All Collections
Account Access and Billing
Your Account
Two-factor authentication (2FA)
Two-factor authentication (2FA)

Increase security for your account by using multiple authentication steps.

Andrey Kirillov avatar
Written by Andrey Kirillov
Updated over a week ago

Two-factor authentication (2FA) enhances your Ahrefs account security by requiring a second verification step during sign-in. This significantly reduces the risk of unauthorized access to your account, even if your password is compromised.

Enable two-factor authentication

To enable two-factor authentication using a mobile app, such as Google Authenticator (available for iOS and Android):

  1. Go to Account settings > My account and click the Add authentication method button under the Two-factor authentication section.
    ​

  2. Use your authentication app to scan the QR code, then click Continue.
    ​

  3. Enter the 6-digit verification code generated by your authentication app.
    ​

  4. Store the provided backup code and click I have stored my backup code to complete the setup. This code is essential for accessing your account if you lose access to your authentication app.
    ​

The setup process is now complete. Going forward, Ahrefs will request a code whenever you sign in.

Note: The codes generated by your authentication app are specific to the particular device and cannot be transferred. If you plan to switch to a new phone, you need to disable 2FA beforehand, and then re-enable it using your new phone.

Require two-factor authentication

If you are the workspace owner or admin, you can enforce 2FA for your workspace members. The Require two-factor authentication option can be found in Account Settings > Members.

Once enabled, every member who hasn't set up 2FA will be signed out and required to set up 2FA to continue accessing their accounts. Every new user invited to your team will also be required to set it up before joining if they haven’t already done so.

Trouble with two-factor authentication

If you encounter issues with 2FA because you lost your phone or no longer have access to your authenticator app, use the backup code you saved during setup to disable 2FA.

If you don't have a backup code but are signed into a different browser session, you can generate a new backup code in Account Settings > My Account.

If you aren't signed in elsewhere and can't change your 2FA settings, take the following steps:

  • If you are a workspace owner, you may need to contact us at [email protected]. For security reasons, you will be asked to provide detailed information to confirm your identity. This process can be slow and may take several days. It's intentionally designed to be thorough, as the main objective of 2FA is to provide in-depth protection for your account against sophisticated attacks. We will prioritize the security of your account over the ease of access recovery.

  • If you're not a workspace owner, contact your workspace owner or admin to request a 2FA reset.

Resetting two-factor authentication

A workspace owner or an admin can reset 2FA for any member of their workspace to help them access their account. The Reset two-factor authentication option can be found in Account Settings > Members.

Once requested, the member will receive an email and must confirm the reset by clicking a personalized link and following the instructions.

Did this answer your question?