Passwords & storage

Print backup codes for your email

A short list of codes that opens the door when the phone can't.

Most email accounts send a code to your phone before they let anyone sign in. If the phone is lost, locked or shut off, that code never arrives. Backup codes are the way around it: a handful of one-time codes the email provider gives you in advance.

Why email matters most

Email is where password resets go. If your family can get into your email, they can usually reset the passwords for most of your other accounts. If they can't, every account becomes its own phone call.

What the main providers offer

• Gmail: a set of backup codes (currently 10, each 8 digits), each usable once. They're in your Google Account under Security, then 2-Step Verification.
• Outlook and Microsoft accounts: several recovery options, including a recovery code, found in the account's security settings.
• Apple (iCloud Mail): an optional recovery key. If you turn it on, it replaces some of Apple's usual recovery steps, so losing it can make things harder.

Menu names change from time to time. Searching "[your email provider] backup codes" usually finds the current steps.

Where to keep them

Google's own help pages suggest printing the codes or writing them down and keeping them somewhere safe. People who use a binder sometimes keep them there, alongside the email address they belong to; others keep them in a password manager or a locked drawer. Unlike a code texted to your phone, these are printed in advance, and each one on the list can only be used once. Some people cross a code off after using it, so they know how many are left.