Support Center / Account / Two-factor authentication on Proton VPN

Two-factor authentication on Proton VPN

Two-factor authentication (2FA) adds an additional layer of security to your Proton VPN account by requiring a second round of verification to the login process. To use 2FA, you must have a device with an authenticator app installed on it. The authenticator app creates a one-time, 6-digit code to use as a verification code when you log in.

This means that even if an attacker gets a hold of your password, they cannot log in to your account unless they also have access to your mobile phone. We recommend enabling 2FA on your account to keep your account secure.

Here are some authenticator apps you can download on your mobile device:

Android

iOS

How to set up 2FA

To set up 2FA in your Proton VPN account:

1. Log in to your Proton VPN account at account.protonvpn.com.

2. Go to AccountPasswords and turn on the Two-factor authentication switch.

Two-factor authentication switch

3. Click Next to start your 2FA setup.

Next button to start setting up two-factor authentication

4. Open the authenticator app on your mobile device, and scan the QR code with your device’s camera.

Note: Do not scan the demo image shown below. Scan the image shown in your account settings.

QR code to scan to set up two-factor authentication on your authenticator app

If you prefer, you can enter the authentication key manually by selecting Enter key manually instead.

Key to enter in your authenticator app if you want to set up two-factor authentication manually

Once you have successfully added your Proton VPN account to your authenticator app, click Next.

5. Enter your account password and the one-time 6-digit code generated by your authenticator app, and click Submit.

Boxes to enter your account password and two-factor authentication code

6. You’ll also receive several one-time recovery codes. Please save these codes in a secure location. If you lose your authentication device, you can enter a recovery code instead of a one-time code generated by your authenticator app. You can only use each recovery code once.

Recovery codes in case you lose your authentication device

Your 2FA setup is now complete. You can now use the authenticator app on your mobile device to create 6-digit verification codes to access your account.

How to use 2FA with multiple devices

If you wish to receive your 6-digit verification codes on multiple devices — for example, your phone and your tablet — you must install an authentication app on each device.

If you’ve already enabled two-factor authentication, you’ll need to disable it first.

1. Log in to your Proton VPN account at account.protonvpn.com.

2. Go to AccountPasswords and turn off the Two-factor authentication switch to disable 2FA.

Two-factor authentication switch

3. Turn the Two-factor authentication switch back on again, and click Next to start your 2FA setup.

Next button to start setting up two-factor authentication

4. Scan the QR code using the authenticator app on each device. You can also take a screenshot of the QR code and save it for later to scan with your other devices.

Note: do not scan the demo image shown below. Scan the image shown in your account settings.

QR code to scan to set up two-factor authentication on your authenticator app

If you prefer, you can enter the authentication key manually on each device by selecting Enter key manually instead.

Key to enter in your authenticator app if you want to set up two-factor authentication manually

Once you have successfully added your Proton VPN account to the authenticator app on each device, click Next.

5. Enter your account password and the one-time 6-digit code generated by your authenticator app, and click Submit.

6. You’ll also receive several one-time recovery codes. Please save these codes in a secure location. If you lose your authentication devices, you can enter a recovery code instead of a one-time code generated by your authenticator app. You can only use each recovery code once.

Recovery codes in case you lose your authentication device

Your 2FA setup is now complete. You can now use the authenticator app on more than one device to create 6-digit verification codes to access your account.

Post Comment

4 comments

  1. Jasper

    Cant login new android tv app and on protonvpn protonvpn.com/tv with two factor id

    open androidtv app see url protonvpn.com/tv
    pick up phone type in url
    webpage askes for login. input login
    webpage askes for two factor id, go to id app copy paste
    – error redirect to login screen

    please help

    cheers Jasper

  2. Douglas Crawford

    Hi Jasper. Please contact our Support Team for assistance.

  3. Patrick

    Hello,
    I followed this procedure, and I got 16 8-alphanumeric codes.
    Now, every time that I log on my proton email account, it is asked me to enter a 2FA.
    I am going to quickly use my 16 codes.
    This is a bit weird for me. Is it normal? because I will need to regenerate new codes over short period of times.

    Thanks.

  4. Douglas Crawford

    Hi Patrick. The 16 alphanumeric codes are backup codes for use in case you lose your 2FA device(s). To use 2FA you should pair an authenticator app with your account using the instructions above. The authenticator app generates a new TOPT code whenever you need one. If you need further assistance, please contact our Support Team.

Comments are closed.

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