How to copy your 2FA codes from Chrome to your phone
Having the same accounts on your computer and your phone is one of the best protections against a lockout: if one device dies, the other still makes codes. Never Lose Codes can show your accounts as QR codes your phone's authenticator scans.
QR codes for a phone are a Pro feature (one-time $5, and unlocked during the 14-day free trial). Exporting your accounts as text links is free.
Before you start
- Do this somewhere private. These QR codes contain your secret keys. Anyone who sees or photographs them can add your accounts to their own app.
- Have your phone ready with the authenticator app you want to use.
- If you set an app password in Never Lose Codes, you'll need it.
Step 1: Pick the accounts and the format
- Open Never Lose Codes in the full view and choose Move to phone.
- Tick the accounts you want on your phone.
- Pick a format:
- Google Authenticator: several accounts per QR code, so a long list becomes a few codes.
- Any authenticator app: one QR code per account, the same kind of QR code sites show when you set up 2FA.
- Text links: otpauth:// links you can copy into apps that accept them. Free.
- Type your app password if you have one, tick I understand these codes show my secret keys, and click Show codes.
Step 2: Scan them with your phone
- Google Authenticator: in the app, tap Menu, then Transfer codes, then Import codes, and scan the QR code (Google's Authenticator help page). Older versions say Transfer accounts and Import accounts. If Never Lose Codes shows several codes ("Code 1 of 3" and so on), scan them in order.
- Other apps: use the app's add-account button, choose to scan a QR code, and scan each code.
Step 3: Check, then hide the codes
Compare a few codes between your phone and Chrome. They should match. Then click Hide codes. Nothing is removed from Never Lose Codes: both devices now have the accounts.
If something goes wrong
- The phone can't read the code: make the window bigger, turn up the screen brightness, and hold the phone steady.
- Codes don't match: check that both devices set their clock automatically. See Authenticator codes not working?
- Some accounts are missing in Google Authenticator: there was more than one QR code. Scan the rest.
Questions
Do the two copies stay in sync?
No. They're two separate copies that make the same codes. If you add an account later, add it to both.
Is it safe to have codes on two devices?
It's safer against lockouts and a little more exposed to theft: each device is one more place someone could get at your codes. Use a screen lock on your phone, and an app password in Never Lose Codes if other people use your computer.
Never Lose Codes is a Chrome extension that keeps your 2FA codes encrypted on your computer, with backup files you hold and a recovery key. See how it works.