If you've got a backup code, tap 'Try another way' on the login code screen, choose the backup code option and type in one code. If you don't, approve the login from a phone or computer where you're still signed in, use your authenticator app, or get a code by text or WhatsApp. If none of those work, tap the option to get help logging in and follow Instagram's identity check.
First, a naming point that trips a lot of people up: Instagram calls these backup codes, not recovery codes. They're the one-time codes you can save when you turn on two-factor authentication, so if you're searching the app for the word 'recovery' you won't find them. If you're not sure whether you ever saved a set, here's where Instagram keeps your backup codes.
Logging in with a backup code
This is the quick route. It only works if you saved your codes somewhere you can still reach, like a note, a password manager or a printout in a drawer.
- Open Instagram and enter your username and password as usual.
- When the two-factor screen asks for a login code, look for 'Try another way' (the wording can vary a little between versions).
- Choose the option to use a backup code.
- Type in one of your saved codes, exactly as written, and confirm.
- Once you're in, go straight to your security settings and get a fresh set (steps further down).
The catch most people miss: each backup code works only once. The moment you've used one, cross it off your list. If you keep using the same printout over months, you'll eventually reach for a code that's already spent and be locked out again, so treat every login with a code as a reminder to make a new set.
No code? Match your situation to the right route
Without a backup code you're not stuck. Instagram has several other ways to prove it's you, and which one works depends on what you still have access to. Start at the top of this table and work down.
| What you still have | The route to use |
|---|---|
| A phone or computer where you're still logged in | Approve the login request Instagram sends to that device (it shows as a 'Was this you?' style prompt) |
| The authenticator app you set up | Open the app and type in the current Instagram code it shows |
| Your phone number or WhatsApp on the account | Choose to get a code by text message or WhatsApp at the login screen |
| Access to the email on the account | Use the get-help option on the login screen and follow the link Instagram emails you |
| Nothing at all | Choose the option to get help logging in and follow Instagram's identity confirmation |
Approve it from a device you're still logged in on
This is the one people forget. If you're still signed in to Instagram on an old phone, a tablet or a laptop browser, Instagram can send a login request there. Open the app on that device, look for the 'Was this you?' style notice, and approve it. It's often the fastest way back in, so check every device in the house before you try anything else.
Use your authenticator app
If you set up two-factor with an authenticator app, the code lives in that app, not in a text. Open it, find the Instagram entry and type the code it shows before it refreshes. If you've switched phones, check whether your authenticator app backed up to the new one, because many of them can.
Get a code by text or WhatsApp
If your phone number is on the account, choose to receive the login code by text message or WhatsApp. This only helps if the number is still yours. If you've changed numbers and never updated Instagram, skip to the next option.
What Instagram's identity check looks like
When nothing else works, choose the option on the login screen to get help, then follow Instagram's identity confirmation. For accounts that have photos of you on them, Instagram can ask for a short video selfie where you turn your head in different directions, so it can compare your face with the photos on the account (Instagram Help Center). It isn't instant, but it's the official way back in when every other route is closed.
If your account was taken over rather than just locked, the steps are a little different. My guide to recovering a hacked or lost Instagram account walks through that case.
Two rules while you're locked out: never pay a 'recovery service', and never give anyone your password or a login code. Instagram staff never ask for them in DMs. Anyone who messages you offering to get your account back is far more likely to take it than return it.
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Getting a fresh set of backup codes once you're back in
As soon as you're logged in, replace your codes. It takes a minute and it's the thing that stops this happening again.
- Go to your profile and tap the menu (three lines).
- Open Accounts Center, then Password and security.
- Tap Two-factor authentication and pick your Instagram account.
- Tap Additional methods, then Backup codes.
- Get new codes and save them somewhere offline, like a printed page or a note that isn't on the same phone.
Menus move around between app versions. If a name looks different on your phone, search the app's settings for 'backup codes' or 'two-factor' and it'll take you there.
While you're in Password and security, it's also worth checking that your email and phone number are current. If you can't remember your password either, sort that first with my steps for resetting your Instagram password, then come back for the codes.
If it were my account
I'd save a new set of backup codes today, print them, and keep them with my passport. I'd also add an authenticator app as a second route, so losing one phone never means losing the account.
Frequently asked questions
Is a recovery code the same as a backup code on Instagram?
Yes. Instagram calls them backup codes. People often search for 'recovery code', but it's the same set of one-time codes you can save when you turn on two-factor authentication.
Can I use the same backup code twice?
No. Each backup code works only once. Cross it off after you use it, and get a fresh set once you're back in your account.
What if I don't have my phone, my codes or my email?
Choose the option to get help logging in on the login screen and follow Instagram's identity confirmation. For accounts with photos of you, it can ask for a short video selfie where you turn your head.
Will Instagram send me my backup codes by DM?
No. Instagram staff never send codes or ask for your password in DMs. Anyone who does is a scammer, so don't reply and don't share anything.
