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Enabling two-factor authentication for your Facebook account is a snap. Log into Facebook, click the blue gear icon, then click Account Settings. Select the Security option in the navigation bar on the left side of the screen, click Login Approvals under Security Settings, and tick the box next to ‘Require a security code to access my account from unknown browsers’. Facebook will guide you the rest of the way, explaining how to receive a unique alphanumeric code to enter when you want to log in.

To get that code you must download a mobile authenticator app (which generates codes each time you log in) or give Facebook your mobile phone number so it can send you authentication codes via SMS. We prefer the authenticator app: it’s simple to use and you don’t have to wait for Facebook’s servers to text you the code. You can also add a mobile phone number as a backup.

In its mobile app, Facebook includes a neat Code Generator feature that generates time-based one-time password (TOTP) codes for your account, but you can use any TOTP authenticator app if you’re willing to subvert Facebook’s setup process. If you use Google’s mobile authenticator app to manage two-factor authentication across multiple services, for example, you can set it up to provide authenticator codes for your Facebook account, too.

To start the Code Generator setup process, click ‘Set up Code Generator’ under Login Approvals in your Facebook security settings. When the time comes to open the Facebook mobile app, click the ‘Having trouble?’ link. Facebook will ask you to click a Get Key button and enter the provided 16-character key – but you can enter that key into almost any authenticator app.