Picture this scenario: You forget the password for your Dashlane account. Or you lose access to your methods for two-factor authentication. Or worse, you end up with both.

Recovery methods let you avoid a lockout—instead, you’ll deal with about 15 minutes of inconvenience at most. But to rely on this failsafe, you have to set it up first.

Add biometric recovery to the mobile app

In the mobile app, head to Settings > Security. Then tap the toggle for Biometric recovery. An encrypted and scrambled version of your password will be saved to your device, accessible if you authenticate with your biometric security methods on that phone or tablet (e.g., your face or fingerprint).

You can set up biometric recovery on more than one mobile device—but even if you do so, I still recommend setting up a recovery key as well. 

Dashlane cautions customers not to use biometric recovery as a substitute for a password, as the service will still require login with your master password from time to time.

Create a recovery key

Setting up a recovery key is wise, even if you already have biometric recovery in place. Why? In case you ever lose your device(s), you can still fall back to this recovery key. Some individuals may prefer to skip biometric recovery altogether (e.g., because of legal concerns like being compelled to share biometric data with the government).

Through the browser extension, head to Settings > Security Settings. Under Account recovery, choose View options, and then click on the toggle for Recovery key. In the mobile app, tap on Settings > Security, then scroll down and tap Recovery key. 

The recovery key is a 28-character string of random letters and characters that can be used across all platforms.

If your home is safe, you can write this code down and hide it away. Alternatively, you can save this info (ideally in an encrypted file or folder for safety) on your PC, in the cloud, or an external drive. Why encrypt the text information? If the data isn’t protected, anyone who obtains the info and knows the email you use for login will be able to get into your password vault.

Download your 2FA backup codes

When you first set 2FA for Dashlane, you will enter a mobile number to help with account recovery. In the event you lose access to your 2FA app, you’ll instead receive text messages to aid with logging back in. 

(How it works: You log in using the first texted code as your recovery code. It will work, even though the recovery code is described only as one of the 10 back-up codes auto-generated for your account. After, you enter your password, and then turn off 2FA with the texted second code.)

But you also get a set of 10 backup codes—and these will save your butt if you ever lose access to your normal 2FA method and/or phone. You should print out or write these down, or alternatively, save them to your PC or the cloud in an encrypted file or folder. 

Backup codes are less disruptive to use, so I always recommend using one of these first to get through Dashlane’s 2FA verification. 

If you’ve already set up 2FA, but don’t know your backup codes, you will need to turn off 2FA and set it back up again to get a set of codes to save. Unfortunately, Dashlane doesn’t let you see your 2FA backup codes once setup is over.

Author: Alaina Yee, Senior Editor, PCWorld