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Forum Discussion
How do recovery codes compare to 2FA in terms of protecting my 1Password account?
I'm curious about the security trade-offs between relying on recovery codes versus using 2FA for account protection. How do these two methods compare in terms of securing my account in the event of a password breach or a lost device? Would using both offer stronger protection, or is one method generally more secure than the other in specific scenarios?
- 1P_Dave
Moderator
That's a great question! Recovery codes and two-factor authentication are both optional features that you can enable for your 1Password account but they serve two very different purposes.
When you turn on two-factor authentication for your 1Password account you'll need to provide a one-time password from an authenticator app, or a hardware security key, when signing into 1Password on a new device or browser. It's an additional factor that provides protection in case an attacker has managed to get their hands on both your account password and Secret Key. We've published a blog article that discusses this further: Protecting Your 1Password Account with MFA
Recovery codes, on the other hand, are not required to sign into your 1Password account. Instead, a recovery code helps you to recover access to your 1Password account in case you lose your account password or Secret Key. You can read more here:
Ideally a single document that walks a non business user through these concepts at a top level and provides those links on implementation would be helpful for users asking that question, and then deciding if they need/want either or both. Users also need to be aware of things like if you get a new phone is your mfa app configured to backup and restore the 1Password entry.
As a 1Password Business admin with MFA required most of the recoveries I perform are related to the MFA app not having a recovery password in place. Fortunately in our environment that’s manageable but the impact in a personal account could be quite different.
