Find troubleshooting steps in the event that you lose access to your authenticator app, your device, experience issues with your authenticator app, or face challenges with invalid codes. Additionally, identify when to contact Smartsheet Support or a System Admin for further assistance.
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Losing access to your authenticator app, such as when you get a new phone or lose your device, can prevent you from signing in to Smartsheet. Here's what you can do.
Sign in with a different method
On the Smartsheet sign-in screen, if you can't provide a code from your authenticator app, look for a link that says Didn’t receive a code? Sign in another way. Selecting this link provides you with self-serve steps to regain access.
Identify invalid authenticator app codes
If you see an invalid authenticator app code error, here are a few things to check:
- Code expiration: The codes generated by your authenticator app are time-sensitive and refresh every 30 seconds. Ensure you’re using the most current code before it expires.
- Used codes: You can’t use codes from previous sign-ins. Create a new code for each new session.
- Typos: Double-check that you’re entering the six-digit code correctly. If you enter the code incorrectly three times in a row, you must wait 10 minutes before trying again.
- Multiple accounts: If you have multiple Smartsheet accounts or other services linked to your authenticator app, make sure you’re using the code specifically for your Smartsheet account.
- App not reset: If you lost your device or got a new one and haven't reset your authenticator app enrollment, the codes from your old setup no longer work. To reset and re-enroll, follow the steps in Contact Smartsheet Support or a System Admin for a reset.
Regain access to your authenticator app
Your ability to self-recover depends on whether you saved your Google Authenticator’s backup key or previously enabled cloud backup for Microsoft Authenticator.
Microsoft Authenticator
If you set up Smartsheet and enable the cloud backup feature in the Microsoft Authenticator app settings, you can recover your account if you lose or have your phone stolen.
- Install the Microsoft Authenticator app on a new device.
- Sign in to your Microsoft account.
The app automatically restores your data from the backup.
Google Authenticator
During the setup of the Google Authenticator app, Smartsheet provides a backup or secret key. If you saved this key in a secure location, such as a password manager, you can easily recover your access if you lose your phone.
- Install Google Authenticator on your new device.
- Use the saved backup key to manually re-add Smartsheet and any other services.
Once re-added, you can use the app to access shared items.
If you’re an external collaborator, recovering your authenticator app automatically allows you to regain access to any previously shared items.
Contact Smartsheet Support or a System Admin for a reset
If you continue to experience issues and the self-service steps didn’t help, reach out to Smartsheet Support or your System Admin to reset the authenticator app settings.
Scenarios requiring support
- Microsoft Authenticator: You didn’t enable cloud backup, and lost or had your phone stolen. As a result, you lost the codes.
- Google Authenticator: You didn’t save the backup or secret key, and lost or had your phone stolen, so you lost all 2FA codes.
- You can’t access shared items because you lost your phone or uninstalled the app.
When contacting Smartsheet Support, be prepared to provide:
- Your registered email address
- Your full name
- Your company/organization name
Smartsheet Support can only reset your authenticator app; they can’t disable the MFA enforcement for your account if it's required by your organization.