I've been locked out of Sync. Found recovery codes, but they don't work. Is there any way to gain access?
Hello,
Yesterday I got signed out of my Firefox Sync and when I tried logging in, I realized I don't have Firefox in my authenticator app any longer. I have found Firefox recovery codes, which were issued in 2019 when I enabled 2FA, however when I try using them I get "Recovery code not found."
Can these recovery codes be used to prove my account ownership, even if I somehow generated new codes after 2019 but didn't save them (which I doubt, but it's not impossible) ?
I am not logged in on any other device so I cannot disable the 2FA that way. Is there any hope?
All Replies (3)
I think that if you haven't changed the login credentials (username and password) that those old 10 character recovery codes still should work. Keep in mind that Sync isn't meant to be used as a backup, but is meant to sync data between connected devices. If you can't access the account then your only option is to create a new Firefox Account.
Modified by cor-el
cor-el said
I think that if you haven't changed the login credentials (username and password) that those old 10 character recovery codes still should work. Keep in mind that Sync isn't meant to be used as a backup, but is meant to sync data between connected devices. If you can't access the account then your only option is to create a new about:config.
The recovery codes should work even if I changed my password, the only times they should be different is if I either requested new codes or made changes to the 2FA.
From the links you listed, the second link is the relevant one. Section four ("I lost my two-step authentication device but I have a recovery code") is the scenario I'm in, however even though I do have recovery codes, they don't go through. I tried all of them, and the response I get is "Recovery code not found," as already stated.
I am aware that "Unfortunately, deactivation of two-step authentication is not supported," but I do have recovery codes and I still cannot access my items. Is this forum really the closest I can get to contacting support?
It's not the end of the world that I cannot access my bookmarks, but I'd like to do so, especially since I have recovery codes.
If you can access a physical profile folder on your hardrive, could you copy some data from that into a new profile? I am not an expert on this, but surely you could at least get your bookmarks back from one of the bookmarks backup files? Or see here: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/recovering-important-data-from-an-old-profile