Tech
Setting up account recovery before you need it
Recovery options are configured in advance or not at all, and the time to find out is not during a lockout.
Every significant account offers recovery options, and they only work if they were set up while you had access. A recovery email that no longer exists, or a phone number from two carriers ago, is the usual reason recovery fails.
Backup codes are the most robust option and the least used. Services that offer two-factor authentication generally provide a set of one-time codes to print and store physically. They work when a phone is lost, stolen or dead, which is exactly when the second factor otherwise locks you out.
Review recovery settings when anything changes — a new phone number, a closed email account, a new device. Fifteen minutes once a year covers most of it.
For shared household accounts, somebody else knowing how to get in matters, and several services now offer a formal legacy or trusted contact mechanism designed for this rather than password sharing.
What to do next. Print the backup codes for your email and financial accounts and store them somewhere physical.
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