Protect Your Reddit Account With Two-Factor Authentication
Reddit has been slowly rolling out two-factor authentication for beta testers, moderators, and third-party app developers for some time before making it available to everyone over the past few days.
By now, you are probably aware of the benefits of two-factor authentication, but just in case: this feature enhances the security of your account by adding a second step to your login, beyond just entering your username and password. In the case of Reddit, when you log into the site, you will receive a six-digit verification number on your phone, which you will need to enter before you can complete your login. The idea is that even if someone gets your username and password, they still won’t be able to log into your account if they don’t have your phone.
The two-factor authentication features on some sites will send you a text message with your six-digit code, but in the case of Reddit, you need to download an authentication app like Google Authenticator or Authy. They are actually better as you do not need the cell signal where you intend to use them. This means that if you are traveling in Europe and you have a local SIM card in your phone, you can still sign in.
To set up two-factor setup on Reddit, first go to the password / email tab under the Settings section of the site desktop (the Settings are at the top-right side of the page). At the bottom of the page, you will see a rather inconspicuous line “two-factor authentication”. Click the blue Click to Enable icon to start the process.
After that, you will need to download one of those applications that I mentioned above and select the option to set up a new account in this application. When prompted, you’ll scan the barcode displayed on the desktop Reddit site with your phone to get a six-digit code, which you’ll then enter into the site to link the app and your Reddit account together.
It sounds a little complicated, but it is very simple and only takes a couple of minutes.
Once everything is set up, whenever you log into Reddit, you also need to launch the authentication app and enter your six-digit code. The code changes on its own every minute, so every time you try to log in, it will be different.
Once you’re done, I recommend setting up two-factor authentication for every account you have that allows it. Yes, it can make logging into your accounts a little more painful, but it also makes them more secure.