People think about account recovery at precisely the moment it no longer works. The password is forgotten, the phone drowned, the number changed three years ago — and it turns out every fallback leads nowhere.
What to prepare while you still have access
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Backup codes
Issued when you enable a second factor, and they work when you have neither phone nor app. Save them in your password manager and print a copy.
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A spare email address
Not a work one and not one you abandoned. Set up a separate mailbox and sign in twice a year — some services delete inactive addresses.
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An up-to-date phone number
The thing that goes stale most often. Changed your number? Walk through the important services that month, not when you need them.
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A second device with the authenticator
A tablet or an old phone at home. One device is one point of failure.
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An actual test
Once a year, try signing in with a backup code. An untested recovery path is a hope, not a path.
What to do depending on what is lost
| What is lost | What remains | First step |
|---|---|---|
| Only the password | Email, phone, second factor | Ordinary recovery by email link |
| The phone with the authenticator | Backup codes, trusted devices | Sign in with a code and re-enrol the second factor |
| Access to email | Phone and spare address | Recover the mailbox first — it opens everything else |
| The phone number | Email and app | Change the number in services while the old one still works |
| Everything at once | A trusted computer with an open session | Do not sign out of it and recover from there |
If nothing is left
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The recovery form, not a letter to support
Large services have a dedicated form for the “no access to anything” case. It asks about the contents of the account: dates, contacts, previous passwords.
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Answer from your usual device and network
A request from the same computer and the same connection is treated more favourably: it is one more sign that you are you.
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Do not create a new account instead of the old one
While recovery is under way it muddies the picture. And do not give up after the first refusal: a second request with more precise answers often succeeds.