authenticator app
On the Two-factor Authentication screen, Minds shows two options side by side. Email is marked Enabled on a normal account, and App sits above it with a button to set it up (Minds). An app code doesn't depend on your inbox, so it still protects you if someone gets into your email.
Minds's setup screen names FreeOTP as its suggestion, then adds that other TOTP apps work too.
Turn on 2FA with an authenticator app
These steps follow the Minds help article and its screenshots, which show the website (Minds):
- Sign in on minds.com and open Settings, then Security, then Two-factor Authentication. The direct address is minds.com/settings/security/two-factor.
- In the App box, select Setup using an app.
- Confirm your password.
- Under 1. Scan this barcode with your app, Minds shows 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 and use Choose a photo instead. See scanning a QR code on the same iPhone.
- If you can't scan, select enter this text code. Minds shows the key as text. In Novaz, tap +, then Enter key manually, type "Minds" as the Service, and paste the key as the Setup key. See What is a 2FA setup key?
- Under Enter the six-digit code from the application, type the code Novaz shows for Minds.
- The same screen shows your recovery code. Save it before you go on (see the next section), then select Continue.
- Minds sends a code to your email as a final confirmation. Enter it to finish. The article lists this email step before the recovery code, so the order on your screen may differ.
The help center only covers the website, not the Minds mobile apps.
Save your recovery code first
Next to the QR code, Minds shows a box headed 2. Recovery code, with Download and Copy buttons. The article and the box heading call it a single code, while the line inside the box uses the plural, so keep everything the box shows (Minds).
The screen warns that if you lose the recovery code, Minds "can not guarantee that you will regain access" to your account. Unless you turn on Novaz's iCloud backup or export a backup file, its keys exist only on your iPhone, so guard the recovery code. Store it in a password manager or print it, and keep it away from the phone. More in 2FA backup codes.
If Minds rejects your code
Minds's help center has no advice on codes that don't work. Start with 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. During setup, also check whether the page wants the app code or the email code. Other causes are in Authenticator code not working?
New phone or lost phone
Minds doesn't document a way to move the authenticator to a new phone, how to turn the app method off, or a recovery process for a lost authenticator. What it does give you:
- The recovery code. Its stated purpose is getting into your account when you can't receive two-factor codes (Minds).
- Minds Support. You can reach it through the chat bubble at the bottom of pages on the Minds website, which works without signing in if you give your email address, or by email at info@minds.com (Minds). The help center doesn't say what proof Support asks for or how long it takes.
If you're changing iPhones, keep the old one until the new one produces working Minds codes. Since Minds doesn't describe how to redo the app setup, look on the Two-factor Authentication screen while you can still sign in, and contact Support if there's no option there. With a Novaz iCloud backup or backup file, you can restore the account on the new iPhone; without one, the new phone needs a fresh setup. Once it works, open the Minds entry on the old phone and tap Remove account. See How to transfer your authenticator app to a new iPhone and Lost the phone with your authenticator app?
