Windscribe 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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Your Windscribe account is the one you sign in to on the Windscribe VPN apps, the browser extension and the website. Two-factor authentication (2FA) is optional, and it comes in one form only: codes from an authenticator app. Windscribe doesn't offer text-message codes (Windscribe). This guide uses Authenticator App - Novaz on iPhone. Any authenticator app works the same way.
How we checked this guide: the Windscribe steps come from Windscribe's own knowledge base, including its screenshots, linked below, which we read on October 21, 2026. We haven't tested them on a Windscribe account, so a label may differ slightly. The Novaz steps are checked against the app, version 1.0.5.
The one thing to know first
During setup, Windscribe shows a Recovery key next to the QR code. It's the same text you'd type into an authenticator app if you can't scan the code, and Windscribe's dialog says it's "the only way back in if you lose your device" (Windscribe). There are no separate backup codes in Windscribe's help. So copy that key somewhere safe, away from your phone, before you finish.
Turn on 2FA with an authenticator app
Windscribe's setup article, dated December 17, 2025, describes these steps (Windscribe):
- Sign in on the Windscribe website and open My Account.
- In the sidebar, open Security, then Credentials.
- In the Sign-In card, find the Two-factor authentication row. It reads Not protected for now. Click Enable 2FA.
- Enter your Windscribe password and click Continue.
- The Set Up Two-Factor dialog opens. In Novaz, tap +, then Scan QR code, and point the camera at the code. If the QR code is on the same iPhone, take a screenshot, tap +, then Choose a photo. See scanning a QR code on the same iPhone.
- If you'd rather type it, copy the Recovery key. In Novaz, tap +, then Enter key manually, and fill in Service (for example, Windscribe), Account if you like, and paste the key as the Setup key. See What is a 2FA setup key?
- Save the Recovery key somewhere safe, such as a password manager or paper.
- Type the code from Novaz under Enter the 6-digit code from your app, then click Verify & Enable.
Afterwards, the Two-factor authentication row shows Protected, with a Manage button in place of Enable 2FA (Windscribe).
Windscribe says its codes change every 30 seconds (Windscribe), which matches what Novaz uses for a key typed by hand. The example key in Windscribe's screenshot is 16 characters long. Novaz needs at least 16 characters when you type a key, so if yours is shorter, scan the QR code instead.
When Windscribe asks for a code
Once 2FA is on, Windscribe asks for a code each time you sign in, right after your password (Windscribe). Its help doesn't mention remembered or trusted devices.
If Windscribe rejects your code
Windscribe's knowledge base has no advice for rejected 2FA codes. The usual cause 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. Also make sure you're reading the Windscribe entry, not another account's code. More causes are in Authenticator code not working?
Changing phones
Windscribe doesn't document moving 2FA to a new phone. If you have a Novaz iCloud backup or backup file, restore it on the new iPhone and your Windscribe codes keep working. If you saved the Recovery key, it's the same key you can enter in Novaz on the new iPhone with Enter key manually. If you have neither, keep the old phone until you've sorted out 2FA under Manage in Credentials. See How to transfer your authenticator app to a new iPhone.
If you lose your authenticator
Your saved Recovery key is Windscribe's documented way back in (Windscribe). The page doesn't explain more than that, so treat the key as essential.
Windscribe has no help article for losing both the device and the key. The general route is its Support team, through the support bot Garry or a ticket. Windscribe aims to answer a first ticket within 24 hours, and paid accounts are answered first (Windscribe). For other account recovery cases, such as a hijacked account, Windscribe asks paid users for payment details to prove ownership, like a PayPal transaction ID or the last four digits of the card (Windscribe). It doesn't say whether the same applies to a 2FA lockout.
If you made an anonymous (hashed) account, Windscribe says Support can't recover it at all (Windscribe). That page doesn't mention 2FA.
More in Lost the phone with your authenticator app?
Turning 2FA off
Windscribe's help only says that the Manage button appears on the Two-factor authentication row once 2FA is on (Windscribe). It doesn't describe the steps to turn it off. If you do, open the Windscribe entry in Novaz and tap Remove account afterwards.
