RunCloud 2FA: how to set up an authenticator app

RunCloud is a control panel for managing your own cloud servers and web apps, so whoever gets into the account can reach every connected server. RunCloud no longer leaves two-factor authentication (2FA) up to you. Since March 2024, every account needs either 2FA or IP whitelisting (RunCloud). If you don't sign in from a fixed IP address, an authenticator app is the practical choice. Once it's on, you can add a recovery code and an SMS number as fallbacks.

This guide uses Authenticator App - Novaz on iPhone. Any other authenticator app works the same way.

How we checked this guide: the RunCloud steps come from RunCloud's own documentation, linked below, including the screenshots on its 2FA page, which we read on October 21, 2026. We haven't tested them on a RunCloud account. Some of those screenshots are older than the page text, 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

RunCloud's documentation describes these steps (RunCloud):

1. Sign in to the RunCloud dashboard and open Settings, either from the sidebar or from your user menu.
2. Under API & Security, choose Authentication.
3. At the bottom, in the Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) section, choose Enable Two-Factor Authentication.
4. A Configure 2FA page opens with 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.
5. If you can't scan it, RunCloud prints a text key under the QR code, after "If you can't scan the QR code, enter:". In Novaz, tap +, then Enter key manually, and type it as the Setup key. The key in RunCloud's screenshot is 16 characters long, which is enough for Novaz. See What is a 2FA setup key?
6. Type the 6-digit code from Novaz into Enter authentication code here and choose Enable.

The section then shows Enabled. If you landed on a screen called Take a moment to review your account's security settings after signing in, that's RunCloud's prompt to pick a method. Choose Configure next to Two-factor Authentication (2FA) to start the same setup.

Don't reload the page halfway through. RunCloud makes a new QR code every time the page loads (RunCloud), so a code scanned before a reload won't work.

Save the recovery code and add an SMS number

After setup, the Authentication page shows two extra options, and RunCloud strongly recommends both (RunCloud):

• Recovery Code: choose Show and keep what it gives you. RunCloud's text calls these one-time backup codes and says you can download them. They get you in if you can't get a code from your app.
• SMS number: choose Configure to add a phone number. RunCloud can then text your 2FA code to that number if you lose your main device.

RunCloud's setup page suggests apps that back up codes to the cloud. Novaz can do that with iCloud backup (PRO), or you can export a backup file. Keep the recovery code anyway: it gets you in if the phone is gone and you have no up-to-date Novaz backup. Store it in a password manager or on paper, away from your phone. More in 2FA backup codes.

If RunCloud rejects your code

RunCloud's own advice covers one cause: you scanned the QR code, then reloaded the dashboard before choosing Enable. The QR code changed, so the account in your app no longer matches. Delete the old RunCloud entry (in Novaz, open it and tap Remove account), then scan the new code that's on screen now (RunCloud).

RunCloud's FAQ also mentions an email code linked to the 2FA setup screen. RunCloud says it usually arrives within a minute; check spam after 5 minutes, and don't reload the setup page while you wait. Its docs don't say exactly when this email is sent.

If codes stop working later, 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?

Changing phones

RunCloud's documentation doesn't describe moving 2FA to a new phone. With Novaz's iCloud backup or a backup file, you can restore your accounts on the new iPhone. Without one, keep the old phone working until RunCloud is set up on the new one. See How to transfer your authenticator app to a new iPhone.

If you lose your authenticator

Use your recovery code, or the SMS number if you added one. If you have neither, RunCloud's support team recovers the account by hand after a strict identity check (RunCloud). Your ticket needs to include:

• the type of your default payment card, its last 4 digits and its expiry year
• your current RunCloud plan, such as Trial, Essentials, Professional, Business or Enterprise
• the date of your last successful payment, plus a screenshot of the payment confirmation email
• how many servers are connected to your account, and their IP addresses

RunCloud's support article explains how to open a ticket from the dashboard, under the help icon next to your profile picture, and says to expect a reply within 24 hours and a fix within 72 (RunCloud). It doesn't say how to open one when you can't sign in. The security-code email pictured on RunCloud's 2FA page lists support@runcloud.io as a contact address.

More in Lost the phone with your authenticator app?

Turning 2FA off

RunCloud's screenshot shows a Disable button next to Two-Factor Authentication (2FA), but its documentation doesn't explain what happens next. Every account needs 2FA or IP whitelisting, so expect to need IP whitelisting first.

Official RunCloud help

• Enabling Two-Factor Authentication
• How Do I Submit a Support Ticket?
• How Do I Update My Password?