Reinstalled phone and now can't disable MFA and can't sign-in to my work account

Rick F 21 Reputation points
2022-10-20T22:50:45.997+00:00

hi all.. I’m the admin for a very small 2 person office and had the authenticator app on my phone and I had some issues a few months ago and re-installed it from scratch and now I can’t disable MFA and can’t get logged in regardless.. It always tells me to use my authenticator app but I can’t.

How the heck can I fix this?

Microsoft Entra ID
Microsoft Entra ID
A Microsoft Entra identity service that provides identity management and access control capabilities. Replaces Azure Active Directory.
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  1. Dave Patrick 418.3K Reputation points MVP
    2022-10-20T22:56:52.407+00:00

    You can restore from backup (assuming there was one) but make sure no accounts have been added to the newly install app. Then sign on with recovery account to do the restore.

    You can recover your account credentials from your cloud account, but you must first make sure that the account you're recovering doesn't exist in the Microsoft Authenticator app. For example, if you're recovering your personal Microsoft account, you must make sure you don't have a personal Microsoft account already set up in the authenticator app. This check is important so we can be sure we're not overwriting or erasing an existing account by mistake.
    https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/account-billing/back-up-and-recover-account-credentials-in-the-authenticator-app-bb939936-7a8d-4e88-bc43-49bc1a700a40

    --please don't forget to upvote and Accept as answer if the reply is helpful--

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  1. Rick F 21 Reputation points
    2022-10-25T06:00:38.493+00:00

    Sorry.. haven’t had the opportunity yet.. I’ll have to call I guess as nothing else seems to be working. Thx for the help tho

  2. Dave Patrick 418.3K Reputation points MVP
    2023-04-25T18:56:30.9666667+00:00

    If you are the only global admin on the account and are blocked entirely, you can reach out to the Azure Data Protection team to restore access. 866-807-5850

    Also, for the future, you can create an emergency access account (break glass) in Azure AD. This account will help prevent being accidentally locked out of your Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) organization because you can't sign in for any reason. https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/active-directory/roles/security-emergency-access

    Some other support options inclde; AzureSupport
    https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/global-customer-service-phone-numbers-c0389ade-5640-e588-8b0e-28de8afeb3f2
    azcommunity@microsoft.com

    recovery form
    https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/account-billing/help-with-the-microsoft-account-recovery-form-b19c02d1-a782-dee6-93c3-dc8113b20c42

    or creating a ticket through a different account: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/admin/get-help-support?view=o365-worldwide#phone-support