Recovering a Zoho Account with a Backup Verification Code

Locked Out of Zoho? Recovering Your Account with a Backup Verification Code

If you're locked out of a Zoho account because you've lost access to your usual MFA method, a backup verification code is the way back in. The exact steps depend on which MFA mode you normally use.

SMS-Based OTP, OTP Authenticator, or YubiKey

  1. Enter your username and password and click Sign in, or go through your federated sign-in or SAML-based SSO as usual.
  2. If you haven't configured an alternate MFA mode, click Can't access your device?
  3. If you have configured one, click Problem signing in?, then Can't access your device?
  4. Click Use backup verification codes and enter one of your 12-digit codes.
  5. Click Verify to sign in.

OneAuth (Password-Based)

  1. Enter your username and password and click Sign in, or go through your federated sign-in or SSO as usual.
  2. Click Sign in another way.
  3. Click Can't access your device?
  4. Click Use backup verification code.
  5. Enter the code and click Verify to sign in.

OneAuth (Passwordless)

  1. Enter your username and click Next.
  2. Click Sign in another way.
  3. Click Problem signing in?
  4. Choose an alternate sign-in method available to you.
  5. You'll be asked to verify using both a primary and a secondary sign-in option. Click Proceed.
  6. Sign in using the primary option you chose in the previous step, then click Sign in.
  7. Click Use backup verification code.
  8. Enter the code and click Verify to sign in.
Once you're back in: reconfigure your MFA method straight away. Don't leave the account relying on backup codes as its only recovery route going forward.

Locked Out with No Backup Code

If you never generated backup codes, or you've lost them, this isn't a dead end.

  1. Contact Zoho support at support@zohoaccounts.com.
  2. Once they've verified your identity, you'll be given a one-time backup code to sign in with.
  3. As soon as you're in, reconfigure your MFA method and generate a proper new set of backup codes. Don't rely on that one-off support code as your ongoing recovery method.
For how to generate backup codes in the first place, and what to know before you need them, see Backup Codes in Accounts.zoho.*.
Need help? 1 Cloud Consultants can help you get back into a Zoho account when a backup code isn't to hand, and set up a proper recovery process for your team. Book a discovery call with 1 Cloud Consultants.