Using PingID desktop app authentication - PingID

PingID End User Guide
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PingID End User Guide
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Product documentation

Use PingID desktop app to authenticate using an app on your computer (PC or Mac), for a secure sign-on experience.

To set up PingID desktop app authentication, you need to download PingID desktop app to your computer, and then register or 'pair' it with your account. Pairing creates a trust between the desktop app and your account so that you can use the app to authenticate.

After pairing your device with your account, each time you sign on to your account, launch the PingID desktop app to generate a one-time passcode (OTP) you can use to authenticate.

After you have paired your device and authenticated successfully, you can use the app to authenticate when accessing your account using a web browser, to access your company VPN, or to access a Windows login machine using Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP), if your company configuration allows it.

A screen capture of the PingID OTP with the option to Refresh or Copy.

For information on managing your PingID desktop app, including software updates, changing your PIN, adding an organization, and sending logs, see PingID desktop app management.

Note:

The option to pair your account with this device type is defined by your company policy.

PingID desktop app for remote access for Windows login

If you want to use PingID desktop app for remote access for Windows login, you need to download and install the PingID desktop app to a different laptop or desktop from the one that you are trying to access remotely and pair (connect) that machine with your account. Then, you can receive a one-time passcode (OTP) from the local PingID desktop app to authenticate and sign on to your Windows machine remotely using RDP.


A screen capture of the two PingID desktop apps on two different machines: a local machine and a remote machine. The PingID desktop app on the local machine is displaying a one-time passcode to use to authenticate and sign on to the remote machine.

Pairing your PingID desktop app

To set up PingID desktop app for secure authentication, you need to register or 'pair' PingID desktop app with your account.

After you have paired your device and authenticated successfully, you can also use the app to authenticate when accessing your VPN, or a Windows login machine using Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP), if required.

Note:

If you already have a device paired with your account and your organization allows you to pair more than one device, you can add the PingID desktop app as an authentication method in the My Devices page. For more information, see Adding and reordering devices.

  1. Sign on to your account or app and when you see the registration window, click Start.

    A screen capture of the Registration window showing the Start button.

    You'll see the Add a New Device window, showing the QR code.


    A screen capture of the Add New Device window showing device options available for you to add.
  2. In the Add a New Device window, click Desktop.

    The Desktop Setup window opens, displaying a Pairing Key.


    A screen capture of the Desktop Setup window displaying the Pairing Key
  3. Launch the PingID desktop application, and in the Pairing Key field, enter the pairing key from step 2. Click Pair.

    A screen capture of the PingID desktop app window, showing the Pairing Key field.

    A one-time passcode (OTP) generates. If you are prompted to create a PIN code, see step 4.

  4. If your organization requires you to create a PIN code:
    1. In the Enter PIN field, enter a PIN code. Click Next.

      A screen capture of the Create PIN window requesting a 6-digit PIN entry.
      Note:

      The PIN code must be either 4 or 6 digits, as specified, and include more than 2 different digits, if the PIN length is 4 digits, or 3 different digits, if the PIN length is 6 digits. Digits must not be in ascending or descending sequence. For example, 1111, 123321, 8787, and 765432 are not allowed.

    2. Re-enter the PIN code when prompted. Click Done.

      An OTP is generated.


      A screen capture of the OTP with the Copy or Refresh options.
  5. The next time you sign on to your account or app using a web browser, use the PingID desktop app to authenticate:
    1. Launch the PingID desktop app to generate an OTP.
    2. Copy the OTP.
    3. Paste the OTP into the Authentication field in your browser.
    4. Click Sign On.
    A screen capture of the Authentication window requesting the one-time passcode with the Sign On or Change Device option.

    The green check mark appears indicating your successful authentication. Your browser redirects to the portal or app you need to access.

Installing PingID desktop authentication on a Mac

Install desktop authentication on your Apple Mac machine so that you can pair it for secure authentication.

  • Ensure you have administrator privileges on your machine

To start using PingID desktop app, you need to:

  1. Download and install PingID desktop app.
  2. Pair PingID desktop app with your account.

After you have installed and paired your device, you can use PingID desktop app to authenticate when access your account using a web browser, your VPN, or your Windows login machine using RDP.

  1. Download PingID desktop app for Mac, and click Save.

    A screen capture of the PingID.pkg file download with the Open or Show in Finder option.
  2. Install the PingID desktop app:
    1. To launch the PingID desktop app installer, click the PingID.pkg download file. Click Continue.

      A screen capture of the Welcome to the PingID Installer window Introduction section.
    2. Review the Software License Agreement and click Continue. Click Agree.

      A screen capture of the Software License Agreement.

      A screen capture of the Software License Agreement message.
    3. In the Select a Destination window, in the Destination Select section, select the disk where you want to install PingID for Desktop. Click Continue.

      A screen capture of the Select a Destination window.
    4. To change the location where PingID is installed, in the Installation Type section, click Change Install Location and browse to the new location.

      A screen capture of the Installation Type window
    5. Click Install.
      Note:

      By default, the PingID desktop app installs in the Applications folder.

    6. If prompted, enter your system password.

      The PingID desktop app installer window displays the The installation was successful message with a green check mark. PingID is added to the Applications list on your Mac.


      A screen capture of the The installation was completed successfully message in the PingID desktop app installer with the blue Close button at the bottom.
    7. Click Close.
Pair PingID desktop app with your account. For information, see Pairing your PingID desktop app.

Installing PingID desktop authentication on Windows

Install the PingID desktop app on your Windows machine so that you can pair it for secure authentication.

To start using PingID desktop app on your Windows machine, you need to:

  1. Download and install PingID desktop app.
  2. Pair PingID desktop app with your account.

After you have installed and paired your device, you can use PingID desktop app to authenticate when access your account using a web browser, your VPN, or a different Windows login machine remotely, using RDP.

  1. Download PingID desktop app for Windows, and click Save.
  2. To install the PingID desktop app:
    1. Click the pingID.exe download file to launch the PingID desktop app installer.
    2. In the Select install mode window, choose the relevant option:
      • Install for me only: install the desktop app on your local machine.
      • Install for all users: For administrators only. Allows administrators to install the desktop app on multiple machines concurrently.

      A screen capture of the User Account Control dialog and installation confirmation request, with the options Install for all users and Install for me only showing.

      The PingID Setup wizard opens.

    3. Review the Software License Agreement and select I accept the agreement. Click Next.
      A screen capture of the License Agreement dialog.

      The License Agreement window opens.

    4. Click Browse and select the folder in which you want to install PingID and then click Next.
      A screen capture of the Select Destination Location showing the Browse button, enabling you to select a different installation folder, if required.
      The Configure PingID window opens.
    5. To synchronize the settings in the domain roaming folder, select the Support Roaming User Profiles check box.
      Note:

      During a manual update or reinstall over an existing installation, the Configure PingID Enable optional features window does not display. The previous installation setup is maintained.

    6. To add the Support Roaming User Profiles setting to an existing configuration when it was not previously enabled:
      1. Unpair your Windows desktop app.
      2. Uninstall the desktop app, reinstall, and select the Support Roaming User Profiles check box to allow the use of roaming user profiles.
    7. Click Next.

      The files are extracted and the PingID desktop app launches.

Pair PingID desktop app with your account. For information, see Pairing your PingID desktop app.