---
title: Configuring email authentication
description: You can enable email as an authentication method.
component: pingone
page_id: pingone:strong_authentication_mfa:p1_strong_auth_email
canonical_url: https://docs.pingidentity.com/pingone/strong_authentication_mfa/p1_strong_auth_email.html
revdate: September 5, 2024
---

# Configuring email authentication

You can enable email as an authentication method.

When email authentication is configured, and the user signs on to their account or app, they are sent an email with a one-time passcode (OTP) to authenticate with. The OTP is valid for up to 30 minutes.

* Learn how to configure email authentication in PingOne in [Configuring an MFA policy for strong authentication](p1_creating_an_mfa_policy_for_strong_auth.html).

* Learn how to configure supported languages in [Languages](../user_experience/p1_languages.html).

* Learn how to create custom email templates in [Notification Templates](../user_experience/p1_notifications.html).

* Learn how to limit the number of email notifications that can be sent per day in [Notification Policies](../user_experience/p1_creating_a_notification_policy.html).

* Use the Senders page to configure your organization's SMTP email notification server. Learn more: [Configuring a custom SMTP email notification server](../settings/p1_configure_custom_smtp_server.html) and [Configuring trusted email addresses](../settings/p1_configure_trusted_email.html).

* Specify or restrict the user to a predefined email. Learn more:

  * (Workforce only): This is configured in the PingID Admin portal [Pre-populating or restricting user registration data](https://docs.pingidentity.com/pingid/pingid_service_management/pid_prepopulating_or_restricting_user_registration_data.html).

  * (Customer only): This option is only available for environments that are integrated with PingFederate, and is configured using the PingOne MFA adapter. Learn more: [PingOne MFA IdP Adapter settings reference](https://docs.pingidentity.com/integrations/pingone/pingone_mfa_integration_kit/pf_p1_mfa_ik_p1_mfa_idp_adapter_settings_reference.html).

Workforce only:

* Learn how to add email as a backup authentication method in [Configuring backup authentication methods](https://docs.pingidentity.com/pingid/pingid_service_management/pid_configuring_backup_authentication_methods.html).

  |   |                                                          |
  | - | -------------------------------------------------------- |
  |   | This option is not available in the Singapore geography. |

  * To define a secondary email address as an additional backup authentication method:

    1. Create a user attribute named `secondaryEmail`. This attribute is case sensitive. It must appear exactly as `secondaryEmail` or the secondary email address won't be recognized. Learn more in [Adding user attributes](../directory/p1_adduserattributes.html).

    2. Map each user's secondary email value from your identity provider to the `secondaryEmail` user attribute. Learn more in [Editing an identity provider](../integrations/p1_editidentityprovider.html).