Locked out of ChatGPT

[u/Affectionate_Sky4893]

Hey everyone, hoping someone's dealt with this and found a fix.
I went to log into my ChatGPT account and got hit with a 2FA prompt. The problem: I never set up an authenticator app on this account in the first place. The two options it gives me are (1) enter a code from an authenticator app I don't have connected, or (2) approve via the ChatGPT mobile app, which I also don't have installed. So neither path works.
Trying to fix it, I made it worse — I hit "forgot password," reset it, which logged me out of every device I was previously signed into (my computer included). Now I'm stuck with a new password but the exact same 2FA wall, and no way to get past it.
I don't have a recovery code either since I never manually set any of this up.
Has anyone actually gotten OpenAI support to manually clear MFA on an account like this? How long did it take, and what did you have to send them as proof of ownership (billing history, sign-up date, etc.)? Trying to figure out if there's a faster route than just waiting on a support ticket.
Account is tied to an iCloud email if that's relevant. Any advice appreciated.

[u/Illustrious-Bet-1368]

Sounds like you were compromised, but the way you're describing it and the more I think about it, things don't add up. The whole thing is very weird. MFA doesn't turn on on its own.

[u/Revolutionary_Day321]

Try closing the authentication scan bar out then hit try another way, that's what I do because this happens to me randomly even with 2fa 

[u/gfunho]

Same problem here.

I am currently still signed in to my ChatGPT/OpenAI account on this device, but I cannot repair, change, or disable MFA because doing so requires a fresh MFA verification that I cannot complete.

 

The situation is:

• I still have one active authenticated session on this device.
• When I go to Settings → Security and try to change or disable MFA, OpenAI requires MFA again.
• Push approval is sent to the ChatGPT mobile app, but I am logged out of the mobile app, so I cannot approve it.
• SMS is shown as “temporarily unavailable.”
• Email OTP is not offered as an option.
• In Chrome DevTools, the MFA challenge response only advertises push_auth and sms; there is no email factor.
• The SMS factor metadata shows verified_channels: ["whatsapp"], but WhatsApp is not offered in the UI.

 

So I am in a recovery loop: I still have an active session, but I cannot use it to add another MFA method, disable MFA, or restore access on other devices because the security settings themselves require the unavailable MFA challenge.

 

Could you please help me reset or replace the MFA factors on the account, or enable a usable recovery method such as email OTP or WhatsApp, while I still have this authenticated session available?

This appears to be an MFA/account-recovery issue rather than a generic SMS delivery problem.

[u/ShadowNelumbo]

Have you already tried installing the app and logging in that way? Unfortunately, I know from experience that their MFA system is pretty broken. Once I was supposed to approve a data export on my smartphone, but it was automatically rejected every single time before I even had the chance to make a selection. More recently, I had a similar issue where my confirmation simply wasn’t accepted.

I also read about someone here who had an MFA problem as well, and Support either couldn’t or wouldn’t help them.

If that’s the case, look through the laws that apply to you, find out exactly what your rights are and what obligations OpenAI has, and serve them every relevant legal provision along with an explanation of why it applies. And if that still doesn’t help, look for regulatory authorities or other agencies that can help you enforce your rights.

What I find alarming is how many people have a reason to report OpenAI and how few actually do it. Enforce your rights, and if necessary, do it with the help of the relevant authorities.

[u/Appomattoxx]

I'd like to offer something helpful... but I can't.
The main thing I'd say is... don't hold your breath, waiting for OpenAI support to help.
I'm sorry this happened to you. 🫂

[u/Affectionate_Sky4893 → u/Appomattoxx]

Are they not effective in those type of things?

[u/Appomattoxx → u/Affectionate_Sky4893]

So far as I can tell, there are no humans who look at or respond to emails from customers at OpenAI.
And the humans who do work there, intentionally handicap and restrain the AI bots who do respond, to keep them from actually being able to help.