Please note that if you did not save the QR code generated the first time, and you want to create a spare key for this particular account, you will need to delete your primary key from the account and restart the registration process again.

Now either key can be used to authenticate. Next, to create a spare key for this account, you will need to scan the same QR code generated from the initial registration and then scan your spare YubiKey.Then you will scan the QR code, with the Yubico Authenticator app, and then scan your YubiKey, to link the two.We recommend taking a picture of the QR code and storing it someplace safe. Save this QR code! This will be essential to creating a spare key for this particular account in the future.When registering your first YubiKey, you will be given a secret from the service in the form of a QR code: If the service uses OATH-TOTP protocol, meaning you use the Yubico Authenticator app to generate codes to login, then the process is a bit different. Instead, both keys need to be registered separately to the account, and then either can be used to authenticate with. It's important to note that keys are not linked together in any way. So you can follow the same setup instructions listed in our Works with YubiKey Catalog. To see which security protocols the services you use support, you can check our Works with YubiKey Catalog.įor any services that use Yubico OTP or FIDO security protocols, you'll just need to register the second key exactly as you registered the first.

There are a few ways to register a spare key/backup, and the process is different depending on if the service supports Yubico OTP and FIDO security protocols, or OATH-TOTP protocol.

In general, the process of creating a backup involves manually registering the spare key with all services the first is registered with. Please note that for security reasons, the firmware of our products does not allow stored secrets to be read, meaning it is not possible to “clone” or 'duplicate' a YubiKey. This way, one key can be used as a primary key, and the other can be used as a spare. We at Yubico always recommend having more than one YubiKey.