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securitytwo-factor-authentication

Get manual configuration key for 2FA TOTP from QR Code

KeePassXC supports TOTP generation from the password manager itself. However, many website tend to not supply a manual configuration key for it barring few like AWS.

Is it possible to derive this configuration key from the QR code itself? I tried scanning the QR code but none of the information there could get a TOTP from KeePassXC that worked.

I know configuring the TOTP in the password manager defeats the purpose of 2FA to a great extent, but there are a few desperate times like the 2FA device getting broken where that would help.

Solution

  • Not sure what I did wrong the first time, but the QR code has the secret built right in. Just scan the code and copy the secret. No modifications to the secret (base32 decode or encode) are needed for KeePassXC to start generating TOTP keys.