Transitioning from Twilio Authy Desktop to WinAuth: A Smooth Migration Guide
As Twilio announces the End-of-Life on March 19, 2024 for the Authy Desktop app, users are seeking alternative solutions to seamlessly manage their two-factor authentication (2FA) tokens. While saying goodbye to a trusted application can be daunting, the transition to a reliable alternative like WinAuth can ensure continued security and convenience. In this guide, I will walk you through the process of migrating from Twilio Authy Desktop to WinAuth effortlessly.
On a related note, while TOTP is a commonly used 2FA method, it’s not the most secure option available. Whenever possible, consider using more secure methods such as passkeys or FIDO2 keys. These methods offer stronger protection against phishing attacks and other security threats.
Why WinAuth?
WinAuth stands out as an excellent replacement for Twilio Authy Desktop due to its robust features and user-friendly interface. It offers a simple yet powerful solution for managing 2FA tokens directly from your desktop, providing peace of mind regarding security and accessibility.
The project is open-source and hosted at https://github.com/winauth/winauth
Steps to Migrate from Twilio Authy Desktop to WinAuth
Step 1: Exporting from Twilio Authy
Before making the switch, it’s essential to export your 2FA tokens from Twilio Authy Desktop. You can achieve this by using a Go script provided by Token2. The installation process and command syntax are comprehensively described on the project page. In our context, it is crucial to emphasize that when prompted, you should use the “wa.txt” extension for the export filename.
This will generate a text file containing all your TOTP profile data, which will be ready to import into WinAuth.
Step 2: Obtaining WinAuth
Visit the WinAuth website and acquire the most recent version of the application. WinAuth is designed to work seamlessly with Windows operating systems and is a portable application.
Step 3. Import the *.wa.txt file to WinAuth
Launch WinAuth and go to Add -> Import
In the dialog window, select “Text files” from the file format menu and point to the *.wa.txt file generated on Step 1.
The TOTP profiles exported from Authy should immediately appear in WinAuth. If you did not have any TOTP profiles set up in WinAuth before importing, the application will prompt you to configure password protection before displaying the OTP list.
Transitioning from Twilio Authy Desktop to WinAuth may seem like a daunting task at first, but with the right guidance and tools, it can be a smooth and seamless process. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can ensure a successful migration.
P.S. Please note that you cannot migrate the Authy-hosted accounts (the ones that are generating 7-digit OTP with 10/20 seconds intervals). WinAuth supports only “standard” TOTP profiles: 6 or 8 digits, 30 seconds (Authy app supports only 30 seconds TOTP profiles in addition to its native accounts). All Authy TOTP profiles are (were) SHA1 only.