What is the difference between Multi Factor Authentification in Microsoft Entra and the Microsoft Authenticator App

Question

Hello, i received an email today that i need to enable MFA for my tenant till october 15, with that i would like to ask what is the difference between enabling the MFA for my tenant and the Microsoft Authenticator app that i downloaded and linked to my tenant users account during these past few months. Because atleast 20 users already have this Authenticator setup but when i went into multi-factor authentication in azure active directory nobody had it enabled there and i would like to know if these things are related to each other or of the Authenticator App doesnt mean the users have the MFA enabled.

Answer 1

Hello Juraj Kosa,

Thank you for posting your query in the Microsoft Q&A Community.

Microsoft Authenticator app and enabling MFA in Entra ID are related but distinct concepts. Let me break it down:

Microsoft Authenticator App is a tool for multi-factor authentication (MFA). When users set up the app, they link their accounts to it, which allows them to approve sign-in requests (via push notifications) or generate time-based one-time passcodes (TOTP). However, just having the app linked to an account does not mean MFA is enforced for that user.

When you enable MFA, you're configuring your tenant to enforce additional authentication methods (like the Microsoft Authenticator app) when users sign in. This is the actual enforcement mechanism that ensures users need to provide a second form of authentication (like a code from the Authenticator app) in addition to their username and password.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/entra/identity/authentication/tutorial-enable-azure-mfa

As MFA is a requirement by October 15, you will need to ensure that it’s enabled and enforced at the tenant. The Microsoft Authenticator app is just one of the tools your users can use for MFA once it is set to required.

Let me know if further assistance is needed.

Babafemi