Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

How do I add or change the authentication method on my account?

An authentication method is an additional layer of security for your account. We recommend having at least two authentication methods for your account in case you lose one method.

If you lost your authentication method and do not have a backup connected to your account, you will need to delete your current Login.gov account and create a new one.

  1. Enter your email address at https://secure.login.gov.

  2. Enter your password.

  3. Click the “Sign in” button.

  4. Authenticate using one of the methods you set up. You will be taken to your account page.

  5. On your Login.gov account page, review the “Your authentication methods” menu options on the left side of the page.

  6. Select a new method to add. Learn more about authentication methods.

  7. Follow all prompts to confirm your changes.

Login.gov does not allow you to turn off two-factor authentication, but you can set up the “remember browser” feature on your browser. “Remember browser” allows you to sign in without entering a security code if you keep the browser window open. If you close the browser window, you will be required to renew your browser by going through the normal two-factor authentication steps and selecting “remember browser.”

  1. Enter email and password to begin the sign in process.
  2. Enter the security code and select “Remember this browser.”
  3. After setting up “remember browser,” you will not have to enter a security code unless you close the browser window.

  • You set up “remember browser” 30 days ago: The “remember browser” feature lasts for 30 days, after which you are required to authenticate again. You can enable “remember browser” again, but only after you authenticate using your authentication method.
  • You are signing in on a new browser or device: “Remember browser” will only work on the browsers where you have enabled it. Make sure to enable “remember browser” on all the browsers you use to sign in. You will have to authenticate on any new browsers.
  • Your browser version was recently updated: When a browser version is updated, it resets the "remember browser" feature. You can enable "remember browser" again after authenticating during the sign in process.
  • You cleared your cache and cookies: Clearing your cache and cookies will reset the “remember browser” feature. If this happens, you can enable “remember browser” again but only after authenticating.
  • Your device or browser settings are set to clear this feature: It's possible that your browser is set to clear cache and cookies every time you close the browser. Make sure you are not using private or incognito mode, or a Virtual Private Network (VPN). You can test this by using this feature with a different device or browser.

To keep your account safe, immediately remove any authentication methods that you've lost from your account.

Here’s how to remove an authentication method from your account:

  1. Sign in and authenticate with your Login.gov account at https://secure.login.gov.
  2. Scroll down and click the “Manage” button next to the authentication method you want to remove from your account.
  3. Click the “Delete” button under the authentication method you want to remove.

If you have lost all of your authentication methods in your possession, you may have to delete your account.

Make sure that you always keep at least two up-to-date authentication methods on your account, so that even if you lose one, you can still access your account.

Back to top