Fix Microsoft Authenticator APP - Got new phone - please delete old phone for access with new phone

Question

Hi,

Hope you're doing well.

I've been in touch with 2 Microsoft employees who was unable to help me with this issue. Actually spent 1 hour to be redirected to a forum. Great help in wasting my time indeed. One of the worlds biggest companies and specifically the Authenticator - an app specializing in security requires to me post here. Sorry, don't mean to be negative but I can't avoid ranting about this.

Anyway, sorry you had to personally go through that. It's not your fault but please make it easier for people in the future. The case is the following: I recently bought a new phone and traded my old one in, factory reset and all. Logged into both business and personal mail onto it - no problem. Numbers change every 30 sec but it doesn't work - neither does the 2-digit code. Still, I strongly believe that the Authenticator app still thinks the code have to be sent to my old phone. This causes me to not log in to work-related apps and causing me trouble every day. I've been asking my boss to do something about it but he inquired with IT-dep and it falls on the app. Like I asked the two other guys', can you please just delete my old phone so I can make room for my new one. It seems like a real easy problem to fix which has cost me hours and frustration. I've been on forums and tried so many solutions but none take me through. Please, in my final effort of fixing this, can you do me this simple favor? I also read that you need to deactivate the old phone before you factory reset and sell it. I don't even have the phone anymore but there must be a way to fix this without it. Like I said, I strongly believe in the delete old phone solution so please try that.

Best,

Nikolai Sissener

Answer 1

Sounds like you'll need the work admins to reset the account so a new QR code can be generated with which you can relink the authentication device to your account.

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Answer 2

You can restore from an authenticator cloud 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

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