Setting up two-factor authentication
Add an extra layer of security to keep your account safe.
Reviewed regularly to match the current app.
Overview
These settings let you secure your account to minimize outsiders breaching it. Two-factor authentication (2FA) adds an extra layer of security: after your password, you confirm a six-digit code before you can sign in.
GS Poetry supports two 2FA methods — use whichever you prefer, or add both:
- Authenticator app — a six-digit code is generated by an app such as Google Authenticator. This is the recommended method, and it comes with backup codes.
- Text message (SMS) — a six-digit code is texted to a phone number you add. Available in the United States and Canada only.
Everything below lives under Settings → My Account → Security.
What you’ll need
- A GS Poetry account in good standing.
- An authenticator app installed on your device — for authenticator-app 2FA.
- A US or Canadian mobile number that can receive texts — for SMS 2FA.
- A safe place to store your backup codes — a password manager is the most reliable spot.
Step-by-step
Enable authenticator-app two-factor authentication (e.g. Google Authenticator)
- Download and open your authenticator app on your device.
- In the Two-Factor Authentication card, click/tap Enable Two-Factor.
- Scan the QR code shown on the site with your app — or, if you can’t scan, enter the setup key printed below the code manually.
- The app shows a six-digit code. Enter it in the field on the site.
- Click/tap Verify & Turn On.
- Save your backup codes on the next screen — click/tap Download TXT file or Copy Codes, then close the window. Authenticator-app two-factor authentication is now enabled.
Disable authenticator-app two-factor authentication
- Click/tap Turn Off Two-Factor.
- In the confirmation dialog, click/tap Turn Off Two-Factor again (or Keep it on to back out).
- Because this is a sensitive change, you’ll be asked to confirm it’s you — enter a current 2FA code or your password in the verification window. Two-factor authentication is then turned off, and your existing backup codes stop working.
Set up text-message (SMS) two-factor authentication
- In the Phone Number card, enter a US or Canadian mobile number and click/tap Send Code.
- Enter the six-digit code we text you and click/tap Verify & Add to put the number on file.
- Turn on the Enable SMS Two-Factor switch. Since this changes your security, you’ll confirm it’s you in a quick verification window. From then on, a text code is one of the ways you can complete sign-in and sensitive actions.
To turn SMS 2FA off, flip the Enable SMS Two-Factor switch back off; to take the number off your account entirely, click/tap Remove next to it. Both ask you to verify it’s you first.
Once you turn off authenticator-app 2FA, the GS Poetry entry in your authenticator app is no longer valid and should be deleted. If you re-enable it later, you’ll scan a new QR code and the app will create a fresh GS Poetry entry to use.
If something goes wrong
Each backup code works once — if you’re running low, click/tap Regenerate Backup Codes in the Two-Factor Authentication card after signing in. If you’ve lost both your authenticator app and your backup codes, follow the dedicated recovery guide rather than retrying the steps above.
Where to go next
If you can’t get a code from your authenticator app, see Lost access to your two-factor authentication for the three ways back into your account.