---
title: "Sign in with two-factor authentication"
description: "Sign in to Guardian when two-factor authentication is on."
product: "Guardian"
edition: "Classic"
type: "workflow"
url: "https://docs.cloudhouse.com/guardian/classic/account/manage-accounts/setup/sign-in/sign-in-via-two-factor-authentication/"
---
# Sign in with two-factor authentication

Sign in to Guardian when two-factor authentication is on. By default, Guardian uses a local authentication mechanism for signing in to your Guardian account that is based on an email and password combination. However, with Two-Factor Authentication (**2FA**), an additional step is required to sign in to your account. For more information on how to enable 2FA, see [Enable Two-Factor Authentication](https://docs.cloudhouse.com/guardian/classic/account/manage-accounts/setup/enable-two-factor-authentication/index.md).

Applies to: `Guardian Classic` `Cloudhouse-Hosted Only`

![Sign in](https://docs.cloudhouse.com/guardian/classic/assets/images/guardian/sign-in/sign-in.png)

## Two-Factor authentication

Guardian supports Two-Factor Authentication (**2FA**) via [Authy](https://authy.com/). With 2FA enabled, you are required to authenticate your account via an application token each time you sign in. This process assumes you have an account already set up with Authy, the provider needed to authenticate your account.

## Sign in

2FA via Authy is only available for Cloudhouse-hosted instances of Guardian. As such, the **Sign In** page can be accessed via your browser. The following fields are displayed on the **Sign in** page:

**Username**
:   - The email address associated with the account.

**Password**
:   The password associated with the account.

Once you have entered your account information, click **Sign In** to proceed.

!!! note

    For on-premise deployments, additional work is required to connect to your authentication provider. For more information on how to enable 2FA for on-premise deployments of Guardian, contact the Cloudhouse Help Desk.

## Authenticate

After clicking **Sign In**, the **Authenticate** dialog is displayed. Here, you are prompted to enter a token in the field provided. The token can be retrieved from the Authy app or via SMS, as described below.

![Authenticate](https://docs.cloudhouse.com/guardian/classic/assets/images/guardian/sign-in/2fa/authenticate.png)

Here, the following options are displayed:

**Token** field
:   - The token required to authenticate your account. For more information, see [Token via Authy App](#token-via-authy-app).

**Request SMS** hyperlink
:   Link to request a token via SMS. For more information, see [Token via SMS](#token-via-sms).

**Remember Device** checkbox
:   Select to store your device's details. This will stop 2FA as a requirement when signing in from your current device.

Once you have entered a token in the field provided, click to **Submit Token**. If the token matches the value provided by Authy, and is submitted before the token refreshes, you are successfully signed into your account. For information on how to source the required token, see below.

### Token via Authy app

The default method for 2FA is via the Authy app. To source the token required to authenticate your account, open the Authy app and locate your Cloudhouse token (called 'UpGuard token). The token refreshes every 20 seconds, so make sure to enter the value in the **Token** field and click **Submit Token** before it is refreshed.

![Authy app token](https://docs.cloudhouse.com/guardian/classic/assets/images/guardian/sign-in/2fa/authy-app-token.png)

#### Token via SMS

If you do not want to use the Authy app for 2FA, you can **Request SMS** instead. This will send a text containing the Cloudhouse token (called 'UpGuard security code') to the phone number provided. The token refreshes every 20 seconds, so make sure to enter the value in the **Token** field and click **Submit Token** before it is refreshed.

![Request sms](https://docs.cloudhouse.com/guardian/classic/assets/images/guardian/sign-in/2fa/request-sms.png)