How to Secure Your Dropbox By Enabling Two-Step Verification

Finally one of the things I was really looking forward to… Dropbox recently integrated two-step verification process to strengthen security of the accounts. Dropbox two-step security verification is just like Gmail’s where you link a mobile to an account and whenever you try to log in to your account, your mobile receives a unique code that will be used to verify the authenticity of the login.

As the two-step verification is available internationally and not limited to just smartphones, everyone can now use the feature to secure their accounts. So let’s gets started!

Enabling Two-Step Verification in Dropbox

Step 1: Sign in to your Dropbox account and open your Dropbox security settings.

Step 2: In Dropbox security settings page, scroll down to Account sign in section to find Two-step verification settings. It will be disabled by default. Click on the link change to enable it on your account.

Step 3: Dropbox will start a wizard to authenticate your mobile which will be used in the two-step verification process. A person can opt for two types of verification—text based and app based. If you don’t have a smartphone or if you would like to keep things simple, you can opt for the text message option.

Note: The service is free from Dropbox but your service provider may charge you for the text messages. Please confirm it with your operator before you proceed.

Step 4: Next, Dropbox will ask you to enter your mobile phone number along with country code and verify it by sending a unique 6-digit code to it. You will have to enter the code in Dropbox wizard to link the mobile phone and account together.

Step 5: After enabling the two-step verification on your account, Dropbox will give you an emergency code you can use on a Mayday. You must save the security code on Evernote or any other note taking service you prefer.

After the two-step verification is compete for your account, each time you log in from an untrusted computer, your linked mobile will receive a unique onetime code. You must enter the code to gain access to your account. The two-step verification is available on Dropbox for desktops as well.

Conclusion

I was always concerned about the security on my files on Dropbox, but now with the integration of two-step verification, I am relaxed. Don’t forget to update Dropbox across all the devices you use to re-link them using the two-step verification process.