THE KEY POINT
Transfer the existing authenticator when possible. Removing it and setting it up again is a different action with different restrictions.
01
Check what you still have access to
Install the official Steam Mobile app on your new phone. Before replacing anything, establish whether your old authenticator still works and whether you can receive messages on the number attached to Steam. These determine which transfer route to use.
Keep the old phone available until you have checked the new device. If you are changing both the phone and its number, handle the account's contact information while you still control the existing details. A phone migration is easier to document before the old device is erased.
02
Use the transfer route for your account
Sign in to your account in Steam Mobile on the new device. With access to the existing authenticator, use Move Authenticator in Steam Guard. Without that authenticator, choose the sign-in option for lost authenticator access and follow Steam's SMS transfer instructions.
Enter the confirmation only in the official app or Steam's own recovery flow. A person helping with a transfer does not need your SMS code, recovery code or password. When access to both the authenticator and the recovery number is lost, use Steam Support rather than another person's instructions.
Choose the route based on the access you still control. Steam documents a two-day restriction after transfer; removing the authenticator is a different action.
03
Read the restriction after the move
Steam documents a two-day trade and Market restriction after an authenticator transfer. Removing the authenticator instead triggers a separate 15-day restriction. The account notice identifies the restriction currently affecting you.
If a skin sale is already in progress, record the move time and tell the service which Steam restriction is shown. Repeating a withdrawal request or removing the newly transferred authenticator does not explain the original request's state.
04
Check access before retiring the old phone
- Verify that the new app shows the intended Steam account.
- Keep recovery information privately, outside shared screenshots.
- Record any active trade or Market restriction.
- Remove personal information from the old device before giving it away.
BEFORE YOU CONTINUE
Quick checklist
- Correct account on the new phone
- Transfer route used
- Recovery information kept private
- Current restriction recorded
Official sources
Read the official documents below for the service’s rules and account instructions.