Stripe 2FA: how to set up an authenticator app for the Dashboard

Your Stripe login opens the Stripe Dashboard, where a business manages its payments, payouts and API keys. Stripe calls the second sign-in step two-step authentication and offers five kinds, ranked from strongest to weakest: passkeys, security keys, Touch ID or Windows Hello, authenticator apps, and text messages (Stripe). It's mandatory for some users, though Stripe's help doesn't say which, and a team administrator can require it for everyone on an account (Stripe).

It's worth having anyway: if an account lacks protections such as two-factor authentication and Stripe doubts the person signed in is the owner, it can pause Dashboard access for a 1-3 business day review (Stripe).

This guide adds an authenticator app with Authenticator App - Novaz on iPhone. The steps are the same in other authenticator apps.

How we checked this guide: the Stripe steps come from Stripe's own support site, linked below, which we read on October 20, 2026. We haven't tested them on a Stripe 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

Stripe's support article lists these steps (Stripe):

1. Sign in to the Dashboard and open the Personal details page (dashboard.stripe.com/settings/user).
2. In the Two-step authentication section, click Add authentication method.
3. Choose Use an authenticator app. A window with that title shows a QR code.
4. In Novaz, tap +, then Scan QR code. If the QR code is on the iPhone itself, screenshot it and use Choose a photo (how).
5. Can't scan? Enter code manually gives you the QR code as text, a setup key. In Novaz, tap +, then Enter key manually, and put it in Setup key (more).
6. Select Continue in Stripe, then confirm the code Novaz shows.
7. Stripe shows your backup code. Write it down before you close the window.

Stripe's sign-in screen asks for a 6-digit code, but its help never says how long each one lasts (Stripe). The QR code carries those settings into Novaz, so prefer scanning.

One backup code, shown once

Stripe doesn't give you a list of recovery codes. You get a single backup code, displayed only once, when you first turn on two-step authentication. Using it signs you in and removes two-step authentication, so you'll set the app up again afterwards (Stripe).

Stripe ranks paper in a safe as the best place for it and says to avoid cloud storage. A password manager is acceptable only with the code in a password field, not as plain text. Lost it, or think someone saw it? Generate a new one in your settings; the old one stops working (Stripe).

Even with a Novaz backup (iCloud backup or a backup file), this code is your safety net if the phone is gone and the backup is missing or out of date. Stripe also suggests a second method, such as a passkey (Stripe). See 2FA backup codes.

When Stripe asks for a code

When you sign in, Stripe asks for it on a screen titled Log in using your authenticator app. Inside the Dashboard, account changes can trigger another check, called step-up authentication, which can't be switched off. After one, Stripe may not ask again for a short while, so batch your changes and keep the pop-up open until you finish (Stripe).

If Stripe rejects your code

Stripe's own checklist (Stripe):

• The phone's clock. Stripe suggests checking time.gov on the phone; more than 20 seconds out needs fixing. On iPhone, turn on Settings > General > Date & Time > Set Automatically. Novaz flags a drift of 15 seconds or more.
• The right Stripe user. Each Stripe user account has its own codes. If you have several, check which entry you're reading.
• An old entry. Each new setup makes a new QR code, and older entries stop working. In Novaz, open the stale one and tap Remove account.

Sharing one login among colleagues? Stripe would rather you invite each as a team member with their own devices (Stripe). More causes are in Authenticator code not working?

Moving to a new iPhone

Stripe says apps that sync or export their keys need no action. With Novaz, that's the case if you've turned on iCloud backup or exported a backup file: restore your accounts on the new iPhone and the Stripe codes keep working. Without one, update the method while you can still sign in (Stripe):

1. On the Personal details page, under Two-step authentication, click the ... icon next to your authenticator app.
2. Select Update and follow the prompts, scanning the new QR code with Novaz on the new iPhone.

Codes on the old phone stop working from then on. See How to transfer your authenticator app to a new iPhone.

If you lose your authenticator

Stripe's recovery article gives three routes (Stripe):

1. Another method or the backup code. Sign in with your password, then click Sign in another way. For the backup code, choose I don't have any of these and enter it. Anyone can do this, owner or not.
2. No backup code, account owner. Submit an account recovery request at dashboard.stripe.com/recover to prove you own the account. Stripe's help doesn't list what the form asks for. A decision can take up to a couple of business days. Approval arrives as an email link that you must use within 48 hours; a rejection email lists any other options you qualify for.
3. No backup code, not the owner. Ask an account administrator to reset your two-step authentication from the Team settings page, then follow the link Stripe emails you.

Stripe's help describes no other way to turn two-step authentication off. Once you're back in, set it up again with a second method. More help: Lost the phone with your authenticator app?

Official Stripe help

• Enable two-step authentication
• Enable two-step authentication using an authenticator app
• Backup codes for two-step authentication
• Can't complete two-step authentication?
• Incorrect verification code when using authenticator app
• Two-step authentication requirement
• What can I do to make my account more secure?
• Why do I need to verify my identity in the Dashboard?
• Stripe asked you to verify you control your account