Install the App — Yubico Authenticator User Guide documentation (2024)

Installation via direct download

If you downloaded the .dmg file from the Yubico website, do the following:

1. Double-click on the yubico-authenticator-<version>.dmg file.

2. Drag the Yubico Authenticator icon to the Applications folder when prompted.

3. Enable input monitoring and screen recording.

Installation via the Mac App Store

If you want to install the app via the Mac App Store, do the following:

1. On the Yubico Authenticator page in the Mac App Store, click Get. Once the app has been downloaded, the blue Get button will change to a green Install button.

2. Click the Install button. Enter your Apple ID and password when prompted.

3. Enable input monitoring and screen recording

Enable input monitoring

Before you can use the Slots feature of Yubico Authenticator, you must enable input monitoring. These special permissions are required because the YubiKey’s Yubico OTP application, which you interact with via Slots, communicates with your Mac as if it were an external keyboard.

To enable input monitoring, do the following:

1. Open the Yubico Authenticator app and insert a YubiKey into your Mac.

2. Click on Slots.

3. A Keystroke Receiving window should pop up. Click on Open System Settings.

4. This will take you to your Input Monitoring settings. Flip the toggle next to Yubico Authenticator to the “on” position.

5. If the Yubico Authenticator app is still open, another window will pop up prompting you to restart the app to apply the new settings. Click Quit & Reopen.

Enable screen recording

Before you can add new OATH accounts via QR code, you must enable screen recording. You will be prompted to do this the first time you attempt a QR scan, but you can also set these permissions manually by doing the following:

1. On your macOS device, go to System Settings > Privacy & Security > Screen & System Audio Recording.

2. If you do not see Yubico Authenticator on the list yet, add it by clicking the plus symbol, selecting the app, and clicking Open.

3. Set the toggle next to Yubico Authenticator to the “on” position.

Enable pcscd

Before you can use the Accounts (OATH) and Certificates (PIV) features of Yubico Authenticator, you must enable pcscd, which allows communication over the CCID interface.

To enable and start pcscd on most Linux systems, run:

sudo systemctl enable --now pcscd

To check if pcscd is running, enter:

systemctl status pcscd

To check if pcscd is enabled, enter:

systemctl is-enabled pcscd

QR scanning

For Linux machines running the Wayland graphical environment, the QR scanning feature (used when adding a new OATH account) requires either the gnome-screenshot tool (when running the Gnome desktop environment) or the Spectacle tool (when running the KDE desktop environment).

Running the app

To run the Yubico Authenticator for Linux app, change your path to wherever the executable is located and enter ./authenticator.

Alternatively, you can create a shortcut for Yubico Authenticator in the app launcher by running the desktop_integration.sh script, which is included in the tarball.

Installing older versions of Yubico Authenticator for Linux

To install an older version of Yubico Authenticator for Linux (5.1 and previous), follow the instructions on the Support site.

USB permissions

When you open the app and connect a new YubiKey to your Android device over USB, you may be prompted to allow the app to communicate with the key over the USB interface. The USB device name for the key is often listed as “YubiKey OTP+FIDO+CCID”. Click OK.

Installation via direct download

You may also download the .apk file directly. To install, click on the .apk file and follow the prompts. Your device may request permission to install apps downloaded from your browser.