Locked Out of Cloudflare? How to Recover Your Account After Losing 2FA

Losing the device you use for two-factor authentication (2FA) is a stressful experience, especially when it locks you out of a critical service like your Cloudflare account. For our Secure Web Accelerator Plus and Secure Web Accelerator Premium users, we know that immediate dashboard access is essential for managing your website's security and performance.

What to Do When you Lose Your Cloudflare 2FA device

If you can no longer access the two-factor authentication code from your authenticator app, you aren't permanently locked out. While 2FA is a critical security layer, Cloudflare provides specific recovery options to help you securely regain access to your account.

Step-by-Step Guide to Restore Cloudflare 2FA Access

If you can't log in because your 2FA device is lost, stolen, or inaccessible, follow these recovery methods.

Method 1: Use Your Cloudflare Backup Codes

This is the fastest way to recover your account. When you first set up 2FA on Cloudflare, you were prompted to save a list of backup codes.

1. Navigate to the Cloudflare login page.

2. Enter your email address and password as usual.

3. On the screen prompting for your 2FA code, click the link that says "Lost all 2FA devices and backup codes? Try recovery".

4. On the next screen, select the option to "Use a backup code".

5. Enter one of your unused backup codes to log in.

Important: Once you are logged in, immediately navigate to your profile's "Authentication" tab and reset your 2FA with your new device.

Method 2: Use the Official Cloudflare Recovery Process

If you followed the steps above but do not have your backup codes, you will need to use Cloudflare's official account recovery procedure.

For the most current and detailed instructions, follow Cloudflare's official documentation on two-factor authentication. The page contains a section on how to recover access when you have lost your device and codes.