Trello 2FA: how to set up an authenticator app

Trello has no two-factor setting of its own anymore. You open your boards by signing in with an Atlassian account, and two-factor authentication (two-step verification, in Atlassian's words) is set up there (Trello). It's optional unless your company manages the account, in which case an admin can make it mandatory (Atlassian).

The second step can be an authenticator app code, a security key or a text message. Atlassian says "We support most authenticator apps" (Atlassian). This guide uses Authenticator App - Novaz on iPhone, but any authenticator app works the same way.

How we checked this guide: the Trello steps come from Atlassian's own help pages for Trello and for Atlassian accounts, linked below, which we read on October 19, 2026. We haven't tested them on a Trello account, so a label may differ slightly. The Novaz steps are checked against the app, version 1.0.5.

Before you start

If you sign in with Google, Apple, Microsoft or Slack, Atlassian recommends turning on two-step verification with that provider instead (Atlassian). If your company uses SAML single sign-on, its identity provider handles two-step verification (Atlassian).

Turn on 2FA with an authenticator app

These steps are from Atlassian's account help (Atlassian):

1. Signed in with your Trello login, go to id.atlassian.com/manage-profile/security and select Manage two-step verification.
2. Enter your password in the Atlassian account password field. Select Set up the first time, or Unlock settings if two-step verification is already on.
3. Select Enable authenticator app and follow the prompts, which Atlassian's help doesn't describe.
4. When you see a QR code, open Novaz, tap +, then Scan QR code. On the same iPhone, take a screenshot and use Choose a photo. See scanning a QR code on the same iPhone.
5. If you're offered a key instead, tap +, then Enter key manually, and fill in Service, Account and Setup key. Atlassian doesn't publish its code length or interval, and a typed key always makes 6-digit, 30-second codes, so scan if you can. See What is a 2FA setup key?
6. Enter the code from Novaz when asked.
7. Copy, print or write down your emergency recovery key.

One recovery key, not a list of codes

Atlassian gives you one emergency recovery key, not a set of backup codes. Each key works once, and using it gets you a new one to save. Lost it? While still signed in, select Create new emergency recovery key in Manage two-step verification to replace it (Atlassian).

Save this key even if you back up Novaz: it gets you in if the phone is lost without an iCloud backup or backup file, or the backup is out of date. Keep it in a password manager or on paper, away from your phone. See 2FA backup codes.

When Trello asks for a code

Every time you log in, after your email and password. Turning it on may also sign you out on your other devices (Atlassian). Atlassian's help doesn't mention remembering a device. The exception is a passkey: signing in with one skips both the password and the two-step code. Passkeys aren't offered on accounts managed by an organization (Atlassian).

If Trello rejects your code

Atlassian suggests three checks: no space in the code, the code for the right account, and a correct phone clock (Atlassian). On iPhone, open Settings > General > Date & Time and turn on Set Automatically. Novaz also warns you when the clock is 15 seconds or more off. If it still fails, use your recovery key. More in Authenticator code not working?

Changing phones

Atlassian's way is to turn two-step verification off, then on again with the new phone, so do it before you give up the old one (Atlassian). If your organization requires two-step verification, ask your admin first: Atlassian warns that turning it off can lock you out (Atlassian). With a Novaz iCloud backup or backup file, you can instead restore your accounts on the new iPhone and keep the same codes. See How to transfer your authenticator app to a new iPhone.

If you lose your authenticator

With your recovery key: when asked for a code, select Can't use your phone?, enter the key and select Log in (Atlassian). Another Atlassian page says Use recovery key, so labels may differ.

Without it, recovery goes through your email (Trello):

1. At trello.com/login, enter your email and password, then select Can't use your phone?.
2. On the recovery key screen, choose Can't find your recovery key?, then Send recovery email.
3. The first email, Steps to recover your Atlassian account, has no link. 24 hours later, a second one brings a one-time link to your settings, where you can turn two-step verification off or set up a new phone.

Trello says the link expires 24 hours after it's sent; Atlassian only says it expires soon, so use it promptly. No email? Contact Atlassian Support (Atlassian).

No Can't find your recovery key? option usually means an organization manages your account, and your admin can reset it (Atlassian).

Long-unused accounts may still have Trello's old two-step verification, which asks for a Two Factor Authentication Code. If its recovery codes fail, contact Trello support (Trello). More in Lost the phone with your authenticator app?

Turning 2FA off

In Manage two-step verification, under Settings, select Disable two-step verification, then Disable. To remove only the authenticator app, select More actions (•••) next to it, then Disable, which works only if another method is on (Atlassian). Then open the entry in Novaz and tap Remove account.

Official Trello and Atlassian help

• Enable two-factor authentication for your Trello account
• Troubleshooting two-step verification
• Manage two-step verification for your Atlassian account
• Login issues related to two-step verification
• Log in with a third-party account
• Access your Atlassian account with a passkey
• Enforce two-step verification