It is a specific kind of dread. Your old phone will not turn on, you have a shiny new one in your hand, and every account you try to sign into wants the six-digit code from Google Authenticator, which lives on the phone that is now a paperweight. Passwords alone will not get you in, and the codes are not written down anywhere. Whether this is a two-minute fix or a long weekend of account recovery comes down to a single setting you may have turned on, or not, months ago. Here is how to move your codes to the new phone, and what to do if the easy path is closed.
Here is what determines your options, and the steps for each situation.
The short answer
Whether you can move your Google Authenticator codes to a new phone without the old one depends on whether cloud sync was turned on. If you were signed into your Google Account inside Authenticator with sync enabled, your codes are backed up to that account and restore automatically the moment you install Authenticator and sign into the same Google Account on the new phone, even though the old phone is dead. If sync was off, the codes existed only on the old device, and the normal transfer method uses an export QR code that the old phone has to generate, so a phone that will not turn on cannot do it. In that case you cannot move the codes directly, and you recover each account one at a time using its backup codes or its own account-recovery process. Afterward, turn sync on so this never traps you again.
Table of Contents
First, check whether cloud sync was on
Everything hinges on this. Google Authenticator added the ability to sync your codes to your Google Account, so that they are backed up and available on any device where you sign into that account. If at some point you signed into Authenticator with your Google Account and left sync on, your codes are safe in the cloud regardless of what happened to the phone. If you used Authenticator without signing into a Google Account, or you declined sync, then the codes only ever lived on the device. You may not remember which you chose, and that is fine, because the next step tells you quickly: try signing in on the new phone and see whether your codes appear.
If sync was on, just sign in on the new phone
This is the happy path. Install Google Authenticator on the new phone, open it, and sign into the same Google Account you used before. If sync was on, your verification codes sync down to the new device automatically, and you are back in business without ever touching the old phone. Google’s help page on verification codes with Google Authenticator confirms that signing into your Google Account on a new device brings your synced codes with you. If your codes appear after signing in, you are done, and you can move on to using them as normal. If they do not appear, sync was likely off, and the next sections are for you.
Why the normal transfer will not work with a dead phone
It helps to understand why you cannot just move the codes. Google Authenticator’s built-in transfer works by having the old phone generate an export QR code that the new phone scans to import the accounts. It is a good method, but it depends entirely on the old device being able to display that code, which a phone that will not power on cannot do. The codes themselves are secret keys stored on the device, and without sync there is no copy anywhere else and no way to pull them off a dead phone. So if the guides you find describe exporting and scanning a QR code, know that they assume a working old phone, and that path is closed to you here.
If sync was off, recover each account individually
When the codes are gone with the old phone, you shift from moving them to recovering access to each account on its own. There is no shortcut, because each service, your email, your bank, your social accounts, controls its own two-factor setup. For each one, use whatever recovery route it offers: the backup or recovery codes you were given when you set up two-factor authentication, an alternate second factor like a text message, a security key, or a backup email, or the service’s account-recovery flow. Once you are back in, go into that account’s security settings and set up Authenticator again on the new phone. Work through the accounts in order of importance, starting with your primary email, since it is often the key to recovering the others.
When you are locked out with no backup codes
The hardest case is an account where sync was off, you have no backup codes, and no other second factor is set. Then your only route is the service’s own account-recovery process, which usually means contacting its support and proving your identity, and it can take time and patience. Some services recover faster than others, and some require documents or a waiting period as a security measure. It is frustrating, but it is also exactly the situation that turning on sync and saving backup codes is meant to prevent, so treat it as the push to set those up everywhere once you are through it.
How to prevent this next time
A few steps make a dead phone a non-event. Turn on Google Authenticator’s Google Account sync so your codes are backed up and follow you to any new device automatically. When you enable two-factor authentication on any service, save its backup or recovery codes somewhere safe, such as a password manager or a printed copy kept securely, since those codes are your escape hatch. Add a second two-factor method where a service allows it, so losing one does not lock you out. And consider whether an authenticator app with easy cross-device restore fits your needs better going forward, which our guide to authenticator apps with cloud backup covers. For the broader problem of logins that break when you change phones, our piece on passwordless login gotchas is worth a look.
This article is general information. Google Authenticator’s features, menus, and the recovery steps for each service change over time, so confirm the current process in Google’s help pages and each service’s own security settings, and set up backups before you need them.
Frequently asked questions
Can I move Google Authenticator codes if my old phone is dead?
Yes, if you had cloud sync turned on. In that case your codes are backed up to your Google Account, and installing Authenticator and signing into the same account on the new phone restores them automatically, no old phone needed. If sync was off, the codes lived only on the dead phone and cannot be pulled off it, so you must recover each account individually using its backup codes or account-recovery process instead.
Does Google Authenticator back up my codes automatically?
Only if you signed into your Google Account in the app and left sync on. Authenticator can sync your codes to your Google Account so they are available on any device where you sign in, but if you used it without an account or turned sync off, there is no backup. If you are not sure, sign into your Google Account on the new phone and see whether your codes appear; if they do, sync was on.
Why won’t the export QR code method work for me?
Because it needs the old phone. Authenticator’s transfer feature has the old device create an export QR code that the new phone scans, and a phone that will not turn on cannot display that code. The secret keys are stored on the device, so without sync there is no other copy to move. Any guide describing export-and-scan assumes a working old phone, which is why it does not apply when the old one is dead.
How do I get back into accounts without my authenticator codes?
Use each service’s recovery options one account at a time: the backup or recovery codes you saved at setup, an alternate second factor such as a text, security key, or backup email, or the service’s account-recovery flow. Start with your primary email, since it often unlocks the others. When you regain access, re-add Authenticator on the new phone in that account’s security settings so you are protected again.
How do I make sure this never happens again?
Turn on Google Authenticator’s Google Account sync so your codes are backed up and restore on any new device. Save each service’s backup codes somewhere safe, add a second two-factor method where you can, and re-enroll your accounts on the new phone as you regain access. These steps turn a lost or dead phone from a lockout crisis into a quick sign-in, which is the whole point of setting them up before trouble arrives.
The bottom line
Moving Google Authenticator to a new phone without the old one comes down to one thing: was cloud sync on. If it was, install the app, sign into your Google Account, and your codes come back on their own. If it was not, the codes are stranded on the dead phone, since the export method needs it working, and you recover each account individually through backup codes or its own recovery process, starting with your email. Either way, finish by turning on sync and saving backup codes so the next dead phone is a shrug instead of a scramble. For more on staying in control of your logins, browse The Other Stream’s Tech section, and see our guide to recovering an Apple ID without a trusted phone.