MFA QR Code Not Displaying During Setup

[Sirri]

Hi everyone,

I'm facing an issue while setting up Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA).

When I open the MFA enrollment page, the QR code is not displayed (the QR code area is blank). Because of this, I'm unable to scan it using my authenticator app and complete the MFA registration.

What I've tried:

• Refreshed the page
• Tried a different browser
• Cleared browser cache
• Tried an Incognito/Private window

The issue still persists.

Has anyone encountered this problem before? Is there a known issue or any alternative way to complete the MFA setup when the QR code is not displayed?

I've attached a screenshot for reference.

[rahulswami]

Hi @Sirri,

This looks like a known issue with ServiceNow's native MFA enrollment page.

On many instances, the QR code on this page is generated by calling out to Google's Chart API (chart.googleapis.com). Google deprecated that API a while back so on instances still running an older Multi-Factor Authentication plugin version, that external call comes back empty, which is exactly what a blank QR box looks like.

Switching browsers or clearing cache will not fix it because the page is working fine but it's the external service it depends on that's gone.

Please check below things:

Open developer tools -> go to the Network tab and reload the enrollment page. Look for a request going out to chart.googleapis.com. If that request fails or comes back empty that confirms this is the cause rather than a local browser issue.

Check your instance version and the Multi-Factor Authentication plugin version with your ServiceNow admin. ServiceNow moved QR generation in-platform in later releases instead of depending on Google's now-deprecated service, so upgrading or applying the relevant patch resolves it for good.

meanwhile, use the "Or type in" option next to the QR box on that same page. It gives you the same OTP secret as plain text, so you can add it to your authenticator app manually and finish enrollment without needing the QR code at all.

If you are not an admin, it's worth raising this with whoever manages your instance, since it usually needs a version or plugin update to fix properly. This is not something that resolves from the end-user side.

[Sirri]

@rahulswami 

Thanks for the detailed explanation. I followed the steps in Developer Tools and confirmed that no requests are being made to chart.googleapis.com during page reload. This matches what you mentioned — the enrollment page isn’t calling Google’s Chart API anymore, which explains the blank QR code.

As for the next steps:

Instance/plugin version check: I’m currently logged out of the PDI instance, so I can’t verify the ServiceNow version or MFA plugin version myself.

Plugin update: Since I don’t have access to instance, I'm log out of pdi so I can't update
Manual enrollment option: You mentioned using the “Or type in” option next to the QR box. Could you please share more details on how to use this? I’m not familiar with the process of manually entering the OTP secret into the authenticator app.

Appreciate your guidance — this helps me understand the root cause and what actions are needed from the admin side.

[rahulswami]

Hi @Sirri,

Please see the steps below:

1. On the enrollment page(In your attached screenshot), click "Or type in" below to the broken QR box. it will show you a text string, this is the same secret key the QR code would have encoded, just in plain text. There's a copy icon next to it, use that to copy it.

2. Open your authenticator app (Google Authenticator, Microsoft Authenticator, Authy, whichever you use) and tap "Add account" or the "+" button.

3. Instead of "Scan a QR code," look for an option like "Enter a setup key" or "Enter code manually."

4. You'll be asked for two things: an account name (this is just a label, so anything that helps you recognize it, like your ServiceNow username or anything) and the key itself, where you paste the secret you copied in step 1. Leave the type as "Time based" if it asks, that's the TOTP standard ServiceNow uses.

5. Save it in the app. It will immediately start generating a 6-digit code that refreshes every 30 seconds.

6. Go back to the ServiceNow enrollment page and enter that 6-digit code into the field in step 3 on the page, and click "Pair device and Login."

Once that's done, your account is enrolled the same way it would have been through the QR code, so this is not a lesser workaround but just a different way of getting the same secret into your app.

[Sirri]

@rahulswami 

Thanks for sharing the detailed steps. I tried clicking on the “Or type in” option on the enrollment page, but no secret key is being displayed — the field remains blank. Since this is happening in my PDI and I’m the only admin user, I’m currently unable to proceed with MFA enrollment or log in further to validate the setup.

Could you please advise if there’s an alternative way to bypass or temporarily disable MFA in PDI.
After clicking of copy also nothing is copying from that just it is showcasing the message "Copied to clipboard"  when i past that in note pad nothing is coming.