Move Steam Guard Mobile Authenticator to a new phone safely

Replacing a phone without preparing Steam Guard can make trading and account recovery harder. The mobile authenticator approves sign-ins and may handle trade confirmations; it is not interchangeable with a password. Steam may impose trade or Market restrictions when authenticator status changes, and the precise rules can vary. Avoid removing a working authenticator merely to hurry a device migration.

Before you start​

Keep the old phone and SIM available until you verify the new app. Make sure the Steam account email and phone number are current, and that you can sign into the email independently. Install the official Steam Mobile app from the device's normal app store, not a link in a chat or an 'authenticator transfer' website.

Do it step by step​

1. On the old phone, open Steam Mobile and its Steam Guard area. Review the account attached to the authenticator and any recovery information offered by the current app. Do not screenshot or share a recovery code in chat.
2. On the new phone, sign into Steam Mobile using the correct account and follow the built-in authenticator transfer or recovery flow. Read the prompts before removing the old phone; if asked to confirm from the old device, keep it connected until the process finishes.
3. Check that the new phone produces a valid sign-in approval or code. Use a separate browser to test a fresh sign-in while you still have an existing trusted session and the old device available.
4. Review the account's email and phone recovery routes. If the app provides a recovery code, save it in a secure location away from the new phone. A code kept only on the device it protects will not help after loss.
5. Inspect pending trades and Market listings before and after the transfer. Do not approve any confirmation you did not initiate, even if it appears during migration. Expect a possible hold or cooldown; check Steam Support for the account-specific rule rather than using a person who promises to remove it.
6. Only after successful sign-in and recovery checks should you sign out and reset the old phone. Review authorized devices and deauthorize a phone that will be sold or given away.

Check the result​

A new-device login succeeds through the new authenticator, account recovery routes are accessible, and the old phone no longer holds a usable session after it is retired.

If something goes wrong​

If the old phone is already gone, use the official Steam Guard and account-recovery flow. Do not repeatedly remove and re-add authenticators hoping to clear a trade hold; that may extend restrictions. If a prompt asks for a code to give to 'support' in chat, stop and navigate to Steam Support yourself.

Know the limit​

An authenticator transfer secures login but does not verify that a proposed trade is fair. Steam Guard cannot compensate for a compromised email or malware on a signed-in computer. Trade timing and recovery options may change; follow the current account-specific messages shown by Steam. Steam Guard setup and limits Steam mobile authenticator help Steam item hold policy