How to move Aegis to a new phone
Checked against Aegis's own help on 10 October 2026. Menus change, so follow the nearest label if yours differs.
Short answer
Aegis is an Android app. Export an encrypted vault (or use its automatic backups to a location you choose), copy the file to the new phone, and import it in Aegis there with the backup password. There is no Aegis for iPhone, so a move to iOS means importing into a different app.
Your options at a glance
| Situation | What to do | Old phone needed |
|---|---|---|
| New phone is Android | Export the vault (encrypted), copy the file over, import it in Aegis on the new phone. | Yes |
| Automatic backups were on | Fetch the latest backup from the location you chose and import it on the new phone. | No |
| New phone is an iPhone | Aegis is Android-only. Export from Aegis, import into an app that runs on iOS. | Yes |
| No backup, old phone gone | The vault is not recoverable. Re-enrol each account with its service. | n/a |
Android to Android
- In Aegis on the old phone, export the vault. Aegis offers plaintext or encrypted export; choose encrypted and set a password.
- Copy the file to the new phone (cloud storage you trust, a cable, or a NAS).
- Install Aegis on the new phone and import the file with its import option, choosing the Aegis format and entering the backup password. Users report this under Settings, Import & Export; menu names can differ between versions.
- Check a code on a real sign-in before you wipe the old phone.
Aegis can also make automatic backups of the vault to a location of your choosing. If you set that up, the new phone's job is just to fetch the latest file.
Keep the password
An encrypted export is unusable without its password, and nothing resets it. Store it somewhere that is not the phone: Where to store your 2FA backup codes ranks the places that work for passwords and codes alike.
Moving to an iPhone
Aegis only runs on Android, so an iPhone needs a different app. Export from Aegis, then import into that app. KeyNesta runs in Safari and, once released, as an iPhone app, and reads Aegis exports; see below.
Or move to KeyNesta instead
KeyNesta imports Aegis, but only an unencrypted JSON export: it cannot open a password-protected Aegis vault. Import from Aegis and 2FAS walks through exporting a plain copy, previewing the import and deleting the file straight away. The iPhone app is built but not yet in the App Store; the iPhone page says where it stands, and the web app works in Safari meanwhile.
KeyNesta is not open source, has had no independent security audit, and has no passkey or hardware security key support. Its iPhone and Android apps are built and awaiting store release; the web app is live and works in any browser.
Source
Steps on this page come from Aegis Authenticator on GitHub (README), read on 10 October 2026. The README lists export (plaintext or encrypted) and automatic backups but gives no menu names, so the import menu above is user-reported, not official. KeyNesta is not affiliated with Aegis.
Frequently asked questions
Is there an Aegis Authenticator for iPhone?
No. Aegis is an Android app, as its own repository says. If your new phone is an iPhone, export your Aegis vault and import it into an app that runs on iOS.
Does Aegis back up my vault automatically?
Aegis lists automatic backups of the vault to a location of your choosing as a feature, alongside plaintext or encrypted export. Check in the app that it is switched on and where the file goes, because a backup you never made cannot be fetched.
Do I need a password to restore an encrypted Aegis backup?
Yes. An encrypted export needs its password at import, and without it the file cannot be restored. Store the password separately from the phone and the file.
Can I import an Aegis vault into another app?
Yes, via an export. Some apps, including KeyNesta, read the Aegis JSON format, but KeyNesta needs the plain (unencrypted) export, so delete that file as soon as the import is done.
Try KeyNesta free. The web app needs no sign-up.
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