Get 2FA backup codes from the IT chatbot (and what HR must have on file)
Accounts & Email · 10 views · 🧭 Guided walkthrough
If Google is asking for a 2-Step Verification code and you cannot get one — phone lost, changed number, new device, no signal — a backup code gets you back in. Each code works once.
ISA, the IT chatbot, can issue fresh codes to you directly, without waiting for an agent. It first proves you are really you by sending a one-time code to the personal email address stored in your HR record — which is why that one field has to be correct before any of this works.
Prefer the full text? See all steps at once
Backup codes get you past the Google 2-Step Verification prompt when you cannot receive a code — phone lost, number changed, new device, no signal. Each code works once. The IT chatbot (ISA) can issue a fresh set in about two minutes, without waiting for an agent.
WHAT MUST BE ON YOUR HR RECORD FIRST
------------------------------------
1. PERSONAL EMAIL (the critical one)
A non-Iksula address — Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook. Your one-time verification code is sent here, and it is the only way the chatbot can confirm you are really you. If this field is blank, self-service recovery cannot work for you at all and every attempt ends with an agent.
Ask HR to add or correct it BEFORE you are locked out.
2. EMPLOYEE CODE
You will be asked to type it during verification.
3. 2-STEP VERIFICATION ALREADY ENROLLED
Backup codes only exist for an account that already has 2FA set up. If you have never enrolled, codes cannot be created — the chatbot detects this and raises a request for IT to open a short enrolment window instead.
THE STEPS
---------
1. Open the helpdesk portal and click the chat bubble (you do not need to be signed in).
2. Say you are locked out — e.g. "I can't get my 2-step verification code".
3. Enter your employee code when asked.
4. Enter the one-time code sent to your personal email (check spam if it is slow). The address is shown masked — confirm it looks like yours before continuing.
5. Choose the "2FA backup codes" option.
6. A fresh set of codes arrives at that personal address. This REPLACES any older set.
7. At the Google prompt choose "Try another way" then "Enter one of your 8-digit backup codes".
8. Once back in, re-register your phone or authenticator app at myaccount.google.com and save a new set of codes.
IF YOU GET A TICKET INSTEAD OF CODES
------------------------------------
Something blocked the automatic route — usually no personal email on file, or 2FA not enrolled. Nothing is lost: a ticket is raised with your identity already verified, stating the exact reason, and IT confirms back to your personal email.
GOOD PRACTICE
-------------
• Never store backup codes in your Iksula mailbox — if you are locked out of it, you cannot reach them.
• Treat a backup code like a password. Do not share it, and IT will never ask you for one.
• Keep your personal email current in HR — it is the single field this entire flow depends on.
RELATED
-------
• Turn on 2-Step Verification: /kb/turn-on-2-step-verification-2fa-for-your-iksula-google-account
• Use an authenticator app instead of SMS: /kb/use-an-authenticator-app-for-2-step-verification-2fa-no-sms-needed
WHAT MUST BE ON YOUR HR RECORD FIRST
------------------------------------
1. PERSONAL EMAIL (the critical one)
A non-Iksula address — Gmail, Yahoo, Outlook. Your one-time verification code is sent here, and it is the only way the chatbot can confirm you are really you. If this field is blank, self-service recovery cannot work for you at all and every attempt ends with an agent.
Ask HR to add or correct it BEFORE you are locked out.
2. EMPLOYEE CODE
You will be asked to type it during verification.
3. 2-STEP VERIFICATION ALREADY ENROLLED
Backup codes only exist for an account that already has 2FA set up. If you have never enrolled, codes cannot be created — the chatbot detects this and raises a request for IT to open a short enrolment window instead.
THE STEPS
---------
1. Open the helpdesk portal and click the chat bubble (you do not need to be signed in).
2. Say you are locked out — e.g. "I can't get my 2-step verification code".
3. Enter your employee code when asked.
4. Enter the one-time code sent to your personal email (check spam if it is slow). The address is shown masked — confirm it looks like yours before continuing.
5. Choose the "2FA backup codes" option.
6. A fresh set of codes arrives at that personal address. This REPLACES any older set.
7. At the Google prompt choose "Try another way" then "Enter one of your 8-digit backup codes".
8. Once back in, re-register your phone or authenticator app at myaccount.google.com and save a new set of codes.
IF YOU GET A TICKET INSTEAD OF CODES
------------------------------------
Something blocked the automatic route — usually no personal email on file, or 2FA not enrolled. Nothing is lost: a ticket is raised with your identity already verified, stating the exact reason, and IT confirms back to your personal email.
GOOD PRACTICE
-------------
• Never store backup codes in your Iksula mailbox — if you are locked out of it, you cannot reach them.
• Treat a backup code like a password. Do not share it, and IT will never ask you for one.
• Keep your personal email current in HR — it is the single field this entire flow depends on.
RELATED
-------
• Turn on 2-Step Verification: /kb/turn-on-2-step-verification-2fa-for-your-iksula-google-account
• Use an authenticator app instead of SMS: /kb/use-an-authenticator-app-for-2-step-verification-2fa-no-sms-needed