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Restoring a Backup

You'll restore a backup on a new iPhone, after the app has been reinstalled, or after deleting all data. You need the backup's images and its recovery key.

Before you start

Have the recovery key ready. Leaving Private Authenticator during a restore closes the restore screen, so if the key is in a password manager on this same iPhone, copy it there first, then open the app. If it's on paper or another device, keep it in front of you.

Step by step

  1. Tap the logo and choose Import, then Recovery Backup (the first row). On a fresh install, the welcome screen's Restore a backup button goes straight there. Scanning any of a backup's QR codes with the + camera also opens this screen.
  2. Tap Choose from Photos or Choose from Files and select all the images of the backup at once. The app reads every QR code in them and reports what it found, for example All 45 accounts found, or 25 of 45 accounts found — image 2 of 3 is missing. If an image is missing, tap Add More Images and pick it.
  3. Tap Continue and confirm with Face ID or Touch ID.
  4. Type or paste the recovery key and tap Unlock Backup. Checking the key takes about half a second.
  5. Review Backup lists every account in the backup, ticked. Untick any you don't want, then tap Import.
  6. Choose what should happen to accounts already on this phone: Delete All & Import, Replace Duplicates or Import All (Keep Duplicates). On an empty phone it makes no difference; otherwise see The Three Import Choices.
  7. Face ID or Touch ID confirms once more, and your accounts are back, with their tags, their archived state and their order.

[Screenshot: the Restore a Backup screen after choosing images, showing "All 45 accounts found" and the Continue button]

What comes back, and what doesn't

Everything in the backup comes back: every account, its tags, whether it was archived, and the order of your Recent list. Your tag list is restored too (merged with any tags already on the phone, or replaced by the backup's if you chose Delete All & Import).

Settings don't come back; they were never in the backup. The launch lock, the timeouts and the sync choice stay as they are on this phone, and restored accounts follow this phone's sync choice.

Messages you might see

Message What it means
No backup codes were found in those images The pictures you chose aren't backup images. Choose the ones the app saved.
Those images come from more than one backup You picked images from two different backups together. Choose one backup's images only.
These images were made by a newer version of Private Authenticator Update the app, then try again.
That key has a typo One character is wrong. Check the key against your copy.
That key doesn't match this backup The key is for a different backup. Find the one that goes with these images.
Missing accounts won't be restored An image is missing. Add it, or restore what was found and add the missing accounts by hand.

Continue to the Moving Accounts book: Importing from Google Authenticator.