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I was using Steam Desktop Authenticator and then the hard drive it was on broke. Now, my Steam account is asking for an auth code but I don't have one and the SDA code to transfer accounts from A to B was on that drive. I do not have a phone. Is there any way I can get into my Steam account now?

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  • From the details you provided, I'm presuming that you were using github.com/Jessecar96/SteamDesktopAuthenticator. I've edited your question accordingly. If my presumption is incorrect, then please edit your question with the link to the correct software's webpage.
    – galacticninja
    May 13, 2021 at 8:50

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Steam Support Page

Help, I lost (or sold) my phone and can't log in! What do I do?

If possible, you should contact your wireless service provider and get a replacement phone with the same phone number. Steam will be able to send SMS messages to your replacement phone, and you will be able to recover your account as described below.

If you no longer have access to your phone and don't have your recovery code, you'll need the assistance of Steam Support. Use the "Help me with my issue" button at the top right of this page to get help removing your authenticator. If you don’t have access to the email address that is currently associated with your Steam Account please provide proof of account ownership within your ticket.

You will need to contact Steam support, using the Steam Support link above. As for providing proof of ownership;

Providing Proof of Ownership

Proof of Ownership is established by submitting payment information previously used on the account or providing retail product codes that have been activated through Steam.

Please select a purchase method used on the account from the list below for detailed instructions on providing Proof of Ownership.

The link above contains how to provide your proof of ownership according to different payment methods.

Finally, I recommend that you do not to use unauthorised 3rd party verification methods in the future for Steam. They can get you in the exact trouble you are in right now.

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    Given the OP is talking about 2 factor authentication, there is zero problem using third party applications to handle this - Google Authenticator, MS Authenticator, Authy, 1Password etc etc etc all all good applications for this, and all are third party. The OPs issue was not the app used, it was the exact issue described in the apps Github repo - they didn't store the backup codes in a safe place off the same disk as the app itself. You would have this same issue with any "authorized first party" authenticator app as well. Always always always store the recovery codes elsewhere.
    – Moo
    May 11, 2021 at 23:06
  • -1 for the reason Moo listed, but everything else is great advice.
    – Kevin
    May 12, 2021 at 3:12
  • @Moo I think the problem is that OP is using an application which states in its readme (in bold) Using this application is a bad idea. It's not really a traditional 2fa app which is supported by steam, but an app that is intended to be used to bypass 2fa requirements steam has for some features (hence "unauthorised"; though imho the answer could have been a bit clearer about this).
    – tim
    May 12, 2021 at 16:09
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    @tim the app is bad for reasons not relevant to the OPs situation - if they had used a decent authenticator app on a mobile device, not stored their recovery codes anywhere and lost the device, they would be in exactly the same situation. Hence always always always keep the recovery codes elsewhere.
    – Moo
    May 13, 2021 at 5:42
  • Going back on topic: recovering your steam account with previously-used payment methods works well, had to do it once myself. Takes about a day or so for them to get back to you
    – Hobbamok
    May 17, 2021 at 9:28
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As long as you can provide proof of ownership you can recover the account with the help of Steam Support.

From the official Steam Support Knowledgebase page:

Help, I lost (or sold) my phone and can't log in! What do I do?

If possible, you should contact your wireless service provider and get a replacement phone with the same phone number. Steam will be able to send SMS messages to your replacement phone, and you will be able to recover your account as described below.

If you no longer have access to your phone and don't have your recovery code, you'll need the assistance of Steam Support. Use the "Help me with my issue" button at the top right of this page to get help removing your authenticator. If you don’t have access to the email address that is currently associated with your Steam Account please provide proof of ownership within your ticket.

They may require multiple forms of proof of ownership at their discretion, but if it's your account you should have no issue. Be polite, reasonable, and to the point. They are still people and will often enjoy some flavor like a story about what happened, but probably don't have time to read a life story.

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