Skip to content
Novaz AuthenticatorGET

Patreon 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
  1. Use the website, not the Patreon app
  2. Turn on 2FA with an authenticator app
  3. Save the recovery codes before you scan
  4. When Patreon asks for a code
  5. If Patreon rejects your code
  6. If you lose your authenticator
  7. New phone or turning 2FA off
  8. Official Patreon help

Your Patreon account is the one you use to support creators as a member, or to run a membership as a creator. With two-factor authentication (2FA) on, Patreon asks for a 6-digit code every time you log in, either by text message or from an authenticator app. It also lets you skip the email check Patreon otherwise uses to verify a new device (Patreon). We found no Patreon page that makes 2FA a requirement for anything. This guide uses Authenticator App - Novaz on iPhone, but any authenticator app works the same way.

How we checked this guide: the Patreon steps come from Patreon's own help center, linked below, which we read on October 20, 2026. We haven't tested them on a Patreon account, so a label may differ slightly. The Novaz steps are checked against the app, version 1.0.5.

Use the website, not the Patreon app

You can't set up 2FA in the Patreon app (Patreon). Patreon's feature table lists the 2-factor setting on desktop and mobile web only, not in the iOS or Android app (Patreon). A computer is easiest, since your iPhone's camera can then scan the QR code on its screen.

Turn on 2FA with an authenticator app

Patreon's help describes these steps (Patreon):

  1. Log in at patreon.com and make sure you're on your Member profile. If you're a creator, switch with the Account menu button, where your name is at the bottom left (Patreon).
  2. Click Settings in the left sidebar, then the Account tab.
  3. Under Two-factor authentication, click Use authenticator app.
  4. Patreon shows your backup recovery codes first. Save them now (see the next section), then click Ok.
  5. Patreon shows a QR code. In Novaz, tap +, then Scan QR code, and point the camera at it. If the code is on the same iPhone, take a screenshot, tap +, then Choose a photo. See scanning a QR code on the same iPhone.
  6. Enter the 6-digit code from Novaz on Patreon.

Patreon names Duo and Google Authenticator as examples, but any time-based (TOTP) app will do. Its help only describes scanning. It doesn't mention a text key or how often codes change, so scan the code if you can. If Patreon does show a key, tap + in Novaz, then Enter key manually, and type it as the Setup key. See What is a 2FA setup key?

The same section offers Use text message for codes by text. Patreon doesn't say whether you can turn on both.

Save the recovery codes before you scan

The codes appear in a pop-up right after you turn on 2FA, before you see the QR code (Patreon). Patreon warns that "these codes are exactly like a password" and suggests a very secure place, such as a password manager (Patreon). Its help doesn't say how many you get or whether you can see them again, so save them while the pop-up is open.

Keep these codes even if you use a Novaz backup. Without iCloud backup or a backup file, Novaz's keys exist only on your iPhone, so the codes are what gets you in if that phone is gone. See 2FA backup codes.

When Patreon asks for a code

Patreon asks for a code whenever you log in (Patreon). In return, you should rarely get the email check for new devices, which Patreon says mostly happens without 2-factor on (Patreon, Patreon).

Patreon doesn't say whether the code is also needed with Google, Facebook or Apple login, or with the emailed code passwordless accounts use (Patreon).

If Patreon rejects your code

Patreon's login help has tips for text-message codes. For authenticator app trouble, its advice is to use one of your recovery codes (Patreon).

Before you spend one, check your iPhone's clock: Settings > General > Date & Time > Set Automatically. Novaz warns you when the clock is 15 seconds or more off. Other causes are in Authenticator code not working?

If you lose your authenticator

Log in with a recovery code. If you have neither the app nor the codes, contact Patreon's Support team through its request form, from or naming the email address on your account. Patreon verifies your identity first; for other login problems it mentions security questions (Patreon). For account access, Patreon's help suggests choosing Account access and sign up in the form's dropdown (Patreon).

Support is by email only, Monday to Friday, 9:00 am to 6:00 pm Pacific Time, first come, first served. There's no phone line, and Patreon's X account isn't for security questions (Patreon, Patreon). Patreon doesn't say how long recovery takes.

More in Lost the phone with your authenticator app?

New phone or turning 2FA off

Patreon's help doesn't describe moving 2FA to a new phone or turning it off. The setting is under Login settings on the Account tab (Patreon), so look there on the website while you still have the old phone. If you can't find a way, ask Support before you give it up.

With Novaz's iCloud backup or a backup file, you can restore your accounts on the new iPhone and keep the same codes. Without one, a new iPhone means setting Patreon up again from a new QR code or key. See How to transfer your authenticator app to a new iPhone.

Official Patreon help

More guides: Payments, accounting and insurance