After you add your authenticator app, WordPress keeps returning you to your profile page instead of completing two-factor setup.
Why this happens. Setup only completes when two things are submitted on the same save: the current 6-digit code from your authenticator app and the Enable two-factor authentication checkbox. If you enter the code without ticking the box, or tick the box without entering a code, setup does not complete and the site keeps you on the profile page until it does.
To finish setup:
- Type the current 6-digit code from your authenticator app into the Confirm code to enable field.
- Tick the Enable two-factor authentication checkbox.
- Click Update Profile.
Once both are submitted together, you are enrolled. Each future login asks for the current 6-digit code from your app.
Application passwords. You do not need an application password. Application passwords are only for connecting outside software to the site and are never used for normal logins.