Note
- Following these steps will not disable 2FA or provide access to a locked account, but will instead unlink the associated email address so it may be used for a different account. If you cannot regain access to the 2FA locked account, these steps will permanently break the link between the account and the linked email address. Before continuing with this article, be sure you have lost all access to your account. For more information, see Recovering your account if you lose your 2FA credentials.
- If you recover access to your locked account, you can re-link an unlinked email address. For more information, see Adding an email address to your GitHub account.
About unlinking your email address
Since an email address can only be associated with a single GitHub account, when you've lost your 2FA credentials and are unable to recover access, unlinking your email address from the locked account allows you to link that email address to a new or existing account. Additionally, linking a previously used commit email address to a new account will connect your commit history to that account. Unless you have chosen to keep your email address private, your account's commit email address is the same as your account's primary email address. For more information, see Setting your commit email address. Be aware that nothing else associated with your 2FA locked account, including your repositories, permissions, and profile, will transfer to your new account.
Note
Backup email addresses are not associated with your commits. Unlinking a backup email address and linking the email address to a different account will not connect your commit history to that account.
Unlinking your email address
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Navigate to https://github.com/login.
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To prompt two-factor authentication, type your username and password, then click Sign in.
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Under "Unable to verify with your security key?", click Use a recovery code or request a reset.
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Under "Locked out?", click Recover your account or unlink an email address.
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In the modal that appears, click I understand, get started.
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To send an email containing a one-time password to each email address associated with your account, click Send one-time password.
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To verify your identity, type the one-time password from your email in the "One-time password" text field, then click Verify email address.
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To begin unlinking an email address from the locked account, click Start unlinking email.
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On the "Unlink Email" screen, click Continue.
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In the inbox of the email account you want to unlink, open the email with the subject "[GitHub] Unlink this email."
- Optionally, to unlink multiple email accounts, in the inbox of each account you want to unlink, open the email with the subject "[GitHub] Unlink this email," then complete the following steps.
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In the email, click Unlink this email.
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To finish unlinking your email, in your account settings on GitHub, click Unlink.
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Optionally, to create a new account and link your newly unlinked email, click Create a new account.
Note
You can also link your unlinked email to an existing GitHub account. For more information, see Adding an email address to your GitHub account.
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Optionally, if you have any form of payment set up on the locked account, please contact us through the GitHub Support portal to cancel future payments. For example, you might have a paid subscription or sponsor developers through GitHub Sponsors. If you are sponsored through GitHub Sponsors, please mention this so that the team can help you migrate your sponsorships.
