How to Configure and Use Two-Factor Authentication

With InMotion Hosting’s Business Class and Reseller Hosting, Two-Factor Authentication, or 2FA, is enabled by default. When 2FA is enabled, the additional authentication method can be configured to add a layer of security for logging into your cPanel account. Once configured, with a smartphone (via a third-party application, like Google Authenticator for Android, BlackBerry, and iOS or Microsoft Authenticator for Windows Phones), users will generate a secure code to authenticate their cPanel login, in addition to the cPanel user’s password. In this guide, you will learn how to configure Two-Factor Authentication and how to use 2FA to log into cPanel.

Configure 2FA

Configuring 2FA is simple via the cPanel interface. Follow the steps below to learn how to setup two-factor authentication.

    1. cPanel login screen displayed with user name and password fields and Login button highlighted.
       
       

      Log into cPanel as the user you want to configure 2FA for.

       
    2. cPanel Search bar with two text entered and highlighted.
       
       

      In the cPanel search bar, type “two“.

       
    3. cPanel Security section with Two-Factor Authentication icon highlighted.
       
       

      Click on the Two-Factor Authentication icon.

       
    4. cPanel Two-Factor Authentication with Set Up Two-Factor Authentication button highlighted.
       

      Click the Set Up Two-Factor Authentication button to proceed.

       
    5. Click one of the buttons below to expand and display instructions to use the QR (Quick Response) Code or Manual Entry to configure 2FA.

  1. cPanel Set Up Two-Factor Authentication QR Code highlighted
     
     

    Use your smartphone to scan the QR Code displayed under Step 1.

     
  2. Set Up 2FA QR Code Security Code and Two-Factor Authentication button highlighted.
     
     

    Enter the security code (displayed in your smartphone app) under Step 2 in the box labeled Security Code. Then, click the Configure Two-Factor Authentication button.

     

  1. cPanel Set Up Two-Factor Authentication Manual Entry Account field highlighted.
     
     

    Use your smartphone to manually enter the Account as it is displayed in the Manual Entry section of cPanel.

     
  2. cPanel Set Up Two-Factor Authentication Manual Entry Key field highlighted.
     
     

    Use your smartphone to manually enter the Key as it is displayed in the Manual Entry section of cPanel.

     
  3. Set Up 2FA Manual Entry Security Code and Two-Factor Authentication button highlighted.
     
     

    Enter the security code (displayed in your smartphone app) under Step 2 in the box labeled Security Code. Then, click the Configure Two-Factor Authentication button.

     

Once successful, you will see the following message:

cPanel Set Up Two-Factor Authentication success message displayed.

 

Now that you have configured this cPanel account to use 2FA, the cPanel user will be prompted to enter the security code (generated via the smartphone app) to log into cPanel.

Use 2FA

Once you have configured a cPanel user for 2FA, after entering the correct username and password combination to log into cPanel, a new page will load which prompts the user to enter the new security code generated from the smartphone app. (used to set up 2FA). Follow the instructions below to log into cPanel, when using 2FA.

  1. cPanel login screen displayed with user name and password fields and Login button highlighted.
     
     

    On the cPanel login page, enter the user name and password combination. Then, click the Login button.

     
  2. iOS Google Authenticator App Example Screenshot Security Code highlighted.
     

    Open the smartphone app to generate a new security code.

     
  3. cPanel 2FA Security Code field and Continue button highlighted
     

    Enter the security code in the field labeled: “Enter the security code for {your user}”. Then, click the Continue button.

     

Remove 2FA

If for some reason you are unable to log into cPanel after enabling 2FA, you can log into cPanel through your Account Management Panel (AMP). Once logged in, you can remove 2FA for the cPanel account. The following instructions will guide you through this process.

Once 2FA has been removed, you will receive the following message:

cPanel Remove Two-Factor Authentication Success message highlighted.

Now that 2FA has been removed for the cPanel user, that user will no longer be prompted for a security code and can log into cPanel using simply the username and password.

Learn more about cPanel security from our Managed VPS Hosting Product Guide.

Enjoy high-performance, lightning-fast servers with increased security and maximum up-time with our Managed VPS Hosting!
JB
John-Paul Briones Content Writer II

John-Paul is an Electronics Engineer that spent most of his career in IT. He has been a Technical Writer for InMotion since 2013.

More Articles by John-Paul

2 Comments

  • How does one set up 2FA for email? Presently, I have 2FA set up on inmotionhosting.com for my main account and another 2FA on cPanel, but I can log into my email without using 2FA. How do I set that up? I don’t see instructions or any link to do that.

    • Hi Cindy! While we do have 2FA for both cPanel and AMP, there is not currently a form of 2FA available for emails due to the way they are set up in cPanel. For those, we recommend a strong password.

Was this article helpful? Let us know!