Instagram backup codes are in Accounts Center under Password and security, Two-factor authentication, Additional methods, Backup codes, and you can only see them while logged in. Use one in place of a login code when your phone or SMS fails, treat each as single-use, and save the list somewhere that survives losing your phone. Without saved codes, recovery goes through login help and an identity check.
Instagram backup codes are in Accounts Center: Profile, Menu, Accounts Center, Password and security, Two-factor authentication, your account, Additional methods, Backup codes. You can only open that list while you are logged in, so the time to save it is now, before the day your phone is lost, reset or out of signal.
Checked October 2026 against Instagram's Help Center on using a backup code and two-factor authentication, the Threads backup code page (which shows the Meta Account settings path), and Meta's Facebook Help Center on login recovery codes. Menu labels change between app versions, so follow the words on your screen if they differ.
This page is only about the codes: where they are, how to use one, how many you get and what to do without them. If you have not turned on two-factor authentication yet, or want to pick between an authentication app and SMS, start with our Instagram two-factor authentication setup guide. For any other login, ban or restriction problem, the Instagram account help hub lists every fix by symptom.
Where to find Instagram backup codes
The codes sit behind your two-factor settings, one level down under Additional methods. Instagram is moving people from Accounts Center to Meta Account settings, so you will see one of two menus. Both lead to the same list.
- 1Go to your profile
Tap Profile or your profile picture in the bottom right.
- 2Open the menu
Tap Menu (three lines) in the top right.
- 3Accounts Center, then Password and security
If you see Meta Account instead, tap it, then Login and security.
- 4Two-factor authentication
Pick the Instagram account you want codes for. Accounts Center can hold several.
- 5Additional methods, then Backup codes
Expected result: a list of codes on screen. Instagram may ask for your password first.
- 6Save the list off the phone
Password manager on another device, or a printed sheet. See the storage section below.
| Where you are | Path to Backup codes |
|---|---|
| iPhone or Android app (Accounts Center) | Profile, Menu, Accounts Center, Password and security, Two-factor authentication, choose the account, Additional methods, Backup codes |
| Computer (instagram.com) | More (bottom left), Settings, Accounts Center, Password and security, Two-factor authentication, choose the account, Additional methods, Backup codes |
| Accounts moved to Meta Account settings | Profile, Settings, Meta Account, Login and security, Two-factor authentication, Additional methods, Backup codes |
| Replacing the set (any version) | Same path, then Get new codes. The previous set is cancelled |
The one hard rule from Instagram's Help Center: you must be logged in to view the list or get a new one. There is no way to email yourself the codes from the login screen, and no support route that sends them to you. Instagram suggests copying them, taking a screenshot or saving them some other way. A screenshot is fine as long as it does not live only on the phone that gets your login codes.
How to use a backup code on Instagram
A backup code replaces the login code for one login. Instagram says that if a code cannot be sent because of connectivity or delivery problems, you can still finish logging in with a backup code. Meta's Facebook article puts it the same way: you use one in place of your authenticator code.
- 01Username and password
In the Instagram app or on instagram.com only
- 02Code prompt appears
Asking for an SMS, WhatsApp or app code
- 03Choose another method
If the screen offers it, pick backup code
- 04Type one code
From your saved list, then cross it off
- 05Back in
Generate a fresh set if few codes are left
- Log in normally with your username and password, in the app or on instagram.com.
- At the code prompt, enter a backup code instead. If the screen only shows your usual method, look for the option to try another way or use a different method. The wording varies between app versions, and we could not confirm one fixed label in October 2026.
- Type one code exactly. Each backup code is used for a single login.
- Decide on Trust this device. Instagram lets you mark a device as trusted so it stops asking for codes there. Its Help Center says not to do that on a public or shared device.
- Fix the cause while you are in. Update the phone number, move your authentication app to the new phone, and get new backup codes if your list is running low.
How many backup codes do you get, and are they single-use?
Instagram's own article gives no number and does not spell out how many times a code works. Meta's Facebook Help Center, describing the same Accounts Center screen, says you get 10 recovery codes and can only use each one once (checked October 2026). Treat Instagram codes the same way, and count what your screen shows.
- You have most of the codes left
- The list is stored somewhere only you can open
- Nobody else has seen it
- You just tested one and it worked
- You are down to the last two or three
- The list was in a shared drive, chat or an old phone
- A freelancer or ex-partner ever had it
- You cannot find where you saved it
- You suspect someone logged in as you
Get new codes cancels the old set, per Instagram's Help Center. Update every stored copy straight away.
One detail people miss: backup codes are per account. If you run several Instagram accounts in the same Accounts Center, each one has its own list under Two-factor authentication. Label each saved list with the username, or you will waste codes typing the right code into the wrong account.
