POEditor 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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POEditor is a localization platform: teams use it to manage the strings of an app or website and the translations that go with them. Two-factor authentication (2FA) for a POEditor account works with an authenticator app, and the setup ends with something worth planning for. Instead of a set of backup codes, POEditor hands you a single code whose job is to turn 2FA off. If you lose your phone and that code, POEditor's help says you won't be able to sign in (POEditor).
2FA is optional for your own account, but an organization owner can make it a condition for access to the organization's projects (more on that below). The steps here use Authenticator App - Novaz on iPhone. Any authenticator app works the same way.
How we checked this guide: the POEditor steps come from POEditor's own Knowledge Base, including the screenshots in its 2FA article, which we read on October 22, 2026. We haven't tested them on a POEditor account, so a label may differ slightly. The Novaz steps are checked against the app, version 1.0.5.
Before you start: you need a POEditor password
The setup begins by asking for your POEditor password (POEditor). That's a problem if you've only ever signed in with Google, Facebook, Microsoft or GitHub, or with a code sent by email. POEditor's login help notes that an account first created through a third-party sign-in may have no password, and points to its password recovery page to get one (POEditor). Do that first.
Turn on 2FA with an authenticator app
POEditor's setup has three stages, shown as CONFIRM IDENTITY, REGISTER APP and ENABLE 2FA in its screenshots (POEditor):
- Open your Account Settings. In the Account section, choose 2FA (POEditor).
- On Enable Two-Factor Authentication, type your password under YOUR PASSWORD and choose Confirm my Identity.
- POEditor 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, tap +, then Choose a photo. See scanning a QR code on the same iPhone.
- If you can't scan it, POEditor also shows the key as an alphanumeric code (the help page doesn't give it a name). In Novaz, tap +, then Enter key manually, type POEditor as the Service, and paste the code as the Setup key. See What is a 2FA setup key?
- Type the six-digit code from Novaz under YOUR 6 DIGIT CODE and choose Enable 2FA.
- POEditor now shows the code that disables 2FA. Save it before you leave the page.
POEditor's help says its codes have six digits but doesn't say how often they change. Scanning the QR code is the safer option, because the code carries the settings your app needs.
The one code that saves you
That last code is POEditor's only documented backup. It isn't a sign-in code you can use again and again: it switches off two-factor authentication when you no longer have the device with your authenticator app (POEditor). The help page doesn't say whether you can view or replace it later, so treat the first copy as the only one.
If you lose the phone and have no Novaz backup, this code is your safety net. Keep it in a password manager or on paper, somewhere other than the phone. More in 2FA backup codes.
When POEditor asks for a code
Once 2FA is on, POEditor asks for an extra code when you sign in (POEditor). Its help doesn't mention trusted devices or a "remember me" option. It also doesn't say whether the code is asked for when you sign in with Google, Facebook, Microsoft, GitHub or SAML single sign-on.
Organizations that require 2FA
An organization owner can limit access to the organization's projects to people who have 2FA on. The switch is in Organization Settings > Preferences, under Security > Require 2FA (POEditor). If you're a translator or admin and suddenly can't open a project, this may be why. Turning on 2FA on your own account is the fix.
If POEditor rejects your code
POEditor's help doesn't cover wrong codes. The most common cause is the iPhone's clock: go to Settings > General > Date & Time and turn on Set Automatically. Novaz also warns you when the clock is 15 seconds or more off. Other causes are in Authenticator code not working?
Turning 2FA off or changing phones
POEditor lets you turn off 2FA with a current code from your authenticator app, or with the code you saved at the end of the setup if you no longer have the device (POEditor).
There's no documented way to move 2FA to a new phone, so do it in two steps while the old phone still works: turn 2FA off with a code from Novaz, then set it up again on the new iPhone. You'll get a new disable code; keep it in place of the old one. Skip all this if you restore Novaz on the new iPhone from iCloud backup or a backup file. See How to transfer your authenticator app to a new iPhone.
If you lose your authenticator
Use the code you saved at the end of the setup to turn 2FA off, then sign in and set it up again. Without that code, POEditor's help is blunt: you won't be able to log in. It doesn't describe any account recovery process through support. The Knowledge Base lists info@poeditor.com for further help, but doesn't say that this address can reset 2FA (POEditor). More in Lost the phone with your authenticator app?
