restore google authenticator backup codes

#Restore google authenticator backup codes code

You’ll need to go to every account that you set up Google Authenticator 2FA on and follow the steps they provide to disable 2FA and get back in your account. If you don’t have your phone with Google Authenticator on it and did not do any backups or have any backup codes, then you’re screwed depending on the service. What If I lost Access To My Phone That Has Google Authenticator? I suggest you do your own backups, as a 2FA app without end-to-end encryption for backups is just silly. The Google Authenticator app was updated to back up to the cloud, but it’s not encrypted. FAQs Does Google Authenticator Back Up To The Cloud? To understand why TOTP 2FA works so well and what’s inside that QR code, we have a post that covers it here.

#Restore google authenticator backup codes code

You should write down that secret key and store it somewhere safe when turning on 2FA, it’s also smart to write down what website that code if for. That 16-digit code is called the “secret key” and is the most important part of what is stored inside the QR code. Some websites will even show you a 16-digit random code that is often next to the QR code. When you lose or break your phone you can use any TOTP 2FA app to read that QR code and get back into your accounts. Take that printed out page with the QR code and keep it somewhere safe in your home. The QR code you see when setting up Google Authenticator can be read by any TOTP 2FA app, and it does not expire. When setting up 2FA that uses Google Authenticator it’s best you avoid using Google Authenticator altogether and use Authy, Aegis, 2FAS, or any other TOTP 2FA app instead.Īn even better idea is when you see the QR code to scan for Google Authenticator, you simply print that page out. You can only fit so much data inside the QR code, and limiting it to 10 is a safe number. Google is not open about why they do this limit, but it would seem obvious that they do it because of the character limit QR codes have. So if you have 32 accounts inside your Google Authenticator app you will have 4 QR codes, 3 will be for 1 to 30 and the 4th will be the last 2. The Google Authenticator app will only export 10 accounts at a time when you export. The Google Authenticator app or Aegis app can read this data and import your codes (10 at a time) at any time and without the need of an internet connection. What it basically means is that this string of text is OTP migration, and all your data is inside the gibberish of letters and numbers. What’s inside the export QR Code looks like this: otpauth-migration://offline?data=CkoKDZePmX7z8qHgFlH9yVcSIlRoaXNfaXNfYW5fRXhhbXBsZTplbWFpbEBlbWFpbC5jb20aD0V4YW1wbGVfV2Vic2l0ZSABKAEwAhABGAEgAA%3D%3D What’s In The Google Authenticator Export QR Code? Here is just a short list of TOTP apps that I consider better than Google Authenticator: