Recover an account with MFA: Google Workspace

To follow this guide you will need:

  • Administrator access: only Administrator users can access the Google Workspace Admin panel.

If a user loses or breaks their Multi-Factor Authentication method, we need to obtain backup codes to allow the user back into their account.

Step 1

First you should make sure the request is actually from the user it appears to be.

If the request to reset MFA is from an email (work or personal) or a phone call from someone you don’t know well enough to recognise their voice, you should first take a minute to check that the request is legitimate.

Do this by giving them a call or sending them a secure text message (e.g. Slack, Teams, Telegram, or Signal) using a number you got from the company directory or phonebook (or in a pinch from another colleague).

A simple: “Hi, this is IT - just double checking you requested an MFA reset” and confirmation from them will do the job.

Step 2

Go to the Google Workspace Admin users panel. Select the target user.

Step 3

Within the target user panel, click the word "Security":

Step 4

In the expanded Security section, under 2-step verification, select "Get backup verification codes":

Select this option and communicate the codes to the user.