When playing a video game, the last thing you’re thinking about is the security of your game account and personal information. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take steps to ensure better cybersecurity. That way, there’s very little reason to worry about people attempting to access your account and steal your personal and private info. A great way to add that layer of protection is with two factor authentication (2FA).
Here, we’ll walk you through how to set up two factor authentication in Fortnite, one of the most popular battle royale games and esports out there today. In addition to reviewing how to enable 2FA in Fortnite, we’ll also go over how to disable it.
What Is Two Factor Authentication?
Two factor authentication refers to a security process where users use (at least) two different methods to verify their identity when accessing an account. Two factor authentication adds another layer of security by making it harder for others to gain access to your accounts and devices. Not only that, but, since we all have so many accounts these days, remembering every single password is tricky.
When using two-factor authentication, you’ll enter your name and/or password; the app or website will recognize you and generate a security key. To input the key, or code, you’ll need access to either a secondary device — like a smartphone or tablet — or an email address. Once you enter the code, you’ll gain access to your 2FA-protected account.
Why You Should Use Two Factor Authentication in Fortnite
If you only use a password to protect an account, someone else can more easily use that password to take over your account if they manage to guess it — or hack your account. You wouldn’t even know you were a victim of a cyber crime until you saw unusual activity, or find yourself locked out of your own account(s).
Using two factor authentication makes it harder for others to access your accounts. They might be able to guess your password, but they probably don’t have access to your phone and/or email. After all, two factor authentication requires the service or application to double-check your identity by sending you a temporary code to your phone, email, or authenticator app.
How To Enable Two Factor Authentication in Fortnite
Enabling two factor authentication in Fortnite for your account is an easy process. Simply follow the steps below:
Step 1: Go to your Fortnite account page and click on the “Password and Security” tab.
Step 2: There should be a header that says “two factor authentication” — click the 2FA option, and it will provide you with some options:
- Email authentication
- SMS authentication
- Third-party authenticator app
The email authentication option means you’ll have a security code sent to the email address associated with your account, so you’ll need access to your email whenever you want to sign into your account.
The SMS authentication option means you’ll have an SMS message sent to your device, likely a smartphone, so you’ll need access to that secondary device to access the temporary code.
Finally, if you choose the third-party authenticator app as your 2FA option, you’ll have to open whatever authenticator app you use on your phone; the authenticator will refresh the code you need every 30 seconds or so, which means you need to input the code into your Fortnite account before it changes.
Step 3: Once you enable 2FA, don’t immediately exit the page. You’ll want to ensure that you have the 2FA enabled, which you can check by refreshing your account page.
How To Disable 2FA in Fortnite
Disabling two factor authentication in Fortnite is also relatively easy. Follow the steps you took to enable two factor authentication and simply click the on/off button for the 2FA method you chose. If you do disable two factor authentication in Fortnite for any reason, you can always resume using this added layer of security in the future.
