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MSFT Authenticator is on my old phone, so I'm locked out of O365

Robin Bernhard 0 Reputation points
2026-06-03T22:35:04.47+00:00

Hello All,

I have a subscription to Office 365 Business. I traded in an old phone that apparently had my MSFT Authenticator on it. Now I seem be locked out of my own account. Every time I put in my password, the next step is verification via MSFT Authenticator... which I can't get on my new phone. When I say that I don't have access, it only gives me the option to go to MSFT Authenticator... so I'm stuck. Help???

Microsoft 365 and Office | Subscription, account, billing | For business | Android
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  1. Teddie-D 16,885 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-06-03T23:20:29.5466667+00:00

    Hi @Robin Bernhard

    According to your situation, since you are the only Global Administrator and you are completely locked out from the tenant. So, only Microsoft Support team can help you in this MFA issue. You might need to contact us via phone service number: Customer service phone numbers - Microsoft Support. The agent will be able to create a ticket for you under the affected tenant and then transfer this ticket to Data Protection team who could help you to regain access.  

    When a call is made to support, the first step is to provide an automated voice response from AI. Be careful, you won't be able to speak to a support representative if you don't respond appropriately here. 

    Here's an example of a response that actually led to a support representative. Please refer to it:

    Q. Can you tell me if you are calling as a home user who uses a product or service at home or a business user who uses it in your business to provide the best assistance? 
A.I am a business user. 
Q. Thank you. Can you give me the details of your inquiry? 
A. Login technical support. 
Q. First of all, can you tell me which products you are inquiring about today? 
A. Microsoft 365 business Standard。 
Q. Please wait a moment, I understand Microsoft 365. Are you calling about a new case or an existing one? 
A. New. 
Q. To receive phone support, your phone number must be associated with your Microsoft 365 admin profile. To do this, go to aka.ms/m365profile. Again, it aka.ms/m365profile . This can take 48 hours. In the meantime, you can go to aka.ms/m365profile and file a case online. If you prefer, you can also text the link to the phone number you are calling. What do you think? 
A. The phone number is already linked to the link. 
Q. Can you tell me about the products in your inquiry? 
A. Microsoft 365 Business Standard. 
Q. Are you a Global Administrator? 
A. That's right. 
Q. I'm sorry. I didn't understand. Are you a global administrator for your domain? 
A. Yes, I am a global administrator for the domain. 
Q. If you have any inquiries, you can contact a Microsoft representative. Are you sure? 
A. Yes. Please. 
Q. Yes, I understand. Please wait a moment.

    Please note that this team is always overwhelmed, so you might need to wait for them to call you, this should take 3-10 working days. I know that this is not a convenient solution to hear but it seems to be the only way, and it's recommended that you should have a secondary/backup Global Administrator to fix this issue on your own.    

    In case the phone line is not supportive, you can consider directly submitting a support request as a helpful workaround:

    -Create a temporary Microsoft 365 tenant using a trial license: Go to Microsoft 365 Business Plans and Pricing and click Try for free to set up a temporary Microsoft 365 tenant with a trial license.    

    -Use this new account to sign in to the Microsoft 365 Admin Center and submit a support request on behalf of your primary (locked) account.   

    -Click Help & Support > then choose Create a support request.    

    Note: This method doesn't require you to use your new account for your business. Instead, it allows you to create a temporary global administrator account so you can submit a support request, as your original global administrator account is locked out due to issues with multi-factor authentication. The trial account is free for one month. Be sure to delete it after submitting your support request to avoid any automatic renewals or charges from Microsoft.     

    For further instructions, you can follow this guide: Get support - Microsoft 365 admin | Microsoft Learn.   

    I appreciate your understanding and patience in this matter. While I truly want to assist you, this issue is beyond the scope of my role as a forum moderator. I do not have access to internal databases or the ability to escalate cases directly to Microsoft’s internal teams. Therefore, please kindly contact the Microsoft Support team for the most efficient help.   

    If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" 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.  

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  2. Robin Bernhard 0 Reputation points
    2026-06-03T23:03:28.28+00:00

    I don't want an AI answer. I need to speak to a human according to MSFT's own support.

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  3. Robin Bernhard 0 Reputation points
    2026-06-03T23:02:08.7266667+00:00

    If there is no other administrator (only one global admin on the tenant), Microsoft’s Data Protection team must intervene:

    I need a number to call.

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  4. AI answer

    2026-06-03T22:35:30.88+00:00

    Because the only verification method configured is Microsoft Authenticator on the old phone, the account is effectively locked behind that factor.

    Use the following options based on the type of account and role:

    1. If this is a work or school (business) account and there is another admin
      1. Contact the organization’s Microsoft 365/Entra ID administrator.
      2. The admin signs in to the Microsoft Entra admin center (https://entra.microsoft.com).
      3. Go to Users → All users → [your user] → Authentication methods.
      4. Select Require re-register multifactor authentication. This clears the existing MFA registration.
      5. Next sign-in will prompt to set up MFA again and allow adding Microsoft Authenticator on the new phone.
    2. If this is a work or school account and there is no alternative sign-in method configured
      • When prompted for verification, if there is no “Sign in another way” option or no other methods work, MFA cannot be completed.
      • If there is another global admin in the tenant, that admin must reset MFA as above.
      • If there is no other administrator (only one global admin on the tenant), Microsoft’s Data Protection team must intervene:
        1. Call Microsoft’s global customer service using the numbers listed under Customer service phone numbers - Microsoft Support.
        2. When the IVR asks for the problem, state “Authenticator” and that this is Office 365 for business, company account, and that the caller is the only administrator.
        3. Ask to create a service request and be routed to the Data Protection team to reset the admin’s MFA.
        4. Be prepared to verify identity and tenant ownership.
    3. If support is hard to reach (only-admin scenario)
      • Create a temporary trial tenant using a Microsoft 365 business/enterprise trial.
      • Sign in to the new tenant’s admin center and open a support ticket.
      • In the ticket, clearly state that access is needed to a different existing tenant where the caller is the only global admin and is locked out due to Microsoft Authenticator on a lost/old phone.
      • Ask support to escalate to the Data Protection team for MFA reset on the original tenant.

    Once Data Protection or another admin resets MFA, sign in again and:

    1. Complete the new MFA registration.
    2. Add Microsoft Authenticator on the new phone.
    3. Optionally add a backup method (phone/SMS) so there is an alternative if the phone is lost again.

    References:

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

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