Which authenticator apps work with Slack?

Slack 2FA works with most time-based one-time password (TOTP) apps; Slack names Google Authenticator, Duo Mobile, 1Password, Authy and Microsoft Authenticator. The Authenticator extension produces the same standard codes in Chrome — no phone needed — and reads the QR code straight off the Slack account page.

I am in several Slack workspaces. Do I set up 2FA once?

No — Slack treats the account in each workspace separately. Open your-workspace.slack.com/account/settings for each one, with your workspace’s own address, and set 2FA up there. Each appears in the extension as its own account; rename them so you can tell them apart.

What if I lose access to my authenticator?

Sign in with one of your backup codes. Without them, ask a Workspace Owner or Admin to turn 2FA off for your account; if you are a Workspace Owner yourself, the Workspace Primary Owner can do it. Keeping the extension’s automatic backups on means a reinstall does not send you to your admin.

Why does Slack say my code is wrong?

Usually the computer clock is off by a minute or more. Turn on automatic date and time and try the next code. If it still fails, the account may have been added from an old QR code — remove it from the extension and set 2FA up again.

Slack Authenticator App — Set Up Two-Factor Authentication

A Slack account opens every channel, direct message and shared file in your workspace — and a hijacked one can message your colleagues as you, which is how phishing spreads inside a company. With 2FA on, Slack asks for a verification code along with your password each time you sign in. On paid plans owners and admins must use it anyway, and an owner can make it mandatory for everyone.

Turn on two-factor authentication in Slack

Slack’s 2FA protects sign-ins with an email address and password. If your company signs you in to Slack with single sign-on (SSO), Slack says 2FA should be set up with your identity provider instead. Owners can require 2FA and limit it to authenticator apps. If you belong to several workspaces, set it up in each one separately.

Sign in to your workspace in a browser on your computer and open your account page at my.slack.com/account/settings.
Next to “Two-factor Authentication”, click “Expand”.
Click “Set Up Two-Factor Authentication” and enter your password.
Click “Use an app” to get your codes from an authentication app.
Slack shows a QR code. Leave it on the screen and add it to the extension as described below — then enter the six-digit code from the extension and click “Verify Code”.

Slack’s own instructions

Add Slack to Authenticator

Install 2FA Authenticator from the Chrome Web Store and pin it to the toolbar, so its icon is one click away.
Leave the Slack page with the QR code open. Click the Authenticator icon, then “Add Account” → “QR Code” → “Scan QR from screen”.
The account appears in the list with a six-digit code that changes every 30 seconds. Rename it if you like — the name is only for you.
Go back to Slack and type the current code into the confirmation field. If it is about to expire, wait for the next one.
Slack confirms that two-factor authentication is on. From now on it will ask for a code when you sign in — click the extension icon and copy it.

No QR code, or it will not scan? Look for the option to enter a key manually on Slack’s setup screen, copy the key, and add it in the extension with “Add Account” → “Manual” → “Secret Key”.

Get 2FA Authenticator for Chrome — free

Save your Slack backup codes

Slack gives you backup codes when you set up 2FA, and you can find them again on your Account page at any time. Each code works once, and it signs you in if you lose your device or delete the authentication app. Make a copy and keep it somewhere other than this computer.

The code is not accepted?

Almost always the computer’s clock. The codes are calculated from the current time, so a clock that is a minute off produces codes that look right and are refused. Turn on automatic date and time in your system settings — step-by-step for Windows, macOS and Linux.

If the clock is right, check the key itself: paste it into the TOTP code generator and compare the code with the one in the extension. If they differ, the key was copied wrong — add the account again.

Questions

Which authenticator apps work with Slack?: Slack 2FA works with most time-based one-time password (TOTP) apps; Slack names Google Authenticator, Duo Mobile, 1Password, Authy and Microsoft Authenticator. The Authenticator extension produces the same standard codes in Chrome — no phone needed — and reads the QR code straight off the Slack account page.
I am in several Slack workspaces. Do I set up 2FA once?: No — Slack treats the account in each workspace separately. Open your-workspace.slack.com/account/settings for each one, with your workspace’s own address, and set 2FA up there. Each appears in the extension as its own account; rename them so you can tell them apart.
What if I lose access to my authenticator?: Sign in with one of your backup codes. Without them, ask a Workspace Owner or Admin to turn 2FA off for your account; if you are a Workspace Owner yourself, the Workspace Primary Owner can do it. Keeping the extension’s automatic backups on means a reinstall does not send you to your admin.
Why does Slack say my code is wrong?: Usually the computer clock is off by a minute or more. Turn on automatic date and time and try the next code. If it still fails, the account may have been added from an old QR code — remove it from the extension and set 2FA up again.

Your codes, one click from the login page

Authenticator keeps your 2FA codes in the browser, on your device only — free to use, open source, no account and no phone needed. Local backups and optional password protection come built in.