How to Transfer Google Authenticator to a New Phone

If you’ve thinking of switching to a new device and have two-factor authentication (2FA) enabled, you might need to transfer your authenticator app of choice to the other phone. This post walks you through the steps to transfer Google Authenticator to a new phone.

Good to know: check how to use your iPhone’s built-in code generator for 2FA.

Transfer Google Authenticator Using the Transfer Tool

If you’re transferring from an old phone where you used Google Authenticator with or without an account, you can use this method to transfer your credentials over.

On Old Device

Open the Google Authenticator app and press on the hamburger menu in the upper left corner.

Select the Transfer accounts option at the top.

Tap on the Export accounts option.

Note: be careful, do not delete your Google Authenticator app on your old device without opting to first Export accounts. It might result in the loss of your codes, which might lead to the inability to access your accounts. Make it easier on yourself, by making sure you’ve got this part covered.

A QR code will be displayed on your screen.

On New Device

Go to the new device and make sure you have Google Authenticator installed there.

Go to Transfer accounts and select the Import accounts option.

Press the Scan QR code button to scan the code on the old phone.

Voila, your accounts should now appear in Google Authenticator on your new phone.

Tip: learn how to protect your privacy and security on an Android device.

Manually Transfer Google Authenticator to a New Phone

In case you’ve forgotten to back up your Authenticator account, accidentally deleted the Authenticator app on your old device, or you simply don’t need to transfer all your accounts to the new phone, you can try manually transferring them.

If you’re still logged into the accounts on your old phone, it shouldn’t be too hard. You’ll need to disable 2FA on the old device, and then enable it once again on the new one. For this post, we’ll use Instagram as an example.

On Old Device

Open Instagram and navigate to your profile (press on your profile image in the lower right corner.)

Press on the hamburger menu in the upper right corner.

Tap Accounts Center -> Password and security. Select the account in question.

Go to Two-factor authentication.

Here, go to Authenticator app.

Toggle off the switch next to Authentication app.

Instagram will now ask you whether you wish to disable 2FA. Tap Turn off to continue.

Now, you can sign out from Instagram on the old device and delete the app if you want.

FYI: did you know you can use Google Authenticator on a Windows PC? Check our post to see how to get started.

On New Device

On the new device, make sure you have Google Authenticator installed and ready to go. You will now need to re-enable 2FA again in Instagram.

Log in to your Instagram account as you normally would.

Head on to Accounts Center -> Password and security.

Select the Authentication app option.

Here you can either Copy key or View barcode/QR code. Press Next.

Now go to Google Authenticator and press the + button in the bottom right. Select one of the options – Scan a QR code or Enter a setup key (depending on what you’ve chosen in the step above.)

Once you either input the key or scan the QR code, your Instagram account will appear in Google Authenticator.

Now go back to Instagram and input the code which is Google Authenticator now displays. That’s it, you’ve officially transferred your Google Authenticator credentials for Instagram to a new phone.

You can move to the next app and try to do the same. Make sure you check their privacy or profile settings to find your 2FA settings. Hopefully, you’ll be able to turn 2FA off.

Unfortunately, losing access to your old device could result in being locked out of your accounts. However, if you saved recovery codes when setting up 2FA, you could use them to log into your account on the new device. From there, you can disable 2FA and re-enable it using Google Authenticator on your new phone. Or you can try contacting the app’s support team and explaining your issue.

Tip: don’t like Google Authenticator? Check here the best alternatives.

If you’ve been increasingly concerned about online security, perhaps you’d like to switch to a more private email service. Moreover, also read about these browsers which focus on privacy.

Image credit: Unsplash & Freepik All screenshots by Alexandra Arici

Alexandra Arici - Staff Writer

Alexandra is passionate about mobile tech and can be often found fiddling with a smartphone from some obscure company. She kick-started her career in tech journalism in 2013, after working a few years as a middle-school teacher. Constantly driven by curiosity, Alexandra likes to know how things work and to share that knowledge with everyone.