An authenticator is a free app on your phone that shows a 6-digit code, refreshed every 30 seconds. You'll enter that code to prove it's you when you sign in.

1. Get an authenticator app. On your phone, open the App Store (iPhone) or Play Store (Android) and install a free one: Microsoft Authenticator, Google Authenticator, and Authy all work.
2. Open that app, not your camera. This is the step that trips people up. Don't point your phone's normal camera at the code. Open the authenticator app itself and look inside it for a +, Add account, or Scan a QR code button.
3. Scan the code on this screen. Use the authenticator app's scanner to scan the QR code shown here. No scanner in the authenticator app? Choose "enter a key manually" in it and type the key printed under the code.
4. Read the 6-digit code. The authenticator app adds "CredoLend" and starts showing a 6-digit code that changes every 30 seconds.
5. Finish here. Type that 6-digit code into the box on this screen and select Verify & finish.