How to Transfer Google Authenticator to a New Phone

Getting a new phone is exciting — right up until you realize all your two-factor codes live on the old one. Google Authenticator codes don't automatically follow you to a new device unless you move them. Here's how to do it without locking yourself out.

Option 1: Use the built-in export (old phone available)

If you still have your old phone, the export feature is the cleanest method:

1. On the old phone, open Google Authenticator.
2. Tap the menu and choose Transfer accounts → Export accounts.
3. Select which accounts to move and tap Next — the app shows one or more QR codes.
4. On the new phone, install Google Authenticator, tap Transfer accounts → Import accounts → Scan QR code, and scan.

Your codes are now on the new phone. Verify a couple of them generate correctly before wiping the old device.

Option 2: Cloud sync (Google account)

Newer versions of Google Authenticator can sync your codes to your Google account. If you enabled this, signing into the same Google account on the new phone restores your codes automatically. Check by signing in and confirming your accounts appear.

This is convenient, but it means your 2FA seeds are tied to your Google account — so that account must itself be very well protected with a strong password and its own strong second factor.

Option 3: Old phone lost or wiped

This is the painful case, and it's why preparation matters. If you can't access the old phone and didn't have cloud sync on, you'll need to recover each account individually:

• Use the backup/recovery codes you saved when setting up 2FA — see what a recovery code is.
• Use a secondary login method (a backup email or phone) where offered.
• Contact each service's account recovery process as a last resort.

The lesson: prepare before you switch

The smoothest transfers are the ones you set up for in advance:

1. Save recovery codes for every account when you enable 2FA, and store them somewhere safe.
2. Transfer before you wipe — never factory-reset the old phone until the new one is confirmed working.
3. Keep a backup second factor, like a hardware security key or codes saved in your password manager.

Where Passlock fits

Passlock keeps your passwords in the native macOS Keychain, and it's the right home for the recovery codes that save you when a phone transfer goes wrong. Storing each account's recovery codes alongside its password means a lost or dead phone is a minor annoyance, not a lockout. Strong passwords, a reliable second factor, and saved recovery codes are the three-part safety net for any device switch.