2-Step Verification

Google Ads authorization supports enabling 2-Step Verification on your Google Ads account. The following table presents the three scenarios for enabling 2-Step Verification.

User turns on 2-Step Verification on their own Google Account

A user might decide on their own to turn on 2-Step Verification for their Google Account.

After 2-Step Verification is enabled

During the OAuth2 authentication flow, Google prompts the user for 2-Step Verification before issuing a refresh token. Once issued, the refresh token can be used to generate the access token needed in API calls.

Previous refresh tokens

A refresh token that was issued before the user enabled 2-Step Verification remains valid after the user enables 2-Step Verification. The refresh token can be used to issue valid access tokens as usual.

Administrator requires users of a Google Ads account to enable 2-Step Verification on their Google Account

An account administrator can require all users of a Google Ads account to enable 2-Step Verification on their Google Account.

User enables 2-Step Verification

During the OAuth2 authentication flow, Google prompts the user for 2-Step Verification before issuing a refresh token. Once issued, the refresh token can be used to generate the access token needed in API calls.

User doesn't enable 2-Step Verification

During the authentication flow, the user won't see the 2-Step Verification prompt. This experience is independent of any settings on the Google Ads account.

Once issued, the refresh token can be used to issue access tokens. However, the API calls made using this access token will fail with a TWO_STEP_VERIFICATION_NOT_ENROLLED error until the user enables 2-Step Verification in their Google Account.

Previous refresh tokens

This rule applies to refresh tokens issued prior to the 2-Step Verification requirement as well—the refresh token can be used to generate access tokens, but API calls made with these access tokens will fail with a TWO_STEP_VERIFICATION_NOT_ENROLLED error until the user enables 2-Step Verification in their Google Account.

Google requires all users of a Google Ads account to opt in to 2-step verification on their Google Account {:#require-2-step}

In some cases, Google might require all users of a Google Ads account to enable 2-step verification on their Google Account.

After 2-Step Verification is enabled

During the OAuth2 authentication flow, Google prompts the user for 2-Step Verification before issuing a refresh token. This experience is independent of whether Google opted in the Google Ads account to require all its users to enable 2-factor verification.

Once issued, the refresh token can be used to generate the access token needed in API calls as usual.

Previous refresh tokens

A refresh token that was issued before the user enabled 2-Step Verification remains valid after the user enables 2-Step Verification. The refresh token can be used to issue a valid access token as usual.

API calls made using this access token won't encounter the TWO_STEP_VERIFICATION_NOT_ENROLLED error because the 2-Step Verification opt-in was initiated by Google and not by the Google Ads account administrator.