How to Move Google Authenticator to a New Phone Without Losing Access

It’s actually not too hard to do

When you get a new phone, one of the important things to migratefrom your old phone to your new phoneis your account authentication codes. If youuse Google Authenticator, Google makes it easy to transfer your account codes from one device to another.

To move Google Authenticator from an old phone to a new phone, all you need to do isscan a QR codeon your new phone.

Move Google Authenticator to a New Phone with All Your Codes

Make sure you haven’t deleted the Google Authenticator app on your old phone. If you have, skip to the second section below to learn how to add your existing codes to your new phone.

In the following example, we’ll transfer Google Authenticator accountsfrom an iPhone to an Android phone.

To keep your codes secure, you may now uninstall the Google Authenticator app on your old phone. You can now generate codes for various online accounts from Google Authenticator on your new phone.

Move Google Authenticator to a New Phone When You’ve Deleted Authenticator

If you’ve deleted the Google Authenticator app on your old phone without first moving the accounts to the new phone, you’ll have to add each of your accounts manually to your new phone.

For most websites and apps, this is easy to do. Go to your account’s security settings,get a QR code, and scan it on your new phone to add the account to your phone.

Let’s see how to do that for a Google account:

The procedure to add other accounts to Authenticator should be pretty much the same.

Know This As a Google Authenticator User

If you use Google Authenticator as your primary code generator, here are a few things you should know about this service.

You can simultaneously use Google Authenticator on more than one device. If you’ve configured the app on both your iPhone and Android phone, you can generate andget codes from either deviceand use them to log in to your accounts.

If you’re only looking to transfer certain Google Authenticator accounts to your new phone, you can do so using selective transfer.

This feature allows you to choose the accounts that you want tomove to the new phone. The accounts that you did not transfer will continue to function on your old phone.

If you can’t use Google Authenticator to get codes for some reason, you can generate backup codes from Google’s Security page. You can use these one-time codes to gain access to your Google account temporarily.

There are multiple ways you can add an account to Google Authenticator on your phone. You can either scan a QR code or use a setup key to add an account.

To use a setup key in Google Authenticator, tap the+(plus) sign and chooseEnter a setup key.

Fill in the details on your screen to add your account.

Transferring Authenticator accounts from one phone to another is easier than you may have envisioned. All you need is to scan a QR code, and you have all your accounts on your new phone.

Let us know in the comment section if this worked for you.

Mahesh has been obsessed with technology since he got his first gadget a decade or so ago. Over the last few years, he’s written a number of tech articles on various online publications including but not limited to MakeTechEasier and Android AppStorm.Read Mahesh’s Full Bio

Your email address will not be published.Required fields are marked*

Comment*

Name*

Email*

Website

Welcome to Help Desk Geek- a blog full of tech tips from trusted tech experts. We have thousands of articles and guides to help you troubleshoot any issue. Our articles have been read over 150 million times since we launched in 2008.

HomeAbout UsEditorial StandardsContact UsTerms of Use

How to Move Google Authenticator to a New Phone Without Losing Access#

Move Google Authenticator to a New Phone with All Your Codes#

Move Google Authenticator to a New Phone When You’ve Deleted Authenticator#

Know This As a Google Authenticator User#