Unable to access my 365 admin account

Maureen Mojabeng Direro 20 Reputation points
2026-01-26T09:09:52.8233333+00:00

Trying to play around my ms 365 admin portal with my tenant admin, having issues as I did a factory reset and now authentication is impossible as my phone does not have this account on authenticator app.

Microsoft 365 and Office | Subscription, account, billing | For business | Other
Answer accepted by question author
Daniel-Vo 8,000 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
2026-01-26T11:15:19.2233333+00:00

Dear Maureen Mojabeng Direro, 

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum. 

Based on your description, after performing a factory reset on your phone, you are now unable to authenticate because the Microsoft Authenticator app no longer contains your tenant admin account. This is a common scenario when MFA is enabled, and the authenticator device is reset or lost. 

In this tenant lockout scenario, I would need to redirect you to our Data Protection Team, as they are the only department with the appropriate tools and authority to help you regain access to your tenant. 

To raise a support ticket with the Data Protection Team, please try one of the approaches below:  

  • Please locate the appropriate support phone number for your country or region and contact Microsoft Support so the frontline team can raise a service request on your behalf: Customer service phone numbers   
  • When calling the support number, the experience may vary depending on your country or region:  
    • In some regions, you may hear an automated message for approximately 30 seconds. You can ignore this message and wait for the prompt, then select “1” for Business email user and “1” again for Technical support.  
    • In other regions, you may be guided through an automated conversation similar to the following:  
      • The system asks what issue you are experiencing → Authenticator  
      • Product in use → Office 365 for Business  
      • Account type → Company account  
      • Administrator status → Yes  
      • Are there other administrators in the organization? → No  
      • Proceed to create a service request → Yes  

 If you are unable to reach support by phone, you may create a temporary trial tenant to submit a support request for the block access tenant through the Microsoft 365 admin center. You can start with a trial license here: Microsoft 365 Business Plans and Pricing | Microsoft 365  

I do apologize for having to redirect you. As a Microsoft Q&A moderator, I have limited permissions and do not have access to internal systems required to reset MFA or restore tenant access. 

Thank you for your patience and understanding. I hope the information above is helpful. If you have any further questions, please feel free to reach out.

If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".   

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

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  1. AI answer

    2026-01-26T09:10:02.38+00:00

    If you're unable to access your Microsoft 365 admin account due to issues with the Microsoft Authenticator app after a factory reset, you can follow these steps to regain access:

    1. Contact Microsoft Support: Since you are the sole Global Administrator, you should reach out to Microsoft Data Protection Support by phone. Explain your situation and request a reset of your authentication method. Make sure to provide all relevant details about your account.
    2. Use the Automated Phone System: When calling, navigate through the automated system by indicating that you are a business user and need technical support. You may need to specify that you are the only administrator in your organization.
    3. Create a Temporary Account: If you cannot reach a live agent, consider signing up for a trial Microsoft 365 tenant. This will allow you to access the admin console of the new tenant and submit a support ticket requesting assistance for your original tenant.
    4. Alternative Verification Options: If you have set up other verification methods, try using those to access your account. You can also check if your mobile phone number is correctly set in your user account settings.

    Following these steps should help you regain access to your admin account.

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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