How do I enter the Authenticator Code if Authenticator app is already open due to sign-in?

Question

Signing in to Teams on mobile opens the Authenticator app. The 2 digit code is then displayed without a prompt to input code. If I close the app and open it back up I can approve login attempt but teams does not sign in and I loop into the same actions again. Same issue with outlook on mobile device.

Answer 1

Hi @Emily Wood,

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum, and I’m sorry to hear you're having trouble accessing your account due to Microsoft Authenticator app.

To help us better assist you, could you please clarify the following:

• Does the problem occur when you try signing in to Teams or Outlook on your laptop or desktop computer? This will help us determine whether the issue is device-specific or account-related.

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In the meantime, if you are using a work or school account, please refer to the following steps intended for end-users. Should you be an administrator addressing an Authenticator-related issue, kindly inform me so that I can provide guidance tailored to administrative role.

If your account is a personal one (e.g., emails ending with hotmail.com, outlook.com), please let me know so I can provide the correct instructions or connect you with the right team.

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If you are using a work or school email address, the MFA settings are managed by your IT department. For assistance with recovering access to your account, you will need to contact them directly to resolve this. 

Please contact your company's IT Help Desk or support team and explain the situation. Specifically ask them to “Reset my password and my MFA settings or allow me to re-register for MFA". This is a standard request, and your IT team should be able to assist you with it.

You can also share the steps in this Microsoft article for them so they can help reset your password and your MFA settings for you Manage user authentication methods for Microsoft Entra multifactor authentication.

Once your company's IT admin has reset your MFA, the next time you log in to your account, you will be guided through the process of setting up the Microsoft Authenticator app again from the beginning by scanning a QR code. This will break the loop and allow you to access your account normally with your phone device. 

Please note that forum moderators do not have access to user account settings and cannot assist with logging in, resetting passwords, or changing access rights. While we do not have access to internal systems or administrative tools required to resolve account-specific or backend-related issues but we’ll continue doing our best to support you within the scope of our responsibilities.   

If you have any updates, feel free to leave a comment under this post. I’ll be happy to assist further. 

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding in resolving this matter.

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