Yubico Authenticator: Pinned accounts

Introduction

This article outlines how to pin frequently used accounts to the top of the Yubico Authenticator accounts screen. As 5.7 firmware and newer YubiKey 5 Series supports up to 64 OATH credentials (while previous firmware supports up to 32 OATH credentials, including legacy devices such as the YubiKey 4 Series and YubiKey NEO), a great deal of thought has gone into making it easier to locate accounts. In addition to the search bar at the top (which can search both the service name and username/email associated with the account), Yubico Authenticator provides the ability to pin commonly used credentials to the top of the list.

Additionally, in Yubico Authenticator for Desktop, pinned accounts are also accessible from the system tray or menu bar in Windows and macOS, respectively. 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 system requirements

Refer to this page for minimum operating system requirements.

Pinning an account in Yubico Authenticator for Desktop

This section outlines how to pin an account in Yubico Authenticator for Desktop. 

 Tip: Pinned accounts are specific to the device that Yubico Authenticator is installed on. If you, for example, are using both an iPhone and a macOS laptop, you will need to follow these instructions on both devices - favorites are stored within the application settings and not on the YubiKey itself.

1. Open Yubico Authenticator
2. Insert the YubiKey
3. Click on Accounts () in the left list
4. Locate and click the current code for the account you want to pin and select Pin account. 
   
   

Pinning an account in Yubico Authenticator for iOS

This section outlines how to pin an account in Yubico Authenticator for iOS. 

 Tip: Pinned accounts are specific to the device that Yubico Authenticator is installed on. If you, for example, are using both an iPhone and a macOS laptop, you will need to follow these instructions on both devices - favorites are stored within the application settings and not on the YubiKey itself.

1. Open Yubico Authenticator
2. Insert the YubiKey, or tap the NFC capable YubiKey to the top rear of the iPhone when prompted
3. Locate and click the current code for the account you want to pin and select Pin. 

Pinning an account in Yubico Authenticator for Android

This section outlines how to pin an account in Yubico Authenticator for iOS. 

 Tip: Pinned accounts are specific to the device that Yubico Authenticator is installed on. If you, for example, are using both an iPhone and a macOS laptop, you will need to follow these instructions on both devices - favorites are stored within the application settings and not on the YubiKey itself.

1. Open Yubico Authenticator
2. Insert the YubiKey, or tap the NFC capable YubiKey to the top rear of the iPhone when prompted
3. Locate and click the current code for the account you want to pin and select Pin account.

Generating OTP codes for pinned accounts (Windows/macOS)

This section outlines how to quickly capture an OTP code for a pinned account. The current codes for all pinned accounts are conveniently accessible from the Windows system tray and macOS menu bar. This removes the requirement to expand the Yubico Authenticator application window to locate and generate a code (the application can remain minimized).

1. Right click the Yubico Authenticator icon () in the system tray (Windows) or menu bar (macOS).
2. From the resulting pop-up, select the desired account

3. [Optional] The Operating System will prompt the user to touch the YubiKey if Require touch was enabled during setup

4. The Operating System will automatically copy the OTP to the clipboard
5. Paste the OTP when prompted by the underlying service of the pinned account

The above image is a sample authentication flow. Other services may have a different interface for accepting OTPs