Where to keep the codes so they actually save you
A backup code only helps if you can reach it when the phone is gone. Our two-factor guide covers which storage survives a lost phone. The short version for anyone running an account that earns money:
- One copy in a password manager you can open from a computer or second device
- One printed copy in a place you would find in a hurry
- Each list labelled with the account username and the date you generated it
- No copy only in the camera roll or notes app of the phone that receives login codes
- No copy in a group chat, shared folder or email that teammates can read
- A new set generated, and old copies destroyed, whenever someone leaves the team
- A test once a year: log out on a spare device and log in with one code
Instagram backup codes: what to do if you have none
What you can do depends on two things: whether you are still logged in somewhere, and whether any other two-factor method still works.
The last box is the slow one. Instagram's login help covers people who lost access to the phone or email on the account, and the route can include an identity check. Meta also runs an Account Recovery Hub for Facebook, Instagram and Threads. If the email or phone on the account was changed by someone else, this is a hacked account rather than a lost code: go to instagram.com/hacked and follow our hacked account recovery guide.
If the multiple-devices setup applies to you, it can save the day. Instagram's Help Center says accounts using an authentication app can connect more than one device, each with its own code. A tablet you set up months ago may still generate working codes after the phone is lost.
Instagram backup code not working
Most failures come down to an old list or the wrong account. Work down this table before you go to login help.
| What you see | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Code rejected | Already used, or the set was replaced | Try another code from the newest list you saved |
| Every code rejected | You are holding an old list, or the codes are for another account | Use SMS, WhatsApp or an authentication app on another device |
| No backup code option visible | The screen is showing your default method only | Look for the option to use a different method on the code screen |
| Locked out, no codes saved | Codes can only be viewed while logged in | Login help on the login screen, then the identity check |
| Email and phone changed by someone else | The account was taken over | instagram.com/hacked before anything else |
If the account is not locked but disabled (you see a disabled or suspended notice after the code), backup codes are not the issue. That needs the review flow in how to recover a disabled Instagram account.
Backup codes on a creator or business account
On an account that pays bills, backup codes are a business asset. The owner holds them, not a freelancer or an agency. Team members get access through Instagram's own sharing features and their own logins, so removing someone never means handing out or resetting codes. When anyone leaves, generate a new set the same day.
Security protects the account; growth is the part that makes it worth protecting. Our Instagram Ignited program covers that side: niche and profile setup, Reels, reading Insights and Story selling, without the third-party growth apps that ask for your password.
Instagram backup codes: FAQ
Where do I find my Instagram backup codes?
In the app: Profile, Menu, Accounts Center, Password and security, Two-factor authentication, pick the account, Additional methods, Backup codes. On a computer: More, Settings, Accounts Center, then the same steps. Accounts moved to Meta Account settings use Settings, Meta Account, Login and security instead. You have to be logged in to see them. Checked October 2026.
Can I get Instagram backup codes without logging in?
No. Instagram's Help Center says you must be logged in to view your backup codes or get a new list. If you are locked out and never saved them, the codes cannot help you. Try your other two-factor methods, then the login help options on the login screen, which can lead to an identity check such as a video selfie.
How many Instagram backup codes do you get?
Instagram's backup code article does not give a number. Meta's Facebook Help Center, which describes the same Accounts Center screen, says you get 10 recovery codes. Count what your own screen shows when you open Backup codes, and save every code on the list, not just the first few. Checked October 2026.
Can an Instagram backup code be used more than once?
Treat each code as single-use. Meta's Facebook article for the same Accounts Center screen says you can only use each code once, and Instagram's own page describes the codes as a fallback, not a reusable password. Cross a code off when you use it, and get a new set once you are back in and down to the last few.
What happens to old backup codes when I tap Get new codes?
They stop working. Instagram's Help Center describes Get new codes as cancelling your current backup codes and issuing a new set. That is useful if a code list was seen by someone else or saved somewhere unsafe, but it also means any copy you printed earlier is now useless. Replace the stored copy the same minute.
Why is my Instagram backup code not working?
The usual causes: the code was already used, the whole set was replaced with Get new codes, the code belongs to a different account in the same Accounts Center, or a typing error with spaces or similar-looking characters. Try a different code from the same list. If none work, the list is probably old: use another two-factor method or login help.
Does Instagram ever ask for my backup codes by message?
No legitimate Instagram flow asks you to send a backup code to a person. You type it only into the Instagram app or instagram.com when you are logging in yourself. A DM, email or "verification team" asking for a code is an attempt to take the account. Anyone holding your password plus one backup code can log in as you.