How to Move Google Authenticator to a New Phone

Keep the old phone until you have checked the replacement. The goal is more than seeing a list of codes: you need to know that each important account is accessible.

This guide covers Google Authenticator on Android and iPhone. If the old phone is already unavailable, start with the recovery section below.

Choose your transfer method

Your situation	Start here
Codes are saved to a Google Account	Sign into that account in Authenticator on the new phone.
Codes are stored only on the old phone	Use the QR transfer steps below.
You cannot use the old phone and codes are missing	Use an existing backup sign-in method or account recovery.

Google documents both account synchronization and manual transfer in its Android guide and iPhone guide. For a mixed Android/iPhone move, follow the menu names for each device.

Before you begin

Make a private inventory of the accounts you need to check. Record the service and an account label, such as "personal email" or "work login." Do not put passwords, live codes, backup codes, or QR images in the inventory.

Have another way into your Google Account available. Google lists options such as an enrolled security key, a passkey on another device, or previously saved backup codes in its sign-in troubleshooting guide.

For an eligible Google Account with 2-Step Verification enabled, you can prepare backup codes through Google Account > Security & sign-in > 2-Step Verification > Backup codes. Keep them somewhere you can reach without the old phone. Each is single-use, and generating a replacement set invalidates the previous set. Google's backup-code instructions include download and print options and the Advanced Protection restriction.

Leave a working account session open while you check the new phone. That gives you a place to review account settings if a test fails.

Method 1: Restore codes saved to your Google Account

1. Install Google Authenticator on the new phone.
2. Open it and sign into the Google Account used inside Authenticator on the old phone.
3. Compare the account entries with your inventory.

If codes are missing, check the profile icon: you may be signed out or using a different Google Account. Authenticator can hold codes associated with more than one Google Account. See Google's account and missing-code guidance.

If your expected entries are already there, proceed to the sign-in checks; do not import another copy just because the old phone still shows them.

Method 2: Transfer device-only codes by QR

Update Authenticator on the old phone and install it on the new one. During initial setup, Use without an account keeps the new installation device-only. Do not change the old phone's sync mode just to perform a transfer.

1. On the old phone, open the export menu shown below and unlock when asked.
2. Select the accounts to move, then continue to the QR code.
3. On the new phone, open the import menu and scan it.
4. If multiple QR codes appear, scan each and wait for transfer confirmation.

Device	Menu path
Old Android	Menu > Transfer codes > Export codes
New Android	Menu > Transfer codes > Import codes
Old iPhone	Menu > Transfer accounts > Export accounts
New iPhone	Menu > Transfer accounts > Import accounts

These platform-specific labels come from Google's Android and iPhone transfer instructions. Keep the QR codes private: another person who scans an export can obtain the transferred codes.

Verify the move with an account-by-account check

Use this check after either method:

1. Compare service names and account labels, not just the number of entries. Two logins for the same service need separate checks.
2. Open the service's genuine sign-in page in a separate browser session, such as a private window. Keep your existing working session available.
3. When offered authenticator-code verification, enter the code from the new phone.
4. Mark that account checked only after the service accepts it.

A login completed with a passkey, an existing session, or an SMS code does not test the transferred authenticator entry. If you cannot exercise that entry yet, leave its check unfinished.

Example: three entries, two checks completed

This is a fictional verification record, not a live account test:

Account label	Verification result
Personal email	New-phone authenticator code accepted
Work login	New-phone authenticator code accepted
Community forum	Entry visible; sign-in not yet checked

The move is not fully checked: the forum still needs a test. A matching entry count would have missed that gap.

Select Save file for a reusable authenticator-move-checklist.txt. The file contains reminders only; keep any completed account inventory private.

GOOGLE AUTHENTICATOR MOVE CHECKLIST

[ ] Keep the old phone available.
[ ] Confirm a backup sign-in method.
[ ] List the services and account labels to check.
[ ] Complete account sync or manual QR transfer.
[ ] Compare the new entries with the inventory.
[ ] Test each needed authenticator entry on its service.
[ ] Resolve missing entries or rejected codes.
[ ] Back up other data before retiring the old phone.
[ ] Follow the phone maker's sign-out and erase guide.

Do not record passwords, live codes, backup codes,
or QR images in this checklist.

An entry being visible is not a successful sign-in.
Leave any untested account marked unfinished.

If codes are missing or rejected

For a rejected code, check the service/account, use a fresh code before it expires, and confirm that the new phone's system time is correct. Authenticator version 7.0 no longer has its own time-correction setting. Google troubleshooting

For missing device-only entries, return to the old phone and compare the accounts selected for export with your inventory. Keep the original entries while resolving the discrepancy.

If the old phone is unavailable:

• Google Account: use a backup method you previously established. If none works, follow Google's account recovery guidance. For a work or school account, contact the administrator.
• Another service: follow that service's own official recovery process or contact its administrator. Recovering your Google Account does not by itself reset another service's two-factor authentication.

Stop the retirement checklist while access remains unresolved.

Retire the old phone only after verification

Do not delete synced Authenticator entries as a cleanup step. Deleting one also removes it from other devices using that sync. Google deletion behavior

After the sign-in checks, back up any other data you need and follow the device maker's complete retirement instructions:

• iPhone: Apple's sell, give away, or trade-in checklist covers backup, transfer, sign-out, erasure, and trusted-device cleanup.
• Android: Google's factory-reset guide explains that a reset removes local data and recommends manufacturer-specific instructions. Check the account credentials and backup requirements before proceeding.

If photos also need preparation on your iPhone, see how Optimize Storage works. Keep photo cleanup separate from your account-access checks.