Migration guide
Move from Google Authenticator to a vault your whole team can use.
Google Authenticator keeps codes on one phone. Fox Auth keeps them where your team can reach them: the web, the Mac menu bar, and Chrome. Moving takes about ten minutes, and every code keeps working.
Before you start
You'll need
- The phone that has Google Authenticator, with the app updated
- A computer signed in to app.foxauth.com, ideally with a webcam (a second phone or a photo works too)
- A few minutes. Each export QR code holds a batch of accounts, so a big list means a few QR codes.
Step by step
Move your codes
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Open Add token in Fox Auth
On your computer, sign in to Fox Auth, click Add token, and choose Camera. Allow camera access when your browser asks.
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Export from Google Authenticator
iPhone: tap the menu, then Transfer accounts → Export accounts.
Android: tap the menu, then Transfer codes → Export codes (older versions say Transfer accounts → Export accounts).
Unlock your phone, select the accounts to move, and tap Next. Google Authenticator shows one or more QR codes. -
Scan each QR code
Hold your phone up to the webcam. Fox Auth recognises a Google Authenticator export and shows your progress, for example scanned 1 of 3. Show the next QR code until they're all scanned, or click Continue when you're done.
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Review and save
Untick any personal accounts you don't want in Fox Auth. Everything imported starts as Only me, so nothing is shared by accident. Check the names and websites, then save.
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Share with your team, then tidy up
For work accounts, open the code's menu (…) and choose Share with team. Compare a couple of codes with Google Authenticator to make sure they match. Then delete any photos or screenshots you took of the export QR codes.
The export QR codes contain your 2FA secrets. Anyone who scans them can generate your codes. Don't send them in chat or email, and delete any copies once you've imported.
Other ways in
No webcam? No problem.
Screenshot or photo. Choose Screenshot in Add token and drop in an image of each QR code, or paste it with Cmd/Ctrl+V. Android blocks screenshots of the export screen, so take a photo of it with another device instead.
The Mac app. Show the QR code on screen (for example through your phone's screen mirroring), then use + → Scan QR on screen in the Fox Auth menu bar app.
One account at a time. If a site lets you view its setup key, choose Paste key and paste it, or the otpauth:// link.
Questions about moving
Does exporting remove my codes from Google Authenticator?
Google Authenticator makes a copy for the export. Your codes stay on the phone until you remove them, and both apps show the same codes. You can keep the phone as a backup for a while, then remove the work accounts from it.
Will my 2FA codes change?
No. A code comes from the secret key, and the export moves that key. You don't need to change anything on the websites.
Do I need to turn off Google Authenticator's cloud sync?
No. Fox Auth reads the export QR codes, so cloud sync doesn't affect the import.
Who can see the accounts I import?
Only you. Imported accounts start as Only me. Share the work ones with your team afterwards. Only me codes are never visible to anyone else.
One QR code won't scan. What now?
Dense QR codes can be hard to read. Export fewer accounts at once, turn up your phone's brightness, or use a photo instead of the camera. If one account still won't import, set up 2FA for it again on the website and add the new QR code to Fox Auth.
The imported code doesn't work.
Check that your computer's clock is set automatically. Codes depend on the time, and a clock a minute out will give wrong codes. If it still doesn't match Google Authenticator, remove it and add it again.
Can I import from Authy or Microsoft Authenticator?
Those apps don't offer an export. For each account, set up 2FA again on the website (or view its setup key) and add it to Fox Auth.
I lost the phone with Google Authenticator.
Without the phone there's nothing to export. Sign in to each site with its backup codes, set up 2FA again, and add the new QR code to Fox Auth so this doesn't happen twice.
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