2023-02-04

How to export from Authy

If you ever want to export your TOTP seeds from Authy, this page shows how to do it:

https://gist.github.com/gboudreau/94bb0c11a6209c82418d01a59d958c93

You could use that method move your seeds to another (TOPT) authenticator app.  

However, I continue to believe that Authy is the best authenticator app, as long as (a) you choose a strong Backups Password (its master password), e.g., 16+ random characters, and (b) you store the Backups Password somewhere other than your password manager’s vault.  

Why (b)?  If you store the Backups Password only in your PM's vault, you are in a spot of trouble if you ever need to reinstall both apps (PM and Authy) at the same time, because you can't log into either app until you've logged into the other one.  (Of course, there is no reason not to also store the Backups Password in your password manager's vault.)

There should be no need to export TOTP tokens from Authy on a regular basis because every cloud account that offers 2FA should also offer a recovery mechanism in case that 2FA fails.  The mechanism is usually a set of one or more 2FA recovery codes.