Two-factor authentication (2FA) protects your Invoice Office account with a second step at sign-in: after your password, you enter a six-digit code from an authenticator app on your phone. Someone who learns your password still cannot get in without that phone. In Invoice Office, two-factor authentication is called Two-step verification and takes about two minutes to set up.
Which authenticator app do I need?
Any authenticator app works — you do not need a particular one. Microsoft Authenticator, Google Authenticator, Authy or any other app that shows six-digit codes that change every 30 seconds will do. If you already have one on your phone, use that. If not, install one from your phone’s app store before you start.
Enable two-factor authentication
- Open the Settings menu and choose Security center, then click Two-step verification in the menu on the left.
- The first time, the page shows Two-step verification is not enabled. Click Generate secret key and confirm, and Invoice Office creates a key for your account and shows it as a QR code. If a key was created before, the page opens straight on the QR code — carry on with step 3.
- Open your authenticator app, add an account and scan the QR code. Cannot scan it? Under Can’t scan the code? the same key is shown as text — copy it and enter it in your app by hand.
- Your app now shows a six-digit code for Invoice Office. Type it into Enter the 6-digit code from your app and click Enable two-step verification.
Invoice Office confirms with Two-step verification enabled successfully. If you see Invalid authentication code, the code probably changed while you were typing — wait for the next one and try again.
Always turn two-step verification on this way, with a code from your app. Entering a code proves your app is set up correctly; without that check you could lock yourself out at your next sign-in.
Two-step verification belongs to your own login. Every user on the account sets it up for themselves, from their own Security center.
Sign in with two-factor authentication
- Sign in with your username and password as usual.
- Invoice Office asks for your Authentication code. Open your authenticator app, type the current six-digit code for Invoice Office and click Login.
You are asked for a code at every sign-in, on every device. Cancel takes you back to the sign-in page. If the code is rejected, check that your phone’s clock is set automatically — authenticator codes depend on the right time. No access to your app at all? Use Turn off 2FA by email on the same screen — see Lost access to your authenticator app?.
Lost access to your authenticator app? Turn it off by email
New phone, deleted app, or you turned two-step verification on without finishing the setup? You can turn it off yourself from the sign-in screen, with a link sent to the email address you sign in with.
- Sign in with your username and password as usual.
- On the screen that asks for your Authentication code, go to Lost access to your authenticator app? below the Login button and click Turn off 2FA by email.
- Invoice Office tells you it has emailed a link, and shows part of the address so you know which inbox to check. The link is valid for 1 hour. The message closes by itself after a few seconds.
- Open the email Turn off two-step verification and click the Turn off two-step verification link in it.
- A page opens that shows the account the link is for. Click Yes, turn it off.
- You are taken back to the sign-in page with Two-step verification is turned off. You can sign in with your password. Sign in with your password only.
Then set two-step verification up again with the authenticator app on your phone, so your account is protected again.
Good to know:
- Nothing changes until you click Yes, turn it off — opening the link alone does not turn anything off. Each link works once.
- No email? Check your spam folder first. While a link is still valid, asking again does not send a new one — use the first email, or wait an hour and ask again.
- Did you get this email without asking for it? Ignore it. Your two-step verification stays on, and whoever asked still needed your password to get that far — so change your password.
Disable two-factor authentication
While you are signed in, you can turn two-step verification off from the Security center:
- Go to Settings → Security center and click Two-step verification on the left.
- Switch Enable two-step verification off.
The switch turns grey and your next sign-in asks for your password only. To turn it back on, go through Enable two-factor authentication again, with a code from your app.
Move two-factor authentication to a new phone
If you are still signed in — on another computer, or in a browser you have not logged out of — you can move two-step verification to a new phone with Reset:
- Go to Settings → Security center, click Two-step verification on the left and click Reset. Confirm that you want a new secret key.
- Scan the new QR code with the authenticator app on your new phone, straight away.
- Enter the six-digit code from the new phone and click Enable two-step verification to check it works.
Reset only works while two-step verification is on — when it is off, the button is greyed out.
The old key stops working the moment you reset, so your lost phone can no longer produce valid codes. Do not sign out before you have scanned the new code.
Not signed in anywhere? Turn it off by email instead. No longer have access to that email address either? Contact us and we will help you get back in.
Forgotten your password as well? Reset it first — two-step verification asks for your code after the password, not instead of it.
When Invoice Office asks you to turn it on
After you sign in, Invoice Office may show an Enable two-step verification screen. Click Enable two-step verification to go through the steps above, or Continue without two-step verification to do it another time. On some accounts the screen has no continue option — then two-step verification is required before you can use Invoice Office. How do I set up two-step verification? on that screen opens this guide.