WeTransfer 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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Since November 2024, sending large files with WeTransfer takes an account (WeTransfer). Two-factor authentication (2FA) is optional, and WeTransfer's setup steps use an authenticator app. Know two things first: WeTransfer's help mentions no backup codes, and it says "we cannot disable two-factor authentication on a WeTransfer account" once it's on (WeTransfer). Lose your codes, and the documented way out is giving up the account. This guide uses Authenticator App - Novaz on iPhone, but any authenticator app works the same way.
How we checked this guide: the WeTransfer steps come from WeTransfer's own Help Center, linked below, which we read on October 20, 2026. We haven't tested them on a WeTransfer 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
WeTransfer's newest page on this, from October 8, 2026, gives these steps for the website (WeTransfer):
- Sign in on the WeTransfer website and go to Account Settings > Profile & Security.
- Under Password and security, select Two-factor authentication.
- Click Turn on and follow the instructions on screen.
- WeTransfer shows a barcode (a QR code). In Novaz, tap +, then Scan QR code, and point the camera at it. If the code is on the same iPhone, take a screenshot, tap +, then Choose a photo. See scanning a QR code on the same iPhone.
- Enter the 6-digit code that Novaz now shows for WeTransfer (WeTransfer).
A May 2026 article uses other labels for the same path: your profile name or icon, then Account, Profile and security and Turn on (WeTransfer). It suggests Google Authenticator, but any authenticator app will do.
Neither page says whether WeTransfer also shows a text key. If you see one, tap + in Novaz, then Enter key manually, and paste it as the Setup key. WeTransfer's codes are 6 digits and change every 30 seconds, which is what Novaz makes from a typed key. See What is a 2FA setup key?
Signing in afterwards
From your next sign-in, WeTransfer asks for a code from your authenticator app (WeTransfer). Each code stays valid for 60 seconds although a new one appears every 30, which gives you some slack (WeTransfer).
The help pages don't say whether the code is also asked for when you sign in with Google, Apple or Slack. The WeTransfer iPhone app sends you to your phone's browser to sign in, so that's where you'll type the code from Novaz (WeTransfer).
No backup codes
WeTransfer's help mentions no backup or recovery codes and no second method such as text messages. Its advice for a lost authenticator assumes your app keeps a copy of its codes, as Google Authenticator can with a Google account (WeTransfer).
Without a Novaz iCloud backup or backup file, that iPhone is the only thing that can make your WeTransfer codes. If setup does show a text key, saving it in a password manager lets you add WeTransfer to another phone later.
If WeTransfer rejects your code
WeTransfer's sign-in troubleshooting includes checking that your device's clock shows the right time (WeTransfer). For Novaz, what counts is the iPhone's clock: open Settings > General > Date & Time and turn on Set Automatically. Novaz warns you when the clock is 15 seconds or more off. The page also suggests clearing cookies and cache or trying another browser. More in Authenticator code not working?
Changing phones or turning 2FA off
WeTransfer's help doesn't describe moving 2FA to a new phone. It does describe turning it off: in your Profile and security panel, click Turn off, then confirm with your account password or with a code WeTransfer sends to your email (WeTransfer).
So before you erase your old iPhone, turn 2FA off, then on again, and scan the new QR code with Novaz on the new iPhone. Or, if you have a Novaz iCloud backup or backup file, restore it 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
WeTransfer's first suggestion is to get back the phone you set 2FA up with. Its other ideas assume a copy of your codes exists elsewhere. With Novaz, that's an iCloud backup or a backup file, if you made one: restore it on another iPhone. If the phone is gone without one, WeTransfer won't switch 2FA off, and the October 2026 page splits the next step by account type (WeTransfer):
- Free account: ask for your data to be deleted through the Manage your rights for WeTransfer form linked from that page. This takes up to 14 days, and then you can sign up again with the same email address, or right away with a different one.
- Subscription: contact support through the box at the bottom of any help page, which has a link for people who can't sign in.
Deleting an account removes your transfers for good (WeTransfer). An older page, from May 2026, describes another route: support changes the email address on the locked account so you can reuse yours on a new one. Past transfers don't come over, and it can't be done for Google, Apple or Slack accounts (WeTransfer).
To confirm the account is yours, support may ask for the last 4 digits of your subscription card, a reply from the account's email address, or a screenshot of a WeTransfer charge (WeTransfer). WeTransfer doesn't say how long a support case takes. More in Lost the phone with your authenticator app?
