I have authentication issue with Microsoft Authenticator (authenticator asking for authentication).

Jaehyeon Park 20 Reputation points
2026-04-02T16:51:06.9233333+00:00

So, I tried to register this account to MS Authenticator, and it's insane that Authenticator requires ANOTHER authentication from the same app, which seems like an infinite loop of authentication. I have no clue how to solve this issue. My supervisor who is the administrator of company's account have no idea how to solve it, and he said I'm the only one that had issue like this until now. Is there any way to solve this? I've tried everything and still couldn't figure it out.

Moved from: Microsoft Security | Microsoft Authenticator

Microsoft 365 and Office | Subscription, account, billing | For business | Other
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Answer accepted by question author
Helen Luu 2,295 Reputation points Independent Advisor
2026-04-03T10:31:43.27+00:00

Hi Jaehyeon Park,

Based on your description, it appears that you are experiencing a multi-factor authentication issue where the sign-in process repeatedly loops and prompts you to authenticate from another account within the same app.

Could you please confirm whether the additional authentication prompt you are receiving is associated with a personal account or a different work or school account?

Additionally, you may ask your supervisor to check your account details in the Microsoft Entra admin center by following these steps:

  1. Search for your user account and navigate to the Properties tab.
  2. Review the details under Contact Information > Email / Other emails to verify whether the listed email address matches the account receiving the MFA notifications

Please also ask your supervisor to reset your authenticator settings by:

  • Going to Authentication methods
  • Choose Revoke sessions
  • Then, selecting Require re-register multifactor authentication (as shown in the referenced screenshot)

Before setting up the authenticator again, please ensure that the existing account is removed from the Microsoft Authenticator app.

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Feel free to let me know if you have any further concern or update on this issue. Looking forward to hearing from you.

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  1. AI answer

    2026-04-02T16:51:24.18+00:00

    This loop happens when the only verification method on the account is Microsoft Authenticator itself, so adding or re‑adding the account to Authenticator keeps asking for a code from the same app.

    To break the loop, an admin must reset or change the MFA methods for the user in Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD) so that sign‑in can be completed using a different method, then Authenticator can be set up again.

    Steps for the company administrator (supervisor or another Entra/M365 admin):

    1. Sign in to the Microsoft Entra admin center (https://entra.microsoft.com) with an admin account that can complete MFA.
    2. Go to Users → All users, select the affected user.
    3. Open Authentication methods for that user.
    4. Use Require re‑register multifactor authentication (or equivalent option) to reset the user’s MFA registration.
    5. Ensure there is at least one alternative method available (for example, SMS, voice call, or another app/method) so the user can complete sign‑in without needing the existing Authenticator registration.
    6. Have the user sign in again. They should now be prompted to set up MFA from scratch and can add Microsoft Authenticator by scanning the QR code.

    If the affected user is the only global admin and no other admin can sign in to reset MFA, the tenant must be recovered by Microsoft’s Data Protection team via a support case, as described in the referenced Q&A threads. In that case, the admin should:

    1. Call the regional Microsoft customer service phone number from Customer service phone numbers - Microsoft Support and clearly state:
      • The issue is with Authenticator and MFA.
      • The product is Office 365/Microsoft 365 for business.
      • It is a company account.
      • The caller is the only administrator and is locked out due to Authenticator.
    2. Ask to open a service request with the Data Protection team to reset the admin’s MFA methods.
    3. If phone support is hard to reach, create a temporary trial Microsoft 365 tenant, go to its Admin Center → Support → Help & support, and open a ticket explaining that access is needed to a different, existing tenant where the admin is locked out by MFA.

    Once MFA is reset and at least one alternative method is configured, the infinite Authenticator loop stops, and the account can be added to Microsoft Authenticator normally.

    References:

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

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