Skip to main content

This version of GitHub Enterprise Server was discontinued on 2024-12-19. No patch releases will be made, even for critical security issues. For better performance, improved security, and new features, upgrade to the latest version of GitHub Enterprise Server. For help with the upgrade, contact GitHub Enterprise support.

Recovering your account if you lose your 2FA credentials

If you lose access to your two-factor authentication credentials, you can use your recovery codes, or another recovery option, to regain access to your account.

Using a two-factor authentication recovery code

Use one of your recovery codes to automatically regain entry into your account. You may have saved your recovery codes to a password manager or your computer's downloads folder. The default filename for recovery codes is github-recovery-codes.txt. For more information about recovery codes, see Configuring two-factor authentication recovery methods.

  1. Type your username and password to prompt authentication.

    Note

    If you do not know your password, you can use a recovery code after requesting a new password. See Updating your GitHub access credentials.

  2. Under "Having problems?", click Use a recovery code.

  3. Type one of your recovery codes, then click Verify.

Authenticating with a security key

If you configured two-factor authentication using a security key, you can use your security key as a secondary authentication method to automatically regain access to your account. For more information, see Configuring two-factor authentication.

Further reading