pixiv 2FA: how to set up an authenticator app

Your pixiv account is where you post, follow and bookmark illustrations, manga and novels. Two-factor authentication (2FA) is optional, and pixiv's help describes one kind of second step: a 6-digit code from an authenticator app. pixiv has no app of its own, but its codes follow the TOTP standard, so any TOTP app works (pixiv).

Know this before you start: if you lose both your authenticator and your backup codes, pixiv has no way to let you back in. This guide uses Authenticator App - Novaz on iPhone, but any authenticator app works the same way.

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

Turn on 2FA with an authenticator app

pixiv's setup article describes these steps (pixiv):

1. Open the two-factor authentication settings page, either directly or from your Account Portal.
2. pixiv asks you to confirm your account first. Then, on Set two-factor authentication, select Enable.
3. Under Set authentication app, pixiv shows a QR code, which it calls a 2D code. In Novaz, tap +, then Scan QR code. On the same iPhone, take a screenshot and use Choose a photo instead. See scanning a QR code on the same iPhone.
4. If it won't scan, select My 2D code won't scan to see an Account name and a Secret Key. In Novaz, tap +, then Enter key manually, name the Service pixiv, and type the key as the Setup key. See What is a 2FA setup key?
5. Select Next. On Enter your verification code, type the 6-digit code from the new pixiv entry and select Confirm.
6. Under Confirm backup code, select Download or take a screenshot, and keep the codes off your phone.

Your backup codes are the safety net

pixiv creates single-use backup codes when you turn 2FA on (pixiv). Its sample screen shows ten. Lose both the app and the codes, and pixiv's help warns, in red, that you're locked out for good.

Unless you've made a Novaz backup (iCloud backup or a backup file), its keys exist only on your iPhone, so these codes are your fallback. Store them in a password manager or on paper. pixiv's help doesn't describe a way to get a fresh set. See 2FA backup codes.

When pixiv asks for a code

With 2FA on, you need a code from the app to sign in. If you tick Trust this browser, pixiv skips the code in that browser for a period it doesn't specify. Private windows and cleared cookies bring the code back. If you lose a device or trusted a shared one, use Revoke all under Trusted browsers on the settings page (pixiv).

A passkey sign-in skips the 2FA step, since pixiv counts the passkey as both factors. pixiv still recommends 2FA, because a passkey doesn't protect your other sign-in methods (pixiv). Its pages don't say whether the authenticator step also appears when you sign in with Google, Apple, X, Facebook or Weibo.

Separately, pixiv may email a code when you sign in with a password. That one comes from no-reply@pixiv.net and expires after 15 minutes (pixiv). It isn't the Novaz code, so check which one the page wants.

If pixiv rejects your code

pixiv's own checklist (pixiv):

• Type the newest code before it runs out.
• Make sure it's the pixiv code, not one for another account.
• Fix the clock. On iPhone, go to Settings > General > Date & Time, turn Set Automatically off and back on. Novaz also warns you when the clock is 15 seconds or more off.

Go easy on retries: after too many wrong codes, pixiv locks the account, even against the right code, and says to try again the next day. More causes in Authenticator code not working?

Changing phones

pixiv says to move your authenticator data to the new phone or, if your app can't, to reset the authentication app from the 2FA settings page, keeping the old phone's data until you're done (pixiv, pixiv).

With Novaz, iCloud backup or a backup file moves your data: restore your accounts on the new iPhone and keep the old phone until the codes work. Without a backup, take the reset route: while the old iPhone still works, reset the authentication app on the settings page and scan the new QR code with the new iPhone. pixiv's help doesn't show the reset screens. Once the new code works, open the pixiv entry in Novaz on the old phone and tap Remove account. See How to transfer your authenticator app to a new iPhone.

If you lose your authenticator

pixiv's help lists three things to try (pixiv):

1. A backup code. Sign in with one, then change your 2FA settings on the settings page straight away.
2. A trusted browser. If a browser you trusted still lets you in without a code, you can reset the authentication app from there.
3. Apple's Passwords app. On iOS 15 or later, check whether pixiv was set up there. See Apple Passwords vs. an authenticator app.

Beyond these, there's nothing to ask support for. pixiv states that "we cannot disable two-factor authentication on your behalf, or re-issue backup codes" (pixiv). More in Lost the phone with your authenticator app?

Turning 2FA off

pixiv says you can turn 2FA off on the same settings page, but doesn't list the steps (pixiv). Once it's off, remove pixiv from Novaz.

Official pixiv help

• What is two-factor authentication?
• How do I set two-factor authentication using an authentication app?
• What are authentication apps?
• If I can't log in using two-factor authentication, what should I do?
• Can I use pixiv even after changing my smartphone?
• What is a passkey?
• Why do I need to enter a verification code when logging in with a password?