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Backup Codes

Backup codes are one-time use codes that let you access your account when you can't use your authenticator app.

What Are Backup Codes?​

Backup codes are:

  • 10 unique codes generated when you enable 2FA
  • Each code can only be used once
  • Your safety net when your phone is lost, broken, or unavailable
  • Independent of your authenticator app

When to Use Backup Codes​

Use a backup code when:

  • Your phone is lost or stolen
  • Your phone is dead and you can't charge it
  • You're traveling without your usual device
  • Your authenticator app was deleted
  • You got a new phone and forgot to transfer 2FA

Viewing Your Backup Codes​

  1. Go to Settings → Security
  2. Under Two-Factor Authentication, click View Backup Codes
  3. Enter your current 2FA code to confirm identity
Your Backup Codes
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

These codes can be used to access your account
if you lose your authenticator device.

⚠️ Each code can only be used once.

Available codes (8 remaining):
┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  mno90-pqr12                            │
│  stu34-vwx56                            │
│  yza78-bcd90                            │
│  efg12-hij34                            │
│  klm56-nop78                            │
│  qrs90-tuv12                            │
│  wxy34-zab56                            │
│  cde78-fgh90                            │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘

Used codes:
  • abc12-def34 (used January 10, 2024)
  • ghi56-jkl78 (used January 12, 2024)

[Download as Text] [Copy All] [Regenerate Codes]

Using a Backup Code​

At Login​

  1. Enter your email and password
  2. On the 2FA screen, click Use a backup code instead
  3. Enter one of your backup codes
  4. Click Verify
Use Backup Code
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Can't access your authenticator?
Use one of your backup codes to sign in.

Enter backup code:
[mno90-pqr12        ]

[Verify]

← Back to authenticator code

After Using a Code​

✅ Signed in successfully

You used backup code ending in ...r12

Remaining backup codes: 7 of 10

⚠️ Consider regenerating your codes soon.

[Regenerate Now] [Remind Me Later]

Regenerating Codes​

Generate new codes when:

  • You've used several codes
  • You think codes may be compromised
  • You want fresh codes for peace of mind

How to Regenerate​

  1. Go to Settings → Security → Two-Factor Authentication
  2. Click Regenerate Codes
  3. Enter your current 2FA code
  4. Save the new codes
Regenerate Backup Codes
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

⚠️ This will invalidate ALL existing codes,
   including unused ones.

Current unused codes: 7
These will stop working.

Enter your 2FA code to confirm:
[______]

[Cancel] [Regenerate]

After Regenerating​

New Backup Codes Generated
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━

Your previous codes have been invalidated.
Save these new codes securely.

┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  new11-code22                           │
│  abc33-def44                            │
│  ghi55-jkl66                            │
│  mno77-pqr88                            │
│  stu99-vwx00                            │
│  yza11-bcd22                            │
│  efg33-hij44                            │
│  klm55-nop66                            │
│  qrs77-tuv88                            │
│  wxy99-zab00                            │
└─────────────────────────────────────────┘

[Download] [Copy] [I've Saved Them]

Storing Backup Codes Safely​

Good Storage Options​

MethodProsCons
Password managerEncrypted, accessibleSingle point of failure
Physical printout in safeOffline, secureCan be lost/destroyed
Encrypted USB drivePortable, secureCan be lost
Bank safe deposit boxVery secureInconvenient access

Storage Best Practices​

  1. Never store in plaintext on your computer
  2. Keep separate from your password
  3. Store in multiple locations (e.g., password manager + printed backup)
  4. Don't take photos on your phone (could sync to cloud)
  5. Label clearly so you know what they're for

What NOT to Do​

  • ❌ Email codes to yourself
  • ❌ Store in notes app without encryption
  • ❌ Keep only one copy
  • ❌ Store in same place as password
  • ❌ Share with others

Code Format​

Backup codes follow this format:

xxxxx-yyyyy

Where:
  x = lowercase letter or number
  y = lowercase letter or number

Example: abc12-def34

Codes are case-insensitive (abc12-def34 = ABC12-DEF34).

Running Low on Codes​

Warning at 3 Remaining​

When you have 3 or fewer codes left:

⚠️ Low Backup Codes Warning

You only have 3 backup codes remaining.

We recommend regenerating your codes to
ensure you always have access to your account.

[Regenerate Now] [Dismiss]

Warning at Login​

If you sign in with a backup code and few remain:

⚠️ Only 2 backup codes remaining

You should regenerate your codes soon to
avoid losing access to your account.

Troubleshooting​

"Invalid Backup Code" Error​

  1. Check for typos (especially 0 vs O, 1 vs l)
  2. Ensure you haven't already used this code
  3. Verify codes haven't been regenerated since you saved them
  4. Try a different code

All Codes Used​

If you've used all 10 codes:

  • You must have access to your authenticator to generate new codes
  • If you can't access your authenticator, contact support

Lost All Codes and Authenticator​

Contact support for account recovery:

  1. Email security@sealmetrics.com
  2. Subject: "2FA Account Recovery"
  3. Include:
    • Your account email
    • Proof of identity
    • Recent account activity you remember
  4. Recovery takes 2-5 business days