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July 26, 2026
Question

What is best 2FA practice with authenticator apps and Yubikeys?

  • July 26, 2026
  • 1 reply
  • 1 view

Several years ago I turned on 2FA for my 1P account, and I’ve used a third-party authenticator app to generate the necessary 2FA codes.  Recently, however, I purchased two Yubikeys and set them up in my 1P account as my second factors. This is working fine.

Should I now remove the authenticator app as a second factor in my 1P account, or should I leave it there? What is best practice and why?

Thank you.

1 reply

1P_Dave
1Password Employee
1Password Employee
July 27, 2026

Hello ​@voyager2026! 👋

Thanks for the question! Security Keys can be arguably considered the gold standard of multi-factor authentication since they:

  • Require physical access/possession. 
  • Are a completely siloed second factor that isn’t part of your other devices.
  • Only work on the legitimate website/app that you’re trying to sign into which makes them more phishing resistant than an authenticator app. 


If you choose to remove the authenticator app and just use your security keys then make sure that the keys feature connections that will work with all of your devices (for example, a USB-C port). You should have at least two different second factors added to your account, whether it's two security keys or a security key and a TOTP authenticator app just in case you lose one security key or it breaks.

We have some helpful blog articles with some additional information here: 

I hope that helps! 

-Dave