Locked out of Codex because of an old phone number?

ChatGPT Support
1

Hi OpenAI team,

I’m currently locked out of Codex because OpenAI is forcing verification through an old mobile phone number that I used when I registered my ChatGPT account back in 2022.

I no longer have access to this number. It was used for business purposes at the time, and it is not my current number anymore. The issue is that I cannot change it, I cannot bypass it, and I’m not being offered any alternative way to verify my identity or regain access.

Because of this, my work processes are currently blocked. I’m a paying customer, but I’m being left without any practical recovery path.

I understand security requirements, but why are paying users forced into a single verification method with no backup option? Phone numbers change. Business numbers expire. People move countries, change companies, or lose access to old numbers. There needs to be a secure alternative.

Can OpenAI please provide a way to:

  • update the old phone number,

  • verify identity through another method,

  • or regain access through account support?

Right now, the system gives me no options, and that is extremely frustrating for a paid product I rely on for work.

Please advise how this can be resolved.

Thank you.

2

Welcome to the community!

OpenAI’s help article says phone numbers associated with an account can’t currently be changed or updated self-serve. That applies to both ChatGPT and the OpenAI API:

https://help.openai.com/en/articles/9135134-how-to-change-the-phone-number-associated-with-your-account

Because you no longer have access to the old number and Codex access is blocked, I’d recommend that you open a support case through the Help.

Include the account email, workspace/org details if relevant and explain that you no longer have access to the old phone number being requested.

3

the OP is not alone with this problem out of a sudden. My account has advance security on so why does it even try to send me the sms to begin with?

4

try contacting support, unlikely that they will be able to help but worth a shot

5

Hi and welcome to the community!

Thanks for adding that.

Unfortunately I can’t answer that, since I am not an OpenAI employee.

That said, I recommend that both of you @kadsjvnadkfjvn and @tea open a support case and add details like I suggested above.

6

Thanks for sharing this @AA7, and thanks to @LarisaHaster for the helpful context and support article. Also appreciate the additional reports from @kadsjvnadkfjvn and @tea. It helped confirm that multiple users were seeing similar behavior.

Good news: this issue has now been resolved.

If anyone is still experiencing problems with phone-number verification, account access, or Codex login, please create a support request and contact support@openai.com with details about your account and the issue you're encountering

Feel free to drop the case ID here so our team can help monitor the issue and troubleshoot.

-Mark G.

7

having exactly the same issue, created support ticket
case id 09687882

8

@OpenAI_Support

Hey, I’m still having this issue for the last 2 days until now, I’ve tried contacting support and finding help on this forum

Please help me look into it, case number 09549463 - 09550457

Many thanks

9

Thanks for reporting this and for sharing the details.

I've escalated your case to our internal team for further investigation so they can take a closer look at what's happening. At this point, there's nothing additional you need to do unless the team requests more information.

If you notice any new behavior or have additional details to add, feel free to share them here as that can help with the investigation.

-Mark G.

10

for some reason case number changed to 09680249
support written than issue fixed, and suggested to try oauth flow again - got the same results with requesting the old number access

11

Hey Mark, can u help me? old phone number, plus subscription, codex login, asked to verify old number after MFA with app authenticator

Case Number: 09682611

12

Screenshot 2026-06-08 at 18.29.06
Screenshot 2026-06-08 at 18.29.064136×1198 261 KB

good thing i actually created new account and will never ever use phone number
is there anyone who managed to actually change phone number and regain access to an account?
or that forum topic is a complete hallucination which gives hope to people who want restore access?

13

Locked out of Codex after upgrading to Pro — old phone number deactivated, need help

I’ve been a ChatGPT user since December 2022. Today I upgraded to Pro, and immediately hit a mandatory phone verification screen for Codex — a step that was never required before.

The problem: the phone number on my account (redacted) has been deactivated. I can’t receive the OTP, so I’m completely locked out.

I’ve already submitted a support ticket. Posting here in case anyone has run into the same issue or knows a faster resolution path.

Has anyone successfully recovered account access without the original phone number? Any workaround appreciated.

14

same issue. Ticket 10089952

15

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for advice or help escalating a Codex access issue.

Codex suddenly asks me to verify an old phone number that I no longer have access to. The same OpenAI account still logs into ChatGPT successfully, and it has an active Pro subscription.

I know OpenAI does not support changing the phone number directly, so I’m not asking for a normal phone-number change. I need help understanding how to recover Codex access or complete verification another secure way.

Case Number: 10026092

Has anyone experienced this Codex-specific verification issue, or can someone from OpenAI help route this to the right team?

16

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for advice or help escalating a Codex access issue.

Codex suddenly asks me to verify an old phone number that I no longer have access to. The same OpenAI account still logs into ChatGPT successfully, and it has an active Pro subscription.

I know OpenAI does not support changing the phone number directly, so I’m not asking for a normal phone-number change. I need help understanding how to recover Codex access or complete verification another secure way.
**Case Number:**10097342

18

the same issue, Case Number: 10126323

19

I’m still experiencing this issue.

I can access ChatGPT normally on devices that were already connected and still have access to my email and Google Authenticator 2FA, but logging in on Codex or ChatGPT is requiring SMS verification to an old phone number I no longer have access to.

I have an active ChatGPT Pro subscription with 5x Codex access, but I’m currently unable to use Codex because of this verification issue.

I submitted a support request through the Help Center and emailed support@openai.com as suggested.

Case number: 10140016

20

Exact same issue after subscription to a business plan. Case number: 10038685

21

case number 10128733, got unhelpful response. i have MFA activated but it wants to send sms to old phone number for codex login only.