Authentication Loop

Question

I am stuck in an Authenticator App loop and can not get support from anywhere. I am just trying to login and cancel any subscription on the account.

When I try to log in, it sends a code to the authenticator app which asks me to send a code to the authenticator app again to log in. . .so there is no way to log in. I just want to talk to someone in billing and cancel it. I haven't used the account for 2 years, but I am still getting charged.

Any ideas? All routes have lead to AI agents or being put on hold until they hang up on me.
Thanks!

Answer 1

Hi,

Good day and I’m sorry to hear about the difficulties you’re experiencing.  Based on your sharing, in this situation your Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) settings need to be reset so you can set up the Authenticator app again from the beginning. 

Depend on whether your account is a personal Microsoft or a work/school account, please follow these steps:

<For a personal account>

When you get to the verification step through Authenticator during sign-in, try choosing a different method by clicking "I can't use my Microsoft Authenticator app right now," and then select a different verification option (such as a text message, phone call, alternate email address, or saved backup code).

Please note that if two-step verification is enabled and none of the alternative verification methods are available, Microsoft support agents won't be able to help you recover the account in this case. To protect your account and the data it contains, support agents can't send password reset links or access or change account information for you.

<For business account>

In this case, the guidance will be different depending on whether you are an end-user or an IT administrator.

To move forward, please follow the appropriate scenario below: 

Scenario 1: If you are an end-user or not the only admin 

Please check to see if there are other IT admins in your company who can help you with the reset MFA for your account and share with them the steps outlined in the article Manage user authentication methods for Microsoft Entra multifactor authentication. This process usually only takes a couple of minutes.  

Once finished, the next time you sign in, you will be prompted to set up Microsoft Authenticator again from the beginning, and verification codes should be delivered normally. If appropriate, you may also ask the administrator to add an additional authentication method, such as SMS or email, to help ensure continued access in the future.  

In case you do not know who is your IT admin, kindly refer to this article: How do I find my Microsoft 365 admin? - Microsoft Support   

Scenario 2: If you are only admin 

If you are the sole administrator, in this situation, the Microsoft Data Protection Team has tools and processes in place to verify identity and regain access to administrator accounts.  

Since you have contacted Phone Support but you still cannot reach a live agent, there is still a workaround, you might consider registering for a new tenant by signing up for a trial subscription. 

To set up a new tenant, please follow these steps: 

• Visit Microsoft 365 Business Plans and Pricing | Microsoft 365. This would allow you to create a new tenant following the prompts provided. Once set up, you can access the admin console of the new tenant and submit a support ticket requesting to speak with the Data Protection team on behalf of your previous tenant. 
• Follow the guided setup process to create a new account for a new tenant. 
• Once your tenant is created, you should be able to access the support portal and submit your ticket referencing your locked account without further issues. 
• To create a Support ticket: sign into Microsoft 365 Admin Center > Support > Help & Support. 

In your ticket description, you'll need to clearly explain that you're trying to regain access to your previous Microsoft 365 tenant and need help from the Data Protection team. Here's a message you can use or adapt: 

"Hello, I’m currently unable to access my previous Microsoft 365 tenant due to losing MFA access, which prevents me from receiving verification codes. I’m the global admin, but I’m locked out and unable to generate a QR code or bypass MFA. 

I created this new tenant solely to request assistance. I kindly ask to be connected with the Data Protection team to verify my identity and help me recover access to the original tenant. 

This is urgent, as I rely on Microsoft 365 for my work and have been unable to operate for several days. I’m available to provide any documentation or verification needed to support the recovery process." 

Please remember to cancel the trial subscription after your issue is resolved, as this will help you avoid any accidental billing. You may prefer the following resource for detailed instructions: Cancel your Microsoft business subscription in the Microsoft 365 admin center | Microsoft Learn 

I hope this helps you regain access to your account quickly. I'm glad to assist and truly hope the information provided has been useful. Please feel free to reach out anytime if you need further assistance. 

Thank you for your kindness and contributions to the forum. 

---

If the answer is helpful, please click "Yes" and kindly upvote it. 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.