Secure Zoho account with MFA - Recover OneAuth account | OneAuth

Recover OneAuth account

Zoho OneAuth offers a secure way to sign in to your Zoho account and other 2FA supported online accounts. However, there may be instances where you could get locked out of your OneAuth account, such as:
  1. You uninstalled OneAuth from your device without disabling MFA.
  2. You have factory-reset your device that had OneAuth installed.
  3. You have lost your device that had OneAuth installed.
Therefore, we recommend setting up at least one recovery mode in OneAuth to help you regain access if you lose it.

Set Up Recovery Mode for OneAuth

You can setup any one of the following recovery modes for OneAuth:
Passphrase
A passphrase is a unique password you set for your OneAuth account and can be used for recovery if you lose access to it. Additionally, the passphrase is used to back up and sync your OTP secrets with your Zoho account.

To setup passphrase:
  1. Open OneAuth.
  2. Go to the Settings tab at the bottom.
  3. Tap OTP & OneAuth recovery, then click Set up under Passphrase.
  4. Enter your passphrase, then tap Next.
  5. Re-enter your passphrase to confirm, then tap Done.

Backup Verification Codes
Backup verification codes consist of five 12-digit codes that allow you to recover your account if you lose access to OneAuth. Each code can be used once. If you've used all your codes, you can generate new ones for your account.

To generate backup codes:
  1. Open OneAuth.
  2. Go to the Settings tab at the bottom.
  3. Tap Account settings, then tap MFA recovery under MFA SETTINGS.
  4. Tap Generate under Backup verification codes.
  5. Tap GENERATE again.
  6. If you've enabled biometric (Fingerprint/Face ID) authentication for MFA, authenticate with your biometric to continue.
  7. A new set of five codes will be displayed. Save those codes securely. You can take a screenshot of the codes or tap Share to copy the codes/share via the available options.
    8. Note: If you have previously generated backup codes, they will be deleted. Only the new codes will be functional.
Info
You can also use security key or OTP authenticator to recover your OneAuth account if configured.

Recover OneAuth Using Recovery Mode

The steps to recover OneAuth using passphrase/backup codes differ based on whether you are using password-based sign-in or passwordless sign-in.
For Password-Based Sign-In
  1. Download and install OneAuth.
  2. Tap SIGN IN.
  3. Enter your username and password, then tap Sign in. Alternatively, you can go through with your federated sign-in/SAML-based SSO option.
  4. Tap Sign in another way.
  5. Tap Can't access your device?.
  6. Sign in using the available options.
    1. To use a backup code, tap Use backup verification code.
    2. To use the passphrase, tap Sign in using passphrase.
      3. Note: If you're unable to use either option, tap Contact Support to reach out to us via email for assistance.
  7. Enter the passphrase/backup code.
  8. Tap Verify to sign in to OneAuth.
For Passwordless Sign-In
  1. Download and install OneAuth.
  2. Tap SIGN IN.
  3. Enter your username, then tap NEXT.
  4. Tap Sign in another way.
  5. Tap Problem signing in?.
  6. Choose an alternate sign-in method to verify yourself by tapping it.
  7. You will be required to verify using your primary sign-in option and secondary sign-in option. Tap Proceed.
    1. Verify using your primary sign-in option.
    2. Sign in using the available secondary sign-in options.
      1. To use a backup code, tap Use backup verification code.
      2. To use the passphrase, tap Sign in using passphrase.
        3. Note: If you're unable to use either option, tap Contact Support to reach out to us via email for assistance.
  8. Enter the passphrase/backup code.
  9. Tap Verify to sign in to OneAuth.

What to Do If You Are Locked Out Without Any Recovery Mode Configured?

Write to our support team at support@zohoaccounts.com. We will help you in recovering your Zoho OneAuth account.