How to set up 2FA on Facebook
Checked against Facebook's own help on 10 October 2026. Menus change, so follow the nearest label if yours differs.
Short answer
Open Facebook's security settings (Settings, Accounts Center, Password and security), choose the authenticator app option, and scan the QR code Facebook shows with KeyNesta (or enter the setup key by hand). Type the six-digit code KeyNesta shows back into Facebook to finish, and save the recovery material Facebook gives you before you close the page.
Before you start
Have KeyNesta open and unlocked before Facebook shows the QR code, so the code is ready the moment it appears. KeyNesta needs no account to do this. It stores authenticator-app codes only: it does not do passkeys or hardware security keys, and where Facebook offers those you set them up in Facebook directly.
Steps
- Click your profile picture in the top-right corner, then Settings & privacy, then Settings.
- Open Accounts Center, then Password and security.
- Choose Two-factor authentication, then select the account you want to protect.
- Select the authentication app option (a third-party app that provides login codes) and follow the on-screen instructions until Facebook shows a QR code or key.
- Add it to KeyNesta. Open the KeyNesta web app (or the app on your phone once it is released), unlock your vault, choose Scan QR and point the camera at the code on screen. If you cannot scan, use Import QR image, or choose Add entry to paste the setup key.
- Enter the six-digit code from KeyNesta when Facebook asks for it.
- Look for backup or recovery options in the same two-factor screen and save them before you close it.
| What to know | |
|---|---|
| Where to start | Settings, Accounts Center, Password and security |
| Setup key as text | Facebook's help does not describe the later screens, so look for a link beside the QR code that shows the key as text. |
| Recovery material | Facebook's help page covers the route to the authentication-app option but not the later screens. |
| Source | Facebook Help Center: Use an authentication app for two-factor authentication |
Backup and recovery for Facebook
Facebook's help page covers the route to the authentication-app option but not the later screens. Look for the backup or recovery options inside the two-factor settings and save what they give you.
Save whatever Facebook gives you somewhere that is not the phone holding your codes. Where to store your 2FA backup codes compares the options, and 2FA backup and sync covers backing up the KeyNesta vault itself.
Things to know about Facebook
- Meta is moving people to Meta Accounts, so you may see Login and security in place of Password and security. Follow the closest matching label.
Source
Menu paths on this page come from Facebook Help Center: Use an authentication app for two-factor authentication, read on 10 October 2026. Facebook's page gives the route to the authentication-app option; the screens after that appear only when you reach them. KeyNesta is not affiliated with Facebook.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use KeyNesta as the authenticator app for Facebook?
Yes. Facebook asks for a standard time-based code, and KeyNesta reads the same QR code or setup key and generates that code on your device, offline. Facebook does not learn which app you chose. KeyNesta holds authenticator-app codes only; it has no passkey or hardware security key support. How to add the code is in How do I add a 2FA code to KeyNesta?
What happens to my Facebook 2FA if I lose my phone?
Use a recovery option you saved, or Facebook's account recovery. If your KeyNesta vault is synced or you made an encrypted backup, you can restore the codes on another device; the lost phone guide covers the order to do things in.
How do I add Facebook to KeyNesta if I cannot scan the QR code?
Facebook's help does not describe the later screens, so look for a link beside the QR code that shows the key as text. In KeyNesta you can also upload a screenshot with Import QR image, paste an otpauth:// link, or add the entry by hand with the secret. Delete any screenshot of the QR afterwards: it works like a password.
Can I use the same Facebook code on two devices?
Codes come from a shared secret, so any app that holds the secret shows the same codes. The tidy way is KeyNesta's optional end-to-end encrypted sync, which carries the vault to a second device. The alternative is to add the secret to a second app while the QR code is still on screen; once Facebook stops showing it, you cannot get it back without re-enrolling.
Does Facebook two-factor authentication also protect my Instagram account?
Both are set up through Accounts Center: Password and security, Two-factor authentication, then the account you want to protect. You pick the account on that screen, so check each account you use rather than assuming one setup covers the other.
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