Question

Feature Request: auto save 2fa backup codes

Forum|Forum|1 year ago
April 1, 2025
9 replies
332 views

Hello everyone,

Would it be an option to automatically store 2fa backup codes? Not sure how people generally store those but in my workflow this would be most logical. If this is not feasible just let me know.

Have an amazing day,
Greetings, Wouter.

Feature Request

cyber-bacon

This would be a great addition. Most of the time, I either copy/paste the codes into the 1Password item's note field (I know, not the best place to keep backup codes, but 🤷‍♂️). If it's a document they have you download (PDF, etc), then I download the document, Attach a File, then delete the file from my Downloads.

1P_Dave

1Password Employee

@cyber-bacon

Thank you for the feedback! I've shared your post with the team internally. 🙂

-Dave

PB-47320362

1P_Dave

1Password Employee

Hello @wottak2go! 👋

Thank you for the feedback! 2FA backup codes are usually meant to be a recovery method if you lose access to your authenticator app. Are you using 1Password as your 2FA authenticator app? Or another authenticator app?

Storing the backup codes in your authenticator app (if you're using 1Password as your 2FA authenticator app), next to your one-time password, won't allow you to use those backup codes if you lose access to the authenticator app. In other words: it defeats the purpose of the 2FA backup codes.

That being said, it would be helpful to have 1Password automatically offer to save recovery codes and I've filed a feature request on your behalf. For the time being, adding them to the notes field in a Login item, or saved as a text file attached to the item, would be the best option.

-Dave

PB-47305005

P

Pleonasm

Storing the backup codes in your authenticator app (if you're using 1Password as your 2FA authenticator app), next to your one-time password, won't allow you to use those backup codes if you lose access to the authenticator app. In other words: it defeats the purpose of the 2FA backup codes.

@1P_Dave, periodically and regularly exporting 1Password data to a locally encrypted disk ensures that a user can retrieve the 2FA backup codes stored in 1Password, even if access to the 1Password authenticator app functionality is unavailable for some unexpected reason. If the backup codes are stored in the notes, they will appear in the CSV export.

To guard against such circumstances, I personally export 1Password data on a weekly basis - and, wish that 1Password made it easier to export (and allowed the printing of) all stored information.

L

LaurentPerche

Hi everyone, is there some update on this?

1P_Dave

1Password Employee

@LaurentPerche

I don't have any news to share but I've let the team know that you'd like to see this feature as well. Thank you for the feedback!

-Dave

PB-50146784

C

clemens1

+1 from me as well. Recovery/backup codes can be needed in edge cases (e.g., after a security reset or when you’ve lost access to your email), so it’s convenient to have them saved alongside the login in 1Password.

The current workarounds aren’t ideal:

notes field: codes are visible in plain text and easy to mix with other notes, so they’re harder to find/copy reliably.
password field: it’s too easy to accidentally overwrite the codes by clicking “Create a New Password”.

A dedicated “recovery codes” field (secure + multiline) would solve this neatly.

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