HubSpot will require 2FA on all paid accounts by February 2nd 2026
Two-factor authentication (2FA) is a standard and essential part of modern online security. When you log in to HubSpot, you likely go through the familiar process of entering your password and then verifying your identity with a second device. It feels routine, but it's a critical shield protecting your company's data.
While the concept is straightforward, HubSpot's 2FA system has several specific nuances that can have a major impact. Understanding these details isn't just for admins—it's for every user who wants to avoid a frustrating lockout or ensure their company's security policies are being properly enforced. These nuances can create potential security gaps or operational blockers, and it's critical to know them before you find out the hard way.
Losing your primary 2FA device without having backup methods configured is a serious operational risk. The recovery process is not as simple as contacting support for an immediate reset. The user-initiated escalation path is deliberate: first, you try your backup methods (a secondary device or backup codes). If those fail, you request a 2FA reset, which automatically sends a notification to your account’s Super Admin for approval. Only if that process fails—for instance, if you are the sole Super Admin—do you move on to other options like photo ID verification.
Contacting HubSpot Support for a manual reset is the absolute last resort. This support-assisted process is intentionally slow and takes a minimum of 48 to 72 hours to complete. This isn't an arbitrary delay; it's a built-in security measure designed to protect your account.
"this method takes a minimum of 48–72 hours to ensure there's ample time to protect your account from bad actors if login information is compromised. For example, if a bad actor tries to access your account using compromised login credentials, the extra security steps for resetting your 2FA give you time and extra barriers to prevent the bad actor from accessing your account."
This significant waiting period underscores why proactive security management isn't just a recommendation—it's essential for maintaining operational continuity.
In a security-conscious organization, a Super Admin might configure the HubSpot portal to limit which 2FA methods are allowed, enforcing the use of an authenticator app and disabling SMS. However, there's a surprising policy enforcement gap in this system.
These admin-configured limitations only apply when users log in through a web browser. The settings do not restrict the 2FA methods available to users logging in through the HubSpot mobile app. This means a user could still authenticate using a method your organization has disallowed if they log in via their phone. For security teams, this implies that any internal audit must specifically include mobile app login procedures, as they bypass the portal's primary 2FA enforcement settings.
When a Super Admin configures the allowed 2FA methods for their portal, they can enable or disable options like authenticator apps and text messages. One method, however, is non-negotiable.
The HubSpot mobile app is always enabled as a 2FA method by default and cannot be turned off. This unique rule highlights HubSpot's strategic positioning of its own app as a core part of the user experience. While admins can control third-party authenticators and SMS, the HubSpot app is treated as a non-negotiable part of the core platform security.
It's a common misconception that 2FA is an optional security feature you can choose to enable. For most HubSpot customers, it's not a choice. For users on any Starter, Professional, or Enterprise plan, two-factor authentication is required for all users and cannot be turned off.
This requirement does not apply to users of HubSpot's free tools, where a Super Admin must manually toggle a switch to require 2FA. This distinction makes 2FA a fundamental part of the baseline security posture for all paid HubSpot subscriptions, not just an optional add-on.
The single best way to protect yourself from account access issues is through proactive redundancy. The most secure and reliable setup involves three distinct layers of protection: a primary 2FA method, a secondary 2FA method, and your saved backup codes.
This includes setting up a primary method (HubSpot recommends an authenticator app for stronger security), a secondary method (like SMS text messages, which are considered less secure due to vulnerabilities like SIM-swapping), AND saving your backup codes. When you download these codes, they are saved as a PDF (typically named <your userId>_<download timestamp>.pdf) that should be stored in a secure but accessible location, like a password manager. This three-tiered strategy isn't just a best practice; it is the only guaranteed way to avoid the 48-72 hour lockout crisis detailed earlier.
A security system is only as effective as your understanding of how it works. Ignorance of the specific details of HubSpot’s 2FA—from the mandatory enforcement on paid plans to the mobile app policy enforcement gap—is not just an inconvenience but a genuine risk to your operational continuity and security compliance.
By understanding these nuances, you can move from simply using 2FA to strategically managing it. Now that you know the risks, have you checked your own 2FA backup plan recently?