Update your account recovery phone number and email safely

TL;DR — To update the phone number and email used to recover your account, sign in, open your account security settings, replace the old recovery details with the new ones, and complete the verification codes sent to the new contact methods. The most common reason this fails is trying to change recovery details without access to your current sign-in session or without completing both verification prompts. Reading time: ~5 min

Goal

When you finish, your account’s recovery settings will show your new phone number and new email address, recovery codes will go to those new destinations, and your old phone number and old email will no longer be listed as recovery options.

Prerequisites

• Your account username or primary sign-in email
• Your account password
• Access to a device where you are already signed in, or access to your current recovery method if your provider asks you to confirm the change
• Your new recovery email address
• Your new recovery phone number, including country code (for example, +1 555 123 4567)
• Access to the inbox for the new recovery email
• Access to the phone that will receive the new recovery SMS text message (SMS = text message)
• If your account uses two-factor authentication (2FA, an extra login code), have your authenticator app or security key ready

Steps

Step 1: Sign in to your account security settings

Open your provider’s account dashboard, then go to the security area. In most account systems, the path is one of these:

Account avatar/profile menu → Account Settings → Security

Profile → Security

Settings → Login & Security

If your provider has a dedicated recovery page, use:

Settings → Security → Account Recovery

What you should see when this succeeds: a page that lists your current recovery email, recovery phone, or both.

Step 2: Re-authenticate if prompted

Many providers ask you to confirm it is really you before changing recovery details. If prompted, enter your password and any 2FA code.

Use the on-screen prompt exactly as shown, typically:

Confirm your password

and then, if enabled:

Enter the 6-digit code from your authenticator app

What you should see when this succeeds: the recovery settings page becomes editable, or an Edit button appears next to the recovery email and phone fields.

Step 3: Update the recovery email address

Find the recovery email field and select the edit action. The menu path is usually:

Security → Recovery email → Edit

Replace the old address with your new address exactly, for example:

name@example.com

Then select:

Save

or:

Send verification email

What you should see when this succeeds: a message such as “Verification email sent” or “Check your inbox.”

Step 4: Verify the new recovery email

Open the inbox for the new recovery email address. Look for a message with a subject similar to one of these:

Verify your email address

Confirm your recovery email

Open the message and click the verification link or copy the code into the account security page. If your provider uses a code, enter it exactly as received, for example:

482913

What you should see when this succeeds: the recovery email shows as Verified, Confirmed, or Active.

Step 5: Update the recovery phone number

Return to the same security page and edit the recovery phone field. The menu path is usually:

Security → Recovery phone → Edit

Enter the new number in international format, including the country code, for example:

+1 555 123 4567

Then select:

Send code

or:

Verify by SMS

What you should see when this succeeds: a message such as “Code sent” or “We sent a text message to +1 555 123 4567.”

Step 6: Verify the new recovery phone number

On the phone you entered, open the SMS message and copy the code into the verification field on the security page. Enter the code exactly as received, for example:

731204

Then select:

Verify

What you should see when this succeeds: the recovery phone shows as Verified, Confirmed, or Active.

Step 7: Remove the old recovery email and old recovery phone if they are still listed

Some providers add the new recovery method without removing the old one. If your old details are still shown, remove them one at a time.

Use the menu path:

Security → Recovery email → Remove old address

and:

Security → Recovery phone → Remove old number

If the provider asks for confirmation, select:

Remove

What you should see when this succeeds: only your new recovery email and new recovery phone remain on the page.

Step 8: Save backup recovery information if your provider offers it

If the page shows backup codes or an alternate recovery option, save it now. This is optional but useful if you lose access to your phone or email later.

Typical menu path:

Security → Backup codes → Generate

Then store the codes in your password manager (an app that stores passwords securely) or another secure place.

What you should see when this succeeds: a list of one-time backup codes, or a message confirming they were generated.

Verify it works

Use these checks to confirm the change is complete end to end:

1. Go back to the recovery settings page.

Settings → Security → Account Recovery

Expected result: the page shows your new email and new phone as Verified, Confirmed, or Active.

1. Start the account recovery flow without completing it.

Sign out → Forgot password

Enter your username or primary sign-in email.

Expected result: the masked recovery choices show your new email and new phone, not the old ones.

1. If your provider sends a test alert when recovery details change, check both new destinations.

Expected result: the new email inbox receives the alert, and the new phone receives the SMS if your provider sends one.

1. If your old recovery email or old phone is still accessible to you, confirm that it does not receive new recovery prompts after the update.

Expected result: no new recovery code is sent to the old contact method.

Common pitfalls

You changed the primary sign-in email, not the recovery email

Mistake: editing the login email field instead of the recovery email field.

Symptom: you can sign in with a new email, but password reset messages still go to the old recovery address.

Fix: return to:

Settings → Security → Account Recovery

and update the field labeled Recovery email, not Sign-in email.

You entered the phone number without the country code

Mistake: typing a local number like 5551234567 instead of +1 555 123 4567.

Symptom: the SMS code never arrives, or the site says the number is invalid.

Fix: re-enter the number in international format with the + and country code.

You did not click the verification link or enter the code before it expired

Mistake: saving the new email or phone but not completing the verification step.

Symptom: the new recovery method appears as Pending, Unverified, or disappears after refresh.

Fix: select:

Resend verification

then complete the email link or SMS code entry immediately.

The old recovery method is still attached to the account

Mistake: adding a new recovery method but skipping removal of the old one.

Symptom: account recovery still offers the old email or old phone as an option.

Fix: remove the old entries from:

Settings → Security → Account Recovery

until only the new verified details remain.

You are blocked because the account asks for a current session or 2FA code

Mistake: starting the change while signed out, on a new device, or without your authenticator app.

Symptom: the site refuses the update and asks for extra verification you cannot provide.

Fix: sign in on a device where you already use the account regularly, then repeat the change with your password and 2FA device ready.

The verification message went to spam or was filtered

Mistake: assuming the email or SMS was never sent.

Symptom: no verification message appears in the inbox or text thread.

Fix: check Spam/Junk in email, search for the provider name, wait 2 minutes, then use:

Resend verification

once.

This article was written by an AI system and published pending human review. Verify anything you intend to act on.