How do I sign in when my two-factor codes were on my old phone?
The short answer
Check saved backup codes and the other methods offered on the sign-in screen. Keep any working session on another device of your own signed in while you review your options.
Source partly reviewed — details
What this answer is based onWhat to do
Which platform?
Check which code is requested: a text message, an authenticator code or a backup code. An authenticator code will not arrive by text.
If you saved backup codes, select that method on the verification screen and enter one unused code there.
If you have no codes, check the other verification methods on the same screen. Keep any working login on another device you own.
If Google Authenticator is empty on your new phone, first check the Google Account you previously used: codes saved there can sync. Without prior synchronization, manual transfer requires the old device with its codes. If it is unavailable, use backup codes or official recovery.
Have ready: Your username or profile URL, when the problem started and a screenshot of the message. Do not include passwords or one-time codes in a support message.
Open the official guidanceOpens www.facebook.com · New tab
If this step did not help
If none of the methods is available, follow the sign-in help offered. Further verification depends on the account. ClearRules cannot issue a code or turn off your protection.
What else you can do
Choose an option that fits your circumstances.
Recover Instagram access
Your email or password was changed without your permission, or you cannot log in as usual.
You can start while logged out. Verification options depend on the account.
How to contact them and what to prepare
Have these ready
Your username or profile URL, when the problem started and a screenshot of the message. Do not include passwords or one-time codes in a support message.
What to do
- Open the recovery page and select why you cannot access the account.
- Identify your account and use an available verification method. Extra options appear only if Instagram offers them.
www.instagram.com · New tab
If it does not work
If asked to sign in, use your own account. If the form is unavailable, use the official Help page below to find an available route. An unavailable form does not mean your report was submitted.
Example message
Replace the prompts in brackets with the facts of your case. Use the text in a description field or chat, if available. ClearRules does not send anything.
Edit directly here. Changes are not saved after you close the page.
Source and what we checked
Purpose of this contact option checked: . An official page excerpt was available in search; the full text was not reviewed.
Submission was not tested. Availability for your account and an outcome are not guaranteed.
Official Meta sourceSupport with an existing Meta Verified subscription
You already have an active subscription and can access its support section.
For the eligible subscribed account. Buying a subscription does not guarantee recovery of another profile.
How to contact them and what to prepare
Have these ready
Your username or profile URL, when the problem started and a screenshot of the message. Do not include passwords or one-time codes in a support message.
What to do
- Open Meta Verified and its support section in the subscribed account. Choose your issue and an offered contact method.
- Describe your case and previous attempts. Keep the case number and continue in that thread.
www.facebook.com · New tab
If it does not work
If asked to sign in, use your own account. If the form is unavailable, use the official Help page below to find an available route. An unavailable form does not mean your report was submitted.
Source and what we checked
Purpose of this contact option checked: . An official page excerpt was available in search; the full text was not reviewed.
The page asked us to sign in or restricted access. Submission was not tested. Availability for your account and an outcome are not guaranteed.
Official Meta source“My phone broke. I know the password, but the app with six-digit codes was on it.” Changing the password alone will not replace the second step. Look for saved backup codes first.
Buttons and available options may vary. Follow the message shown in your account.
For password sign-in that asks for your already configured two-factor code. This does not show identity checks or account recovery.
A saved backup code or another offered method may replace the unavailable second factor. Resetting the password does not replace this check.
Use only methods offered for your account. Keep your only working session signed in, and do not share codes with helpers.Enlarge diagramIllustrative diagram, not a screenshot Setting names and positions in the app may differ. Source for this explanation
If the usual steps did not help
When this guide helps: Use this when sign-in accepts your password but asks for a second factor that was on a lost, broken or replaced device.
When you need a different route: If you still have the correct authenticator entry but its codes are rejected, use the recovery-error guide. If the screen says a message was sent, check which delivery method it names.
Choose what is happening in your case
You have a backup code, another method or a signed-in session.
