How to get and where to store account recovery codes

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Now you will be ready for the situation if you lose or break your smartphone that stores all your passwords.

If you want to reliably protect your accounts in online services, then you need a two-factor authentication application. Such programs generate access codes required to log into social networks, pay for purchases on the Internet, and so on.

You should also write down the recovery codes on a regular sheet of paper - it will come in handy if the phone is not at hand. How to find these codes is below.

How to get recovery codes

Microsoft

Go to your Microsoft account page and click the Security tab at the top. You can change your password, add alternate email addresses and phone numbers for account recovery, and view activity details. Below you will see a link for additional security settings - follow it to get the codes.

Here you can set up two-step verification. We advise you to choose authorization through a special application, since the verification method via SMS codes is not entirely secure. Find the "Recovery Code" section below and click on the corresponding button. A new code will appear, which will only have to be written down.

Apple

When you enable two-factor authentication for your Apple ID, the system will recommend creating a recovery code. Use the advice and immediately write down the key: if you lose it, you may be left without an account.

On an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, follow these steps:

1. Select Settings → [your name] → Password & Security. You may be asked to enter a password for your Apple ID.
2. Click "Recovery Key".
3. Move the slider to activate the recovery key.
4. Click "Recovery Key" and enter your device passcode.
5. Write down your recovery key. Please keep this note in a safe place.
6. Confirm that you wrote down the recovery key by entering it on the next screen.

On macOS, you need to do the following:

1. Go to System Preferences → iCloud → Account. You may be asked to enter a password for your Apple ID.
2. Click on the "Security" icon.
3. In the "Recovery Key" section, click "Enable".
4. Select "Use Recovery Key".
5. Write down your recovery key. Please keep this note in a safe place.
6. Click the "Continue" button.
7. Confirm that you wrote down the recovery key by entering it on the next screen.

Google

Go to your Google Account page and select the "Security & Login" section. In the left pane, select "Sign in to your Google Account" and click "Two-Step Verification." Log in again and on the next page look for "Backup Codes". Click on the "Create" button.

Google will offer to download or print 10 codes. You can create new codes, thereby making the old ones inactive. Each key is one-time use, so the used ones will have to be manually deleted or deleted from the list.

Print out the codes and keep them in a safe place

Such keys are the last option for account recovery. If you lose them, then you may be forever left without your account.

Place the piece of paper with the codes written down in a place where outsiders will not find it. It could be a drawer with important documents, or at least the space under the mattress.

Store codes digitally too

In addition to printing out the recovery keys on paper, you should also store them on your computer. Copy the codes to a text file and place it on an encrypted USB stick. The drive can be stored alongside other documents or even inside the case of a desktop PC.

Add keys to password manager

You must do everything so that you can always access the codes, even when the phone and the printed list of keys are not nearby. If you are using a password manager, then you already have everything you need.

Managers like 1Password and LastPass have web interfaces that come in handy if you need to access personal information from a new computer or smartphone. Recovery keys can be placed next to the rest of your data or saved in a new document that will be stored in the service.