How to Migrate from Google Authenticator to FactorCat

Google Authenticator does the basics well — it generates 6-digit codes and it’s free. But it has no browser integration, no push notifications, no auto-fill, and managing more than a handful of accounts means scrolling through an unsorted list every time you log in.

FactorCat can import all your Google Authenticator factors in one scan. Here’s how.

Before you start

You’ll need:

• Your current phone with Google Authenticator installed
• FactorCat installed on the same phone (or a second phone) — download here
• A FactorCat account — sign in with Google, Apple, or email (free, takes 30 seconds)
• About 3 minutes

Important: Don’t delete Google Authenticator until you’ve verified all your factors work in FactorCat. Keep both apps installed during the transition.

Step 1 — Export from Google Authenticator

1. Open Google Authenticator on your phone
2. Tap the three-dot menu (top right) or your profile icon
3. Tap Transfer accounts
4. Tap Export accounts
5. Authenticate if prompted (PIN, fingerprint, or face)
6. Select the accounts you want to export — or tap “Select all”
7. Tap Export

Google Authenticator displays one or more QR codes. If you have many accounts, it splits them across multiple QR codes (it’ll show “1 of 2”, “2 of 2”, etc.).

Don’t close this screen yet — you need to scan these QR codes with FactorCat.

Step 2 — Scan the export QR with FactorCat

1. Open FactorCat on a second device (or use split-screen if you only have one phone)
2. Tap + (add factor) > Import > Scan Google Authenticator export
3. Point the camera at the first export QR code on Google Authenticator
4. FactorCat reads the export and shows you a list of all the factors it found
5. If there are multiple QR codes, tap Next and scan each one

FactorCat parses Google Authenticator’s proprietary export format — this isn’t a standard QR code, and most apps can’t read it. FactorCat handles it natively.

Step 3 — Choose your vault

After scanning, FactorCat shows you the imported factors and asks where to store them:

• Cloud Vault — cloud-managed encryption, easy recovery, cross-device sync. Good for most accounts.
• Locked Vault — zero-knowledge encryption. Best for banking, crypto, admin consoles.

A common approach: import everything to Cloud Vault, then move your most sensitive accounts to a Locked Vault later. You can move factors between vaults at any time.

Step 4 — Verify your factors

Before you remove anything from Google Authenticator:

1. Pick 2-3 of your most important accounts (email, GitHub, banking)
2. Log in to each service
3. When prompted for 2FA, use FactorCat instead of Google Authenticator
4. Verify the codes work

If everything checks out, you’re done. Your factors are now in FactorCat with push approval, auto-fill, and cloud sync.

After migration

• Install the browser extension for Chrome or Firefox to get push-approve auto-fill — the thing that makes FactorCat different from every other authenticator
• Pair your phone and browser if they didn’t link automatically
• Keep Google Authenticator installed for a week or two as a safety net, then uninstall when you’re confident

Why switch from Google Authenticator?

	Google Authenticator	FactorCat
Browser auto-fill	No	Yes — codes fill automatically
Push notifications	No	Yes — approve from your phone
Browser extension	No	Chrome and Firefox
Cloud backup	Google account (added 2023)	Cloud Vault (free) + off-site backup
Zero-knowledge option	No	Locked Vault
Sharing	No	Share-to-invite (free)

For the full comparison, see FactorCat vs Google Authenticator.

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Ready to switch? Download FactorCat — it’s free for up to 50 factors.