PROTON MAIL ACCOUNT GUIDE

How to enable 2FA on Proton Mail

Two-factor authentication protects the Proton Account used for Proton Mail and other Proton services. You can use an authenticator app and keep a security key as another option.

Enable Proton’s authenticator setting

  1. Sign in to account.proton.me and open Settings → All settings.
  2. Choose Account and password.
  3. Under Two-factor authentication, turn on Authenticator app and confirm your password.

Add Proton to Sign In

You can use Sign In, our authenticator app for codes on your iPhone.

  1. With the setup QR code on another screen, open Sign In and tap Add → Scan QR Code.
  2. Scan the code, review the account details, and tap Add Account.
  3. Choose Next on Proton, enter your password and the current six-digit code, then Submit. Save the recovery codes shown afterward.

For setup on the same iPhone, choose Enter key manually instead on Proton to reveal the secret. In Sign In, choose Add → Enter Setup Key, set Service to Proton and Account to your account name, paste the secret into Key, then tap Add Account. Keep this key private.

Store the right recovery information

Save the single-use 2FA recovery codes outside your phone. These replace an unavailable authenticator code at sign-in. They are different from Proton’s account-recovery phrase.

If you lose access to the codes

Use a saved recovery code or an enrolled security key. If neither is available, follow Proton’s account-recovery prompts using the recovery methods you configured beforehand. Do not assume a password reset alone will restore every form of access or encrypted data.

Security keys and troubleshooting

Proton also supports U2F and FIDO2 security keys. These provide stronger phishing resistance than typed codes.

If a code is rejected, check the account entry, wait for a fresh code, and ensure both devices have accurate automatic date and time.

Official help