Prepare Google backup codes before a phone fails

A lost or broken phone can also take away sign-in prompts, SMS and authenticator codes. Google backup codes are single-use alternatives for the second step, but they only help if you create and store them while you can still sign in. Do not keep the sole copy on the phone they are intended to replace.

Create a usable set​

1. Open your Google Account directly and select Security & sign-in → 2-Step Verification → Backup codes. Sign in again if prompted. This option requires 2-Step Verification and may be unavailable in some managed or Advanced Protection configurations.
2. Generate the codes, then print or store them in a secure place separate from the phone. Treat each code like a temporary key to the account: do not email the list to yourself or upload it to a broadly shared folder.
3. Confirm that you can locate the set when the phone is unavailable. You need not spend a code just to prove it exists. Keep another recovery method under your control and review the account's recovery email and phone.
4. If the list is lost or someone may have seen it, return to the Backup codes page and create a new set. Google invalidates the previous set when the new one is generated.

Use one only at sign-in​

Choose Try another way → Enter one of your backup codes in the genuine Google sign-in flow. Each code works once. Google says it will not ask you to disclose a backup code outside sign-in. Its backup-code instructions show creation, regeneration and use. If your phone is already gone and no codes were saved, try Google's legitimate recovery options; a stranger cannot generate a code for you. Our recovery-code glossary explains the difference between these emergency codes and an everyday authenticator code.