ScaleGrid 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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ScaleGrid is a managed database service: you use the ScaleGrid Console to run MongoDB, Redis, MySQL and PostgreSQL clusters, either on ScaleGrid's hosting or in your own cloud account. Two-factor authentication (2FA) is optional for a normal console account. Once it's on, the console asks for a code from an authenticator app after your username and password, and won't let you in without it (ScaleGrid).
There's one catch to know first. ScaleGrid's 2FA setting is for accounts that sign in with a password. If you sign in with Google or through SAML single sign-on, ScaleGrid says its 2FA article doesn't apply to you (ScaleGrid). In that case, the extra protection comes from your Google account or your company's identity provider.
This guide uses Authenticator App - Novaz on iPhone. Any authenticator app works the same way.
How we checked this guide: the ScaleGrid steps come from ScaleGrid's own help center, linked below, which we read on October 24, 2026. We haven't tested them on a ScaleGrid 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
ScaleGrid's help article describes four short steps (ScaleGrid):
- In the ScaleGrid Console, go to Settings > Users > Two-factor auth.
- Tick the checkbox that turns on two-factor auth.
- ScaleGrid shows a QR code. In Novaz, tap +, then Scan QR code, and point the camera at it. If the console is open on the same iPhone, take a screenshot, tap +, then Choose a photo. See scanning a QR code on the same iPhone.
- Click Save. 2FA is now on for your account.
ScaleGrid's article doesn't mention a text key to type in place of the QR code, and it doesn't say whether you have to enter a code before Save works. If the page asks for one, type the 6-digit code Novaz shows for ScaleGrid. If you only see a key and no QR code, see What is a 2FA setup key? for how to add it with Enter key manually.
ScaleGrid names Authy and Google Authenticator as examples, but any app that reads a standard QR code works, Novaz included.
Self-hosted ScaleGrid Enterprise Server
If your company runs ScaleGrid Enterprise Server on its own infrastructure, 2FA matters more. ScaleGrid's quick start guide tells you to turn it on for the root administrator right after installation, because the support console needs it. Without it, you can't file support tickets or upload logs to ScaleGrid (ScaleGrid, ScaleGrid). The setting is in the same place: Settings > Users, then the tab the guide calls Two Factor Auth, so the label may differ slightly from the console's.
Backup codes
ScaleGrid's help pages don't mention backup or recovery codes, and they don't describe a second 2FA method. Assume the authenticator app is your only way to get a code. That makes a Novaz backup worth having: without iCloud backup or a backup file, the keys exist only on your iPhone. If ScaleGrid does show you recovery codes during setup, save them somewhere other than your phone. See 2FA backup codes.
Changing your password
Changing your ScaleGrid password under Settings > Users > Change password doesn't reset your 2FA, so the entry in Novaz keeps working (ScaleGrid).
If ScaleGrid rejects your code
ScaleGrid's help doesn't cover rejected codes. The usual cause is the iPhone's clock being slightly off. Open Settings > General > Date & Time and turn on Set Automatically. Novaz also warns you when your clock is 15 seconds or more off. Make sure you're reading the ScaleGrid entry in Novaz, and type the code before it changes. Other causes are in Authenticator code not working?
Changing phones
ScaleGrid doesn't document how to move 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, plan to set ScaleGrid up again on the new one. While you still have the old phone, open Settings > Users > Two-factor auth in the console and see whether it lets you turn 2FA off or show a new QR code. Keep the old iPhone until the new one works. See How to transfer your authenticator app to a new iPhone.
If you lose your authenticator
ScaleGrid's help center has no recovery process for a lost authenticator: no backup codes, no reset form, and no list of the proof it would ask for. The contact address its help pages give is support@scalegrid.io (ScaleGrid). Write from the email address on your ScaleGrid account, say you've lost access to your 2FA app, and expect them to check that the account is yours. ScaleGrid doesn't say how long this takes.
If you joined someone else's ScaleGrid account as a team member, tell the account owner too. Owners manage members from Settings > Team accounts (ScaleGrid), but ScaleGrid doesn't say whether an owner can reset a member's 2FA.
More in Lost the phone with your authenticator app?
Turning 2FA off
ScaleGrid doesn't document turning 2FA off. The setting is a checkbox, so look on the same Two-factor auth tab first. On Enterprise Server, keep it on for the root administrator, or you lose access to the support console.
