A backup is not a backup if you cannot restore it. This post explains how to restore a backup on a new phone or a second device, if you previously created a backup using Pixplicity Authenticator and stored is some place safe.

How to restore your 2FA codes from a backup

If you previously saved a backup, it looks somewhat like this:

Authenticator encrypted tokens.
Get the Pixplicity Authenticator app from the Play store and choose Menu > Restore to restore your tokens.
-----BEGIN TOKEN BLOCK v2 -----
+T5H6E8c6UYJJtLsVNSlBPA2V/0gXOBYXPGok228yOIZyMz6g1xlJs4Avq5eTuCQAGt9nhtQ8EGGlZQ0xg4D1H8iXk5bpyRZtJZZ0/D9/a7eqtdX+RWhyNPZKbm4JUJkKKYAYc/KHm4ZiaGfzxNgNUuuXQKkzkOpF5jzJrKFkcC8M27VxoxRmXqGujrSYQBTw4Qd4lC1KdXoQilgoBD7+SVIj+UGwpxctX8N1mDxLKhyabHFdQjm3maPisPrPEpZUvopA7llonRXg+Zllmx5nMNeTvKYSrd4zXl6YuxVH34dF8Dd9bC6eR4XDN74vxfXYz3FIJuxDxR4S2oGqffZVzZ0wypN95ve+56BYE5g15btsjfU1l
...
UWyLYwMUWKpFkisHhHjYE+XuHOc5x6YjKImSbYpQLBrf4YAwUp7lP9VBK9NAN5RsO9bGGKdH8nm2BLk=
-----END TOKEN BLOCK-----

It’s an ordinary text file, filled with gibberish. Select the text from your backup and copy it to the clipboard.

Open Pixplicity Authenticator, open the menu by tapping the hamburger menu on the bottom left, and select ‘Restore backup’.

In the dialog, there is a clipboard icon. Select it. You will be asked to enter the password that you used to protect the backup. Enter it, and your accounts are restored .

I forgot the password of the backup, now what?

Aw, sorry, you’re tough out of luck. The backups produced by Authenticator are encrypted using strong AES encryption, which cannot be cracked with current technology.

We suggest checking your password manager, and trying all the passwords you know.

If that doesn’t help, your last resort will be to use the recovery codes you saved elsewhere for each service, and reset 2FA for all your accounts. The backup will be useless, but at least you can access your accounts again. We have more information here on what to do when you are locked out.

Then, create a new backup, and make sure you save the password! We strongly suggest using a top notch password manager, like Tilig.

Video example

Here is the whole process again, in 55 seconds, demonstrating how to restore a backup from Google Drive.