Use a saved, unused code for this account or an offered method you control. A working session may let you review second-factor and backup-code settings. Complete any checks requested; do not sign out to test access before you have a usable replacement method.
Next step: Your password is only the first stepThe new Google Authenticator app is empty.
If codes were previously synced, check the same Google account. A manual transfer needs the old device. Avoid deleting Google Authenticator entries to troubleshoot: deleting a synced entry also removes it from other synced devices. For a lost or stolen phone, follow the device maker’s and authenticator provider’s security guidance. For another authenticator, use its own restore instructions; installing an app alone does not restore the original setup.
No usable method remains, with no signs of unauthorised changes.
Open official sign-in help and follow the ownership checks offered. Losing a phone alone is not a reason to choose hacked-account recovery. A selfie, ID upload or support conversation is not available to everyone; keep the exact screen text if no next step appears.
Next step: How to contact Instagram and Facebook supportYou did not set up this factor and other details changed without permission.
These are signs of unauthorised access. Use official hacked-account recovery and describe the unfamiliar sign-in method if asked. A new authenticator cannot reproduce someone else’s setup.
Next step: Your account was hacked and the email changedWhat to prepare
- Read the exact code type on screen and identify the affected profile.
- Check for saved backup codes and another signed-in device you own; keep that session open.
Important: Do not delete authenticator entries or clear your only working session to troubleshoot. ClearRules cannot recover a missing setup key, issue platform backup codes or remove two-factor protection.
Sources and verification limits
Checked:
Read Google’s Authenticator instructions and Meta’s recovery article; Instagram’s selfie guidance was available in search. The current backup-code and Facebook two-factor Help pages did not open, so their detailed screens remain unverified. No recovery was submitted.
- Instagram Help Center — How you can use a backup code · Content could not be verified
- Facebook Help Center — Troubleshoot two-factor login · Content could not be verified
- Google Account Help — Google Authenticator · Public material reviewed
- Meta — Account support and recovery; updated March 2026 · Public material reviewed
- Instagram Help Center — Video selfie identity confirmation · Only an excerpt was available
How to check the result
You can sign in to the correct account and have checked a usable second factor or backup option without losing your only working session. A password reset alone is not enough.
Check what actually happened. Opening a link, saving a draft or receiving a receipt does not complete the case.
The situation
You traded in your old phone. You remember your Instagram password and kept your number, but the codes were in an app on that phone. On the new one, the authenticator is empty.
The situation and an improvement
Reset the password and expect the second-code prompt to disappear.
Find a backup code, an available second method or the official recovery route.
One more example
The entry is there, but its code is rejected
Your authenticator shows changing codes, but sign-in ends with an error.
What to do
Check the entry for the correct service and account, that the code has not expired, and your device time. Google Authenticator 7.0 and later uses the operating system time. Do not delete the entry to start setup again: synced deletion affects other linked devices. If the error remains, open the stuck-recovery guide.
What this answer is based on
Instagram Help Center — How you can use a backup codewww.facebook.comFacebook Help Center — Troubleshoot two-factor loginInstagram Help Center — Two-factor authenticationGoogle Help — Google Authenticator: sync, transfer and check codesOnly a source excerpt was availableReview details
Source reviewed:
We could read only an excerpt of the official page in search results. The full conditions and exceptions have not yet been checked.
Reviewed official Instagram and Facebook excerpts on backup codes. Full recovery instructions were unavailable; no particular alternative method is confirmed for an individual account. On 19 October 2026, we read Google Authenticator guidance on syncing, transferring and checking codes. These steps apply to that app. Full Meta Help remained unavailable when checked again; recovery options for an individual account were not tested.
Include the guide link, language and wording that needs checking. Add an official source link if you have one. Do not send passwords, login codes or photos of identity documents.
Examples are made up to explain the guidance. Meta decides individual account and content cases.
Study this topicYou have the password, but no second codeSources and related topicsPolicy Graph · Demo in development