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myNJ Authenticator App Setup

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) keeps your account more secure because you log in with two "factors": your ID and password, which are "something you know", and a unique code that's displayed on "something you have", such as a mobile phone, or the browser on your computer or tablet. The code will be different each time you log in, so it's called a one-time password or OTP.

These instructions describe how to set up an authenticator app on a phone or tablet, and also how to set up an authenticator extension in a browser.

Videos are available to help guide you through the process:

You can repeat steps 1 and 2 below to install and register up to two authenticator apps on different phones or tablet devices, or on a phone and in a browser.

1. Install an authenticator ▸

If you already have an authenticator app on your phone or tablet, you can use it and skip to the next step, 2. Register your authenticator with myNJ.

Phone or tablet device authenticator apps

Pick your phone or tablet type below:

Android phones and tablets

  1. Open the Play Store app
  2. In the search tool bar, enter Authenticator App
  3. Select which Authenticator App you would like to use
  4. Click on Install and then Open
  5. You can now continue to the next step, 2. Register your authenticator with myNJ

Apple iPhones and iPad tablets

  1. On your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, or MacBook, open the App Store app
  2. Search at the bottom of the screen
  3. Search for Authenticator App. Select which Authenticator App you would like to use
  4. Tap or click the price or Get button. If you see the "Open" button instead of a price or Get button, you already bought or downloaded that app
  5. You can now continue to the next step, 2. Register your authenticator with myNJ

Browser extension authenticators

If you decide to use a browser extension or "plugin" authenticator, you'll need to have that computer available when you log in, and no one but you should have access to that browser.

If you use an authenticator app on a phone or tablet device, you'll be able to log in from other computers as long as you have the phone or tablet with you.

Pick your browser type below:

Chrome browser extension

  1. Click on Customize and control Google Chrome (the 3 dots on the far right of the toolbar)
  2. Click on More tools
  3. Click on Extensions
  4. Click on Main Menu (the three stacked lines to the left of Extensions on the top left of screen)
  5. Click on Open Chrome Web Store (this will be at the very bottom of the panel)
  6. Enter Authenticator in the Search the store bar and hit enter
  7. Decide which authenticator app to install. You're free to use whichever extension you wish, but the one labeled Authenticator from authenticator.cc is known to work
  8. Click the extension you want to install and choose the "Add to Chrome" button near upper right. Then click the "Add extension" button to confirm. Click the ‘X’ to close the dialog box asking to “Turn on sync”. Click on the puzzle piece and click on the push pin to pin the authenticator to the Chrome toolbar. It will automatically be installed to your Chrome browser
  9. You can now continue to the next step, 2. Register your authenticator with myNJ

Edge browser extension

  1. Click on Settings and more (the 3 dots on the far right of the toolbar)
  2. Click on Extensions
  3. If Edge shows a message that says "To install add-ons, you'll need the new Microsoft Edge",
    1. Click the "Download the new Microsoft Edge" link to upgrade
    2. Close Edge
    3. Find the downloaded MicrosoftEdgeSetup.exe and run it
    4. Restart Edge
    5. Click on Settings and more (the 3 dots on the far right of the toolbar)
    6. Click on Extensions
  4. Don't use the "Search installed extensions" box and don't click the "Get extensions for Microsoft Edge" button. Instead, click the "get extensions from the Chrome Web Store" link
  5. At the top of the Chrome Web Store page, if Edge shows the message "You can now add extensions from the Chrome Web Store to Microsoft Edge", click the "Allow extensions from other stores" button, and when prompted to confirm, click Allow
  6. In the "search the store" box, type authenticator and press Enter
  7. Decide which authenticator app to install. You're free to use whichever extension you wish, but the one labeled Authenticator from authenticator.cc is known to work
  8. Click the extension you want to install and choose the "Add to Chrome" button near upper right. The button will actually add the extension to Edge, not Chrome; then click the "Add extension" button to confirm
  9. You can now continue to the next step, 2. Register your authenticator with myNJ

Firefox browser extension

  1. Click on Open Application Menu (the 3 lines on the far right of the toolbar)
  2. Click on Add-ons and Themes.
  3. Click on "Extensions".
  4. Enter Authenticator in the " Find more add-ons” search box and hit enter.
  5. Decide which authenticator app to install. You're free to use whichever extension you wish, but the one labeled Authenticator from mymindstorm is known to work
  6. Click the add-on you decided on,and click "Add to Firefox" and then "Add" and then "Okay". You will get a notification that Authenticator has been added to Firefox
  7. You can now continue to the next step, 2. Register your authenticator with myNJ

2. Register your authenticator with myNewJersey ▸
  1. Log in to myNJ with your ID and password
  2. If your account has mandatory MFA and you haven't registered an authenticator or mobile number yet, myNJ will say "You must register an MFA device" -- in this case, click the headings to expand the additional information, and then click the "Authenticator app" button.
    Otherwise, complete your login process, and then use your "my account" page to add or change your authenticators:
    1. At the top right of the myNJ landing page, click on the "my account" link
    2. Scroll down until you find the section about Multi-factor authentication
    3. If you have not already done so, click the "Use multi-factor authentication on this account" checkbox
    4. Next click on the arrow to the left of "Authenticator apps" to expand the section
    5. Click the Add button to register an authenticator application
  3. On the "Add an Authenticator App" page, follow the directions to open the authenticator on your device or browser plugin, and then enter a nickname for it on that page in myNJ.
  4. Scan the QR code using option "a" or "b" below:
    1. If you installed an authenticator app, use the camera on your device to scan the QR code image and it will link your authenticator app to your myNJ account
    2. If you installed a plugin in your browser, click on the plugin and then click the Scan QR code icon. Using your mouse, place the "+" symbol cursor outside the upper left of the QR code image, hold down the left mouse button and drag the cursor over the complete QR code image on the screen, then release the mouse and click the OK button. Click on the plugin again to get the 6-digit verification code
  5. Enter the 6-digit code displayed on your authenticator application or from the browser plugin, and click the "Verify" button to finish
  6. If your account has mandatory MFA and you just registered your authenticator during login, myNJ will ask if it should remember your browser. Choose "No" so you can verify you'll know how to log in with MFA next time. Otherwise, if you used your "my account" page to add the authenticator,
    1. On the "Authenticator Added" page, click "Close this page and return to your "my account" page"
    2. Click the "Update" button to complete the process and return to your myNJ landing page
  7. Log out from myNJ
  8. Clear your browser's cookies and history: press Ctrl + Shift + Del and delete everything (for Mac OS X, go to Safari on the top menu bar and click "Clear History...")

3. Log in to myNewJersey ▸
  1. Log in to myNJ with your ID and password
  2. Your browser will show one of the following two pages, depending on the MFA settings in your account:
    1. If you only registered an authenticator app, you'll be prompted for the one-time password that's being displayed on your authenticator app
    2. If you previously also registered your mobile number for receiving text messages from myNJ, you'll be prompted for the one-time password from your authenticator app, and you'll have the option to receive a text message instead
  3. Enter the code from your authenticator app or SMS text message and hit the Submit button
  4. myNJ will ask if it should remember your browser. If you choose Yes, myNJ won't prompt you for a one-time password code if you log in to myNJ again from this location in the next week or two. If you choose No, you'll be prompted to enter a one-time password code the next time you log in from here
  5. You have now successfully logged in to myNJ