How to move Google Authenticator to a new phone

The authenticator app is the thing people forget when they switch phones. Once the old handset is wiped and sold, the six-digit codes in Google Authenticator go with it, and you can be locked out of your bank, e-mail, gaming and crypto accounts.

The app can move codes from one device to another with a QR code, and it can also back them up to your Google Account. This guide walks through both routes, plus how to recover an account with backup codes when the old phone is no longer in your hands.

1. Collect your backup codes first Build a safety net before you touch anything. Open your Google Account in a browser, go to "Security & sign-in", open "2-Step Verification" and download or print the ten 8-digit codes in the "Backup codes" section. Do the same for your other services (bank, e-mail, gaming, crypto) and save their backup or recovery option now. Keep these codes on paper or in a password manager, not on the phone.
2. Update the app on both phones Transfer does not work on older builds. Open the app store on both the old and the new phone and update Google Authenticator. You need version 6.0 or above on Android and 4.0 or above on iOS. If the app is not on the new phone yet, install it now and open it once.
3. Start the export on the old phone Open Google Authenticator on the old phone. Tap the menu, choose "Transfer codes" and then "Export codes". The app asks you to confirm with your screen lock, so enter your PIN or use your fingerprint.
4. Pick the accounts and generate the QR code Every account in the app is selected by default. Clear the ones you no longer use and tap "Next". The app creates a QR code. If you have many accounts, one square is not enough and several QR codes appear in sequence, so you have to scan each of them.
5. Import the codes on the new phone On the new phone open Google Authenticator, tap the menu, choose "Transfer codes" and then "Import codes". Point the camera at the QR code on the old phone's screen. If there is more than one square, tap "Next" on the old phone and scan them all. You should see a confirmation that the transfer finished. Never photograph or screenshot that QR code and never show it to anyone; it carries the keys to your accounts.
6. Actually test the codes on the new phone Seeing the accounts listed is not proof. Use the codes on the new phone to sign in to two or three important accounts (Google, bank, e-mail) from a computer. Codes refresh every 30 seconds; if one is rejected, set both phones to automatic date and time and try again. Do not reset the old phone until this test passes.
7. Optionally sync codes to your Google Account If you never want to lose codes with a phone again, turn on cloud sync. Open Google Authenticator on the new phone and sign in with your Google Account; the app offers to back your codes up. From then on the codes appear on every device where you sign in with that account. The trade-off is that your Google Account becomes a single point of failure, so protect it with a strong password and a passkey.
8. Only now clean up the old phone After you have signed in successfully with the new phone, go back to the old one. Delete the Authenticator accounts or reset the device to factory settings. If you are selling or handing the phone on, sign out of your Google Account first, then reset. Until you delete them, both phones produce valid codes, so do not let the old device out of your hands during that window.
9. If the old phone is gone, sign in with backup codes If the phone is lost or already wiped, there is nothing to export; you must get into the account another way and set the authenticator up from scratch. On the sign-in screen choose "Try another way", pick "Enter one of your 8-digit backup codes" and type an unused code. Each code works once. If you have no codes either, use your recovery e-mail, recovery phone, or a Google prompt on another device that is still signed in.
10. Set the authenticator up again on the new phone Once you are in, go to "Security & sign-in" → "2-Step Verification", choose "Set up authenticator" and scan the QR code on screen with the app on the new phone. Repeat this for every other service that used the authenticator, and remove the old device from their device lists. Finally generate a fresh set of backup codes: creating a new set automatically deactivates the old one.

⚠ This guide is general information. Yudum cannot be held responsible for the outcome of following it; for official procedures always rely on the institution's own statement. Steps and fees change over time.

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