Switch authenticator apps
Move every two-factor account to a new authenticator app without locking yourself out: list accounts, save backup codes, transfer or re-enrol each one, test, and remove the old app last.
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Your plan so far
18things this change touches
- critical3
- high7
- moderate4
- low4
Updates as you answer. Every item will explain why it’s there.
What could break
In a typical authenticator app plan, these are the most serious things to get right.
Keep the old app and phone working until every account has moved
Critical · Sign-in & recovery
Resetting, trading in or deleting too early can lock you out of anything not yet moved.
Save backup codes for your important accounts before you start
Critical · Sign-in & recovery
Without them, a hiccup during the change can turn into a slow account-recovery process.
Re-enrol each account in the new app
Critical · Sign-in & recovery
Accounts still tied to the old app stop working once it's removed.
Move your email, Google and Microsoft accounts first
Critical · Core accounts
If email locks you out mid-move, recovering everything else gets much harder.
Your password manager's own two-factor
Critical · Sign-in & recovery
Losing the vault's second factor puts every stored password out of reach.
Work or school accounts: re-register through your organization
Critical · Sign-in & recovery
You could be locked out of work systems until IT resets you.
List every account that uses the old app
High · Sign-in & recovery
An account you forget keeps its codes only in the old app. When that app is gone, so is your second factor for it.
Authy: no export, so each account needs re-enrolling
High · Sign-in & recovery
Counting on a transfer that isn't possible can leave you without codes after the old phone or app is gone.
Synced backup: protect the account it syncs to
High · Sign-in & recovery
Anyone who gets into that account could get your codes, and losing the account could take your codes with it.
Sign-ins you approve with a tap
High · Sign-in & recovery
Sign-in requests keep going to a phone you no longer use.
Before and after the change
Before you change it
- List every account that uses the old app
- Keep the old app and phone working until every account has moved
- Save backup codes for your important accounts before you start
- Authy: no export, so each account needs re-enrolling
After the change
- Synced backup: protect the account it syncs to
- Don't keep copies of QR codes or setup keys
- Lock the phone and the new app
- Keep the phone's date and time automatic
- Re-enrol each account in the new app
- Move your email, Google and Microsoft accounts first
- Your password manager's own two-factor
- Work or school accounts: re-register through your organization
- Sign-ins you approve with a tap
- Banking, investing and crypto accounts
- Cloud, hosting and domain registrar accounts
- Social media and gaming accounts
Your own plan adds or removes items based on your answers, and explains why each one is there.
The safe order
Doing things in the right sequence is what keeps you from getting locked out halfway through.
Before the change
Step 1: List every account that uses the old app
Account names only. This list is how you'll know when you're done.
- List every account that uses the old app (high risk)
Step 2: Keep the old app working
Don't reset, trade in or delete anything until every account has moved.
- Keep the old app and phone working until every account has moved (critical risk)
Step 3: Save backup codes and a second way in
Your safety net if a transfer or re-enrolment goes wrong.
- Save backup codes for your important accounts before you start (critical risk)
Step 4: Check what the old app can transfer
Some apps move codes; others need every account re-enrolled.
- Authy: no export, so each account needs re-enrolling (high risk)
During the change
Step 5: Set up the new app and its backup
Backup, app lock and clock settings before any accounts go in.
- Synced backup: protect the account it syncs to (high risk)
- Don't keep copies of QR codes or setup keys (moderate risk)
- Lock the phone and the new app (low risk)
- Keep the phone's date and time automatic (low risk)
Step 6: Re-enrol your most important accounts first
Email, password manager and work sign-in unlock everything else.
- Re-enrol each account in the new app (critical risk)
- Move your email, Google and Microsoft accounts first (critical risk)
- Your password manager's own two-factor (critical risk)
- Work or school accounts: re-register through your organization (critical risk)
- and 3 more
Step 7: Move the remaining accounts
Work down your list, ticking off each account only after a successful sign-in.
- Social media and gaming accounts (moderate risk)
Verify
Step 8: Test every account with the new app
Sign in with new codes and confirm your fallbacks are reachable.
- Sign in with a code from the new app (high risk)
- Check you can reach your fallbacks without the phone (high risk)
Clean up
Step 9: Remove the old authenticator from your accounts
So the old app, phone or backup can't produce valid codes.
- Remove the old authenticator from each account (high risk)
- Remove the old phone from your accounts' device lists (moderate risk)
Step 10: Delete the old app, its backups and the old phone's data
Last, because it can't be undone.
- Delete the accounts from the old app last (moderate risk)
- Authy: remove old devices and consider deleting the account (moderate risk)
- Reset the old phone before selling or recycling it (moderate risk)
Later
Step 11: Catch stragglers and strengthen sign-in
Rarely used accounts surface later; passkeys and security keys are worth a look.
- Catch accounts you rarely sign in to (moderate risk)
- Consider passkeys or a security key for critical accounts (low risk)
- Move accounts that still text you codes (low risk)
Why this change needs a plan
An authenticator app is a small thing that guards big things: your email, your money, your password manager and your work accounts.
Moving codes is rarely automatic. Some apps can transfer to a new phone or export to another app; others can't export at all. Work accounts and tap-to-approve sign-ins usually need to be registered again, often through IT.
The safe approach is to keep the old app working until every account has been moved, tested and given fresh backup codes, and only then delete it.
Why it matters
Losing your authenticator without a backup can lock you out of your most protected accounts at once. Recovery for some services takes days and may need identity checks.
What makes it risky
Risk is highest when the old phone or app is already gone, when the old app can't export (so each account must be re-enrolled), when accounts have no backup codes, and when the new app keeps codes only on the phone.
Common mistakes
- Wiping, trading in or resetting the old phone before every account has moved.
- Deleting accounts from the old app before testing the new codes.
- Taking screenshots of QR codes or setup keys and leaving them in a photo library.
- Assuming work accounts and push approvals come across with a backup or export.
- Storing the new app's backup password only inside the authenticator, or in a vault it protects.
- Forgetting accounts you rarely use, like tax, domain or insurance accounts.
- Not saving fresh backup codes after re-enrolling, when the service has replaced the old set.
Frequently asked questions
Can I transfer my Authy codes to another app?
Not directly. Authy doesn't support exporting or importing tokens, so each account has to be re-enrolled: sign in with a current Authy code, turn two-factor off and on (or use the account's change-authenticator option), and scan the new QR code with the new app.
How do I move Google Authenticator to a new phone?
Either sign in to Google Authenticator with your Google Account so your codes sync, or use Transfer codes on the old phone to show a QR code and Import codes on the new one. Keep the old phone until you've confirmed the codes work.
Does Microsoft Authenticator backup work between iPhone and Android?
No. Microsoft says backups restore only to the same type of device. Work or school accounts also need you to sign in again after a restore, so check with IT before you switch.
What if I've already lost the phone with my authenticator?
Use backup codes, a security key, a passkey or another sign-in method for each account, starting with email and your password manager. If the old app had a cloud backup, try restoring it on the new phone. Where nothing works, follow each provider's account recovery process, which can take several days.
Should I keep my old authenticator app after switching?
Keep it until every account has been re-enrolled and tested with the new app. Then remove the old authenticator from each account and delete the old app.
Is it safe to keep authenticator codes in my password manager?
It's convenient, and many people do it. The trade-off is that the vault then protects both factors, so give the password manager a strong master password and a second factor that isn't stored inside it.
Are passkeys better than an authenticator app?
For accounts that support them, passkeys resist phishing and don't involve typing codes. They're stored in a password manager or your device's platform account, so keep a second way in for each important account.