Steam · Independent guide
Lost your Steam Guard phone?
Start with what you still have. The old authenticator, the same phone number and a recovery code lead to different options in Steam's official flow.
Choose an available routeConcept illustration, not a screenshot of the recovery process.
On this page
What do you still have?
Choose one situation to see its instructions. These are alternative ways to continue with Steam.
I can receive texts on the same numberContinue by SMS
Use your existing number.
A replacement phone or SIM with the same number may let you use Steam’s SMS verification.
Have ready
- A replacement phone with Steam Mobile
- Texts to the number already linked to this account
Your phone / mobile provider
Check which number you can receive texts on
This route uses the number already attached to the Steam account. If needed, ask your provider about a replacement SIM with that number.
Steam Mobile app
Use the lost-authenticator option
Sign in on the new device. At the confirmation prompt, select “I no longer have access to my authenticator”.
Steam Mobile app
Complete verification in Steam
Use the SMS code in Steam and follow the remaining prompts.
What to check next: Check that Steam Guard is available on the new device. If verification cannot be completed, use another available route.
Read Steam’s lost-phone instructions ↗Cannot receive the text? Choose another available method below.
I saved my recovery codeRecover without the phone
Use the code you saved.
The recovery code is intended to help when the phone or authenticator is unavailable.
Have ready
- The recovery code saved during authenticator setup
- Account details to identify your account on Steam
Your own backup
Find your saved code
Locate the recovery code saved when you set up the authenticator. This is a separate option from receiving a new SMS.
help.steampowered.com
Identify your account on Steam
The official lost-authenticator page begins with an email address or phone number. Follow Steam’s account-specific options from there.
Steam’s official site or app
Enter the code only when Steam requests it
Follow the remaining prompts there. Keep the code private; this guide has no field for it.
What to check next: Continue only through the options Steam displays for your account. A saved code does not make every account’s screens identical.
Start lost-authenticator recovery ↗If Steam does not accept the saved code, continue with its available support options.
No phone access or recovery codeContinue with Steam Support
Continue with Steam Support.
Use Support when you cannot use the phone or the saved recovery code.
Have ready
- An account you own
- Any account details or ownership evidence Steam requests
help.steampowered.com
Start with account identification
Open Steam’s lost-authenticator help. Its first screen asks for an email address or phone number to find the account.
Your Steam Support request
Prepare the ownership information requested
If the linked email is also unavailable, include account-ownership evidence in the support ticket. Send it only to Steam.
Steam Support
Continue through that support request
Follow the questions and recovery instructions provided for your account. Do not treat another person’s outcome as a guarantee for yours.
What to check next: If Steam offers a support request, provide the requested information there and follow its reply. Opening the help page alone does not submit a ticket.
Open lost-authenticator help ↗Steam decides the account-specific checks. No outcome or response time is promised by this guide.
My old phone still worksTransfer to a new phone
Move your authenticator.
Use the transfer option when you can still use the old authenticator.
Have ready
- The old authenticator and the new phone
- Access to the phone number Steam uses for confirmation
Before you start
Keep the old authenticator available
Check that the old device can still open your Steam Mobile Authenticator.
Steam Mobile app
Open Steam Mobile on the new phone
Sign in on the new phone, confirm with the existing authenticator, then select “Move Authenticator” on the Steam Guard tab.
Steam’s official guidance
Confirm the move and save the recovery code
Complete the phone confirmation. Write down the recovery code Steam presents and keep it somewhere safe.
What to check next: Check Steam Guard on the new phone. Before giving away the old device, follow Steam’s transfer guidance and review your account security.
Read Steam’s transfer instructions ↗Old phone unavailable? Check the same-number route or your saved recovery code.
The old authenticator is unavailableNeither device nor number is available
Check current Steam Support options
Open Steam Support’s sign-in help and choose the option matching your lost authenticator. Follow the current instructions shown for your own account.
Open Steam Support ↗Respawnr is an independent guide. The live support page is the source of truth for your account; its screens may change.
Once you’re back in
Once access is back, check the device and the account. Trading has its own restrictions.
Check access on the new device
Confirm that you can use the authenticator on the device you intend to keep.
Review Steam’s authenticator guide ↗If the phone was stolen
Review Authorized Devices and other account security settings once you can sign in.
Review account security ↗A few details worth knowing
Does keeping the same number help?
Yes. Steam can send its verification SMS to a replacement phone using that number.
What if I have neither the phone nor the recovery code?
Use Steam Support's lost-authenticator help.
Will getting back in immediately restore trading?
Not necessarily. Authenticator changes can introduce trade and Market restrictions.
I saved the recovery code. Where do I use it?
Start on Steam’s official help site and follow the lost-authenticator recovery flow. Enter the code only when Steam requests it.
Official guidance
Checked
- Mobile Authenticatorhelp.steampowered.com ↗
Lost-phone routes, transfers and restrictions.
- transferring an authenticatorhelp.steampowered.com ↗
Instructions for transferring a Steam Mobile Authenticator to another device.
- account security recommendationshelp.steampowered.com ↗
Review devices and security after a possible compromise.
- setting up an authenticator and saving its recovery codehelp.steampowered.com ↗
Explains why the saved recovery code matters if the phone or authenticator is lost.
Go a little deeper
- What Steam Guard Protects, and What It Can't Stop
How email codes, the Mobile Authenticator and trade confirmations protect a Steam account, what a stolen password can still do, and where Steam Guard stops.