Plesk: Setting Up 2FA

We explain what 2FA is and why it can be useful to enable it for the Plesk panel. Of course, we’ll also show you how to easily activate it yourself.

What Exactly Is 2FA? #

2FA, or two-factor authentication, is a method where you need to complete a second step in addition to your password to access an account. This can be, for example, a code from an app like Google Authenticator, an SMS, or a hardware token.

This extra step makes it more difficult for malicious actors to gain access, even if they already have the password. 2FA is often used as additional protection against risks such as phishing and the misuse of leaked login credentials through hacking. It significantly reduces the chance of unauthorized access.

How Do We Enable 2FA for Our Plesk Account? #

1. To activate 2FA, we first need to log in to our Plesk account. Don’t know how to log in to Plesk? Then check out this article.
2. We now go to our Plesk profile, in this case (DirectNode), and click on “Edit Profile” there.

3. We now scroll down until we see “Change the current MFA settings”. We click on this.

4. You will now arrive at the page where we can start setting up 2FA. Click on the checkbox “Enable Multi-Factor Authentication” here.

5. If you haven’t installed a 2FA app on your phone yet, we recommend Google Authenticator or Microsoft Authenticator. Install the app on your smartphone and open it. Then scan the QR code shown on Plesk. After scanning, a code will appear in the app. Enter this code in the “Verification Code” field in Plesk and click on “Save”.

2FA is now configured for your Plesk account. From now on, you’ll need to enter a 2FA code for every login to Plesk, which you can find via the chosen authenticator app on your phone.