Plex 2FA: how to set up an authenticator app for your Plex account

Your Plex account signs you in to the plex.tv website, the Plex forums and every Plex app, from your phone to your TV (Plex). Two-factor authentication (2FA) is optional, and Plex supports one way to do it: a 6-digit code from an authenticator app. Plex doesn't send codes by text message (Plex). This guide uses Authenticator App - Novaz on iPhone, but any authenticator app works the same way.

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

Before you start

Plex needs two things in place before it lets you turn on 2FA (Plex):

• A Plex password. If you only sign in with Apple or Google, set a password on your Account page first.
• A verified email address. If yours isn't verified yet, open Email Address on the Account page, select Edit, then Send verification email (Plex).

Plex also warns that switching between members of a Plex Home never asks for a 2FA code (Plex). Only share a Home with people you live with and trust.

Turn on 2FA with an authenticator app

1. Sign in to the Plex Web App at app.plex.tv. Open the user menu at the top right and choose Account Settings (Plex).
2. Open the Two-Factor Authentication section and select Enable. Confirm your Plex password (Plex).
3. The Enable two-factor authentication window shows a QR code. In Novaz, tap +, then Scan QR code, and point the camera at it. If the QR code is on the same iPhone, take a screenshot and use Choose a photo. See scanning a QR code on the same iPhone.
4. If scanning doesn't work, Plex shows the key under TEXT CODE. In Novaz, tap +, then Enter key manually, type Plex as the Service, and paste or type the text code as the Setup key. See What is a 2FA setup key?
5. Type the 6-digit code from Novaz in VERIFICATION CODE and select CONTINUE.
6. Plex shows 10 recovery codes. Use COPY TO CLIPBOARD, save them somewhere that isn't your phone, then select DONE.

These labels come from Plex's 2020 screenshots, so today's screens may differ a little. Plex doesn't say how often its codes change, so scan the QR code if you can: it tells Novaz the code settings, while a typed key gets the usual 30 seconds.

Your recovery codes are the backup

Plex suggests an authenticator that syncs between devices (Plex). Novaz can keep a copy if you turn on iCloud backup or export a backup file; without one, its keys stay on that iPhone. Either way, keep the recovery codes as a fallback. Each works once. Keep them in a password manager or on paper, not on the phone that holds Novaz.

If you've used some or lost the list, generate a new set of 10 on your Account page. Plex asks for your password and a current code, and every older recovery code stops working. See 2FA backup codes.

When Plex asks for a code

Once 2FA is on, signing in with your email (or username) and password, in a Plex app or on the website, takes you to a second screen for the code. That box also accepts one of your recovery codes (Plex).

If you sign in with Apple or Google instead, their own checks apply and Plex doesn't ask (Plex). TVs and streaming boxes usually connect with a 4-character link code that you enter at plex.tv/link while signed in to the website (Plex).

Older third-party tools. A few have no box for a 2FA code. For those, Plex says to type your password with the current 6-digit code added straight after it, no space (Plex), and to ask the developer to update the tool.

If Plex rejects your code

Plex's one tip is the clock: the device running your authenticator should set its time automatically. On iPhone, open Settings > General > Date & Time and turn on Set Automatically. Novaz warns you when your clock is 15 seconds or more off. Other causes are in Authenticator code not working?

Changing phones

Plex has no separate steps for a new phone, but it documents turning 2FA off and on again (Plex). So while you still have the old iPhone, turn 2FA off, then set it up again on the new one. You'll get fresh recovery codes. If you have a Novaz iCloud backup or backup file, you can restore your accounts on the new iPhone and skip this. See How to transfer your authenticator app to a new iPhone.

If you lose your authenticator

Plex documents two routes (Plex):

1. You have your recovery codes. Sign in with one. Then use a second code to turn 2FA off on your Account page, and set it up again with your new phone.
2. You've lost the codes too. Go to the Plex sign-in page and enter your email or username and password. On the code screen, choose Verify another way, then Email temporary code. Plex emails a single-use code to your account's address. It isn't a 6-digit number, and it only works for a limited time. Enter it as your verification code.

Plex's 2FA article describes no other recovery route, so keep access to the email address on your Plex account. More in Lost the phone with your authenticator app?

Turning 2FA off

You turn 2FA off in the same section of your Account page, with a valid verification code. Plex's help doesn't name the button.

Official Plex help

• Secure Your Account with Two-Factor Authentication
• Plex Accounts
• Use Google or Apple to Sign in with Plex
• Connect a Player App to Your Plex Account