How to secure your Threads account

Two-factor authentication asks for a code when someone logs in from a device Threads doesn't recognise. In the app:

1. Tap Profile or your profile picture in the bottom right.
2. Tap Menu in the top right.
3. Tap Accounts Centre, then Password and security.
4. Tap Two-factor authentication and select your account.
5. Choose a security method and follow the on-screen steps.

• If Threads isn't in Accounts Centre for you yet, go to Menu, Accounts settings, Password and security, Two-factor authentication
• Don't tap Trust this device on a public or shared device

Source: Instagram Help Centre: Secure your Threads profile with two-factor authentication, checked 15 October 2026

To change it while logged in:

1. Tap Profile or your profile picture in the bottom right.
2. Tap Settings in the top right, then Password and security.
3. Tap Change password and choose the profile.
4. Enter your current password, then your new one twice.
5. Tap Change password.

• If you're logged out, tap Forgot password below Log in, enter your email, username or phone number, and use the code Threads sends you
• If you made your Threads profile with Instagram or Facebook, the password is most likely the same as that account's
• Meta suggests at least six numbers, letters and punctuation marks, and avoiding repetition
• Changing your password logs out every other device

Sources: Instagram Help Centre: Change your Threads password, checked 15 October 2026; Instagram Help Centre: How to recover your Threads password, checked 15 October 2026; Instagram Help Centre: What to do if your Threads profile posts unauthorised content, checked 15 October 2026

Apps and websites you connect to Threads can keep access. To review them on threads.com:

1. Click More on the left, then Settings.
2. Click More settings, then Website permissions.
3. Click Active at the top.
4. Click Remove next to any app you don't use or don't trust.

• Never give your login to apps that offer likes or followers. Meta says they can take full control of your account, and using them can get it limited or disabled
• An app you haven't used for 90 days may lose access to your non-public information, but can ask for it again

Sources: Instagram Help Centre: Manage the privacy settings for apps and websites that you've connected to Threads, checked 15 October 2026; Instagram Help Centre: Why you should not use apps that offer likes and followers on Threads, checked 15 October 2026

Backup codes let you log in if a two-factor code can't reach you. Meta's steps use instagram.com:

1. Go to instagram.com and click More in the bottom left, then Settings.
2. Click Meta Account, then Login and security.
3. Click Two-factor authentication, then Additional Methods.
4. Click Backup codes. Click Get new codes if you need a fresh set.
5. Save the codes somewhere safe that you can reach when you log in.

• If you created Threads with a Facebook profile, Meta says to manage details like your password on Facebook

Source: Instagram Help Centre: How you can use a backup code on Threads using two-factor authentication, checked 15 October 2026

If your Threads profile is posting or commenting on its own, Meta says your password may be compromised. If you can still log in:

1. Change your password, or send yourself a reset email, using a strong new one.
2. Remove access for any suspicious apps.
3. Turn on two-factor authentication.
4. Check that the phone number and email in your account settings are yours.
5. In Accounts Centre, remove any linked accounts you don't recognise.

• If Threads detects inauthentic activity, you may see a Try again later error
• If you've lost access to your email or phone, and Threads isn't in the same Accounts Centre as another profile you own, Meta says it can't give you access

Sources: Instagram Help Centre: What to do if your Threads profile posts unauthorised content, checked 15 October 2026; Instagram Help Centre: What to do if you lost access to the email address or phone number that you use for Threads, checked 15 October 2026

• You can't find Accounts Centre. Meta is renaming it Meta Account settings for some people, and Threads isn't in it everywhere yet. Use Accounts settings instead
• WhatsApp codes aren't an option. Turn on text message codes first
• You got a message from "Meta" about your account. Meta says it never sends direct messages about your account in its apps, only emails
• You got a suspicious email. Report it to phish@meta.com and don't click its links
• You can't get codes. Use one of your saved backup codes

Sources: Instagram Help Centre: Secure your Threads profile with two-factor authentication, checked 15 October 2026; Instagram Help Centre: How to keep your Threads profile secure, checked 15 October 2026; Instagram Help Centre: How you can use a backup code on Threads using two-factor authentication, checked 15 October 2026

Disclosure: this is our product. Two-factor authentication protects the account; Zolyp helps with what you post. Zolyp plans, writes and designs your Threads posts in your brand's voice and publishes them once you approve each one. Keep two-factor authentication on for the Threads account itself. There's a 3-day free trial, no card required.