Move your Steam authenticator to a new phone
Use Steam's transfer option when changing phones. Valve documents a two-day trade and Market restriction after transfer; removing the authenticator instead triggers fifteen days. Keep the old authenticator and linked phone number accessible until the new setup is checked.
Every path below runs through Steam's own mobile app or Steam's official help site, and nothing else. No third-party service is needed for any of them — so never give your password, an SMS code or your recovery code to something claiming it has to perform the transfer for you.
Install Steam Mobile on the new phone, sign in, and choose Move Authenticator. Valve's walkthrough asks for a code sent to the linked phone number, then shows a new recovery code to save.
Removing the authenticator and enrolling again instead costs fifteen days, compared with the transfer's two-day restriction. Other existing restrictions may still apply after either timer ends.
How long are the trade restrictions after moving or replacing it?#
- 2 days Valve's transfer flow, including its SMS route when the old authenticator is unavailable.
- 15 days Removing the authenticator triggers this restriction even if you re-enrol immediately.
| What you do | What it costs |
|---|---|
| Transfer to the new phone (Move Authenticator) | 2 days of trade and Market restriction |
| Remove the authenticator, then add it again | 15 days unable to trade or use the Market |
| Standard trades in the first 7 days after adding one; CS2 trades excluded | up to 15 days held on those trades specifically |
Durations quoted from Valve's Steam Guard Mobile Authenticator FAQ and Trading and Market Restrictions. Steam Support cannot lift any of them, and nothing legitimate shortens them.
1. You still have the old authenticator — transfer it#
This is Valve's documented two-day path. Install the Steam Mobile app on the new phone and sign in; confirm that sign-in using the authenticator you still have. Then on the new device open the Steam Guard page, choose Move Authenticator, and enter the code Steam texts you. Valve's walkthrough is here.
This walkthrough also requires access to the linked phone number. After entering the code, write down the new recovery code. Check that the new app generates a working code before wiping or giving away the old phone. Uninstalling an app is different from choosing Remove Authenticator; do not remove the account's authenticator after completing the transfer.
2. Old phone gone, number still yours#
Sign in on the new phone. When asked to confirm the sign-in, choose "I no longer have access to my authenticator" and follow the steps — Steam texts a code to the number on the account. This is still a transfer, so it is still the two-day restriction rather than fifteen.
3. No phone and no number — the recovery code#
The recovery code removes the authenticator without needing the old device. You use it through Steam's browser-based recovery process, after signing in or otherwise proving the account is yours — the code is one half of that, not the whole of it. This is the fifteen-day path, because removing an authenticator is what it is, but it works when nothing else will.
4. None of the above — Steam Support#
A help request to remove the authenticator, with proof the account is yours: the evidence requested by the official recovery wizard. Expect it to take time: Steam has to satisfy itself that the account is yours before detaching its second factor — the same check that stops somebody else asking on your behalf. The full recovery order is here.
I am getting a new phone soon. What should I do now?#
If you know a new phone is coming and you are keeping the number, you can transfer once the phone arrives. Confirm you can still receive Steam's messages and keep your recovery code accessible. If you are losing the number too, review Steam's Account Details → Manage your phone number and recovery options while you still have access. Do not assume a working old app alone bypasses the phone-code step. Valve's fallback removal instructions carry the 15-day restriction.
Can I stop doing this every time I change phone?#
There is a second way to hold a Steam authenticator: in a file on a machine you control, rather than inside one phone. That is what desktop authenticators do — the secret lives in a maFile you can back up yourself. It is a real trade-off rather than a free win: a file can be stolen in ways a phone cannot, which is why ours keeps it encrypted locally. Confirmations and transfers still need a Steam connection. Steam allows only one authenticator on an account at a time, so this is a move rather than an addition — the comparison is here.
Which restriction you get depends on the route, not on the device. Steam's two-day figure is documented for its own Move Authenticator flow. A tool that instead removes the authenticator and enrols a new one takes the fifteen-day path, and plenty of desktop tools do exactly that.
ODA uses the transfer, not remove-and-add, and we have run it against a real account and watched the two-day restriction apply — the details are here. For any other desktop tool, read its documented migration procedure and Steam's warnings before starting; do not experiment with authenticator removal.
Related#
- Moving it to a PC instead The same two-day transfer, to a desktop rather than another phone.
- Your recovery code The R-code that detaches an authenticator, and where to find it.
- Codes refused after the move Check the clock, the selected account, and whether the old secret was replaced.
- Lost access entirely What to do when neither the old phone nor the number is available.