Summary
This document outlines how to use the Favorite Credentials (Pin account) feature found in the Yubico Authenticator desktop application, for easier and quicker access to oft-used One Time Passwords (OTP). When an account is marked as a Favorite within Yubico Authenticator, users are able to generate and copy the associated OTP directly from the system tray (in Windows) or menu bar (in MacOS) without having to open up the full application. This feature streamlines the overall user experience by minimizing the number of clicks and decreases the time to perform a second factor authentication (2FA).
Minimum requirements
- Yubico Authenticator 6.0 or later
- Yubico Authenticator for iOS version 1.7 or later
- Yubico YubiKey 4, 5, or FIPS Series device
- Microsoft Windows 10 or Apple MacOS 10.14 or later
- iPhone and iPad require iOS 15.0 or later
- Android - refer to this page for supported versions
Setting an account as a favorite
The following section outlines how to set an account in the Yubico Authenticator desktop application as a favorite (Pin an Account). In this example, an account has already been added to the YubiKey, but if instructions are required on how to do this, please refer to the following page. Note that favorited accounts are specific to the local machine. Accounts will need to be re-marked as a favorite/pinned account for every instance of the Yubico Authenticator desktop application.
- Launch the Yubico Authenticator desktop application
- Insert the YubiKey
- Under Authenticator menu, locate the account to mark as a favorite
- Click the OTP code of the account to open the Actions menu
- Under the Actions menu, select Pin Account
- Once an account has been set as a favorite, it will be listed at the very top, under the "Pinned" section
- Yubico Authenticator allows for multiple accounts to be set as favorites.
Setting an account as a favorite using Yubico Authenticator for Mobile
We recommend using Yubico Authenticator for Desktop when adding an account as a favorite, however the mobile version of Yubico Authenticator can also be used to pin an account (add as a favorite).
- Launch the Yubico Authenticator app on your mobile device
- Insert the YubiKey (or scan the YubiKey if NFC capable)
- Locate the account to mark as a favorite
- Click on the OTP code to open the menu
- Select Pin (On Android select Pin Account)
- Click Close
The account selected should appear at the top, under the "Pinned" section.
Generating OTP Codes for Favorite Accounts
The following section outlines how to quickly capture an OTP code for an account marked as a favorite.
-
Right click the Yubico Authenticator icon (
) in the System tray (Windows) or Menu bar (MacOS).
- From the resulting pop-up, select the desired account
- [Optional] The Operating System will prompt the user to touch the YubiKey if Require touch was enabled during setup
- The Operating System will automatically copy the OTP to the clipboard
- Simply paste the copied OTP, when prompted by the underlying service of the favorited account
The above image is a sample authentication flow. Other services may have a different interface for accepting OTPs