diff --git a/docs/topics/auth.txt b/docs/topics/auth.txt
index 7858e44962..615382bb07 100644
--- a/docs/topics/auth.txt
+++ b/docs/topics/auth.txt
@@ -29,13 +29,16 @@ Installation
 Authentication support is bundled as a Django application in
 ``django.contrib.auth``. To install it, do the following:
 
-    1. Put ``'django.contrib.auth'`` in your :setting:`INSTALLED_APPS` setting.
+    1. Put ``'django.contrib.auth'`` and ``'django.contrib.contenttypes'`` in
+       your :setting:`INSTALLED_APPS` setting.
+       (The :class:`~django.contrib.auth.models.Permisson` model in
+       :mod:`django.contrib.auth` depends on :mod:`django.contrib.contenttypes`.)
     2. Run the command ``manage.py syncdb``.
 
 Note that the default :file:`settings.py` file created by
-:djadmin:`django-admin.py startproject` includes ``'django.contrib.auth'`` in
-:setting:`INSTALLED_APPS` for convenience. If your :setting:`INSTALLED_APPS`
-already contains ``'django.contrib.auth'``, feel free to run
+:djadmin:`django-admin.py startproject` includes ``'django.contrib.auth'`` and
+``'django.contrib.contenttypes'`` in :setting:`INSTALLED_APPS` for convenience.
+If your :setting:`INSTALLED_APPS` already contains these apps, feel free to run
 :djadmin:`manage.py syncdb` again; you can run that command as many times as
 you'd like, and each time it'll only install what's needed.