How to login to the WordPress admin in general, you only need a username and password. If your password is known to other people, of course they will easily make changes such as deleting posts or other configurations. Having two factor authentication (2FA) can prevent other people from logging in using your password and username.
Briefly, access to the WordPress admin dashboard will be blocked, until the code sent to your phone has been entered. Two factor authentication is a great way to add extra security to your website. In this tutorial, you will learn how to enable two factor authentication for WordPress.
What do you need?
Before you proceed to the next stage, make sure that you have:
– Access to the WordPress admin dashboard
– Phone number
ATTENTION: We strongly recommend that you backup your website first. The goal is so that you can restore the website if an error occurs when installing the plugin.
Step 1: Selecting Plugins
There are several two factor authentication plugins that can be used, including:
– Authy Two Factor Authentication
– Google Authenticator
– Clef Two-Factor Authentication
– Wordfence Security
In this tutorial we will use Authy Two Factor Authentication.
Step 2: How to Login WordPress Admin with Two Factor Authentication Through the Authy Plugin
1. Please login to your WordPress admin dashboard.
2. Then select the Plugins > Add New menu and type Authy in the search field. Click Install to start the plugin installation.
3. After that, activate it by clicking the Activate button.
Step 3: Create an Authy Account
Once the plugin is installed, you will need to take a few extra steps to fully integrate security features.
1. First of all, you need to create an account on Authy to get an API Key.
2. Please select Authy and click Get Started.
3. Click the Enable Two-Factor Authentication button.
4. Please select the ONCE PER COMPUTER radio button, to log in without Authentication for 30 days on certain computers. Then click Save.
5. Please enter the telephone number that will be used to receive the verification code from Authy and click Text me.
6. Enter the code sent to your phone number and click Verify.
7. After that, please create a name for your application. In this example we create a wordpress login. If so, please click the Create App button.
8. Next you need to click the Setup App button.
9. Next, as the last step you need to copy the API Key to be entered in the plugin settings in your WordPress.
Step 4: Configure and Test the Authy Plugin
1. In order for the plugin to work, please copy the API Key obtained into the column in the WordPress admin Dashboard > Settings > Authy.
2. If the key has been entered, please click the Users menu and activate Two-Factor Authentication for your user, as shown in the image below.
3. After selecting a user, please scroll down and click the Enable/Disable Authy button.
4. Enter the phone number and click Continue. You will receive a message with a code every time you log into the WordPress admin dashboard.
5. Try a test logout from your WordPress dashboard and then try logging in again. Below is the display that must be filled with the code that you previously got.
Step 5: Disable Two-Factor Authentication (Optional)
If you have lost your smartphone and have no other way to access the WordPress admin dashboard, you can easily disable the plugin via File Manager or FTP client. Please go to the wp-content > plugins folder and rename the authy-two-factor-authentication folder.
For example, you can change it to authy-two-factor-authentication.disabled so you can easily see if the plugin has been disabled. If you want to reactivate it, all you have to do is change it to the previous name.
Conclusion
By following this guide you have learned how to login to WordPress more securely by enabling Two-Factor Authentication. Now you don’t have to worry anymore if someone has your WordPress password and has bad intentions towards you. After the plugin is activated, you will be asked to fill in an additional code every time you want to login to the WordPress admin. You can also activate this feature for other users on your blog, such as your contributors and editors.
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