How To Set Up Google Authenticator

How Does Google Authenticator Work?

In many cases, the one-time access code can be texted to a phone number associated with your account, but the Google Authenticator app can provide those codes on your smartphone instead. These codes ensure no one else has access to your accounts, as a third-party would not only need your password but also access to your phone to log in — something remote hackers are unlikely to get their hands on. Google Authenticator works across Google’s services, as well as a wide variety of other online accounts, including Slack.

How to Get Google Authenticator

The first thing you need to do is download the Google Authenticator app for your mobile device:

For iOS devices, download the Google Authenticator app from the App Store. For Android devices, download the Google Authenticator app from the Play Store.

Enable Two-Factor Authentication on Your Accounts

You’ll need to activate two-factor authentication for the online services you want to use with Google Authenticator. The steps to do this will be specific to your service, so see the service’s guidance on enabling two-factor authentication. It may be listed as 2FA, and often can be found during the sign-in process. Once you’ve enabled two-factor authentication for your account, you can move on to the next process for linking your account to your authenticator app. To link Google Authenticator with your Google account, specifically, go to Google’s setup page for two-factor authentication, which will let you link the two. However, you don’t need to enable this if you only want to use Google Authenticator with different services.