I’m having difficulty transferring the accounts from the app on the old phone to the new one.

Question

When activating the app on the new phone, not all the accounts that were set up on the old phone were transferred, even though I had enabled a backup. I kindly ask for your assistance.

Answer 1

Hi @Othman Ali  ,

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum. It seems you're having trouble transferring accounts from the app on your old phone to your new one. I know this is incredibly inconvenient, and I completely understand your concern. Let's find the best way forward. 

Regarding your accounts on Microsoft Authenticator, you had enabled backup on your old device, please try the following steps: 

• Open the Authenticator app on your restored phone.  
• On the welcome screen, tap "Begin Recovery" or "Restore from backup".  
• Sign in using the "exact same personal Microsoft account" (or iCloud account) you used on your old device.  
• If a valid backup is found, the app will prompt you to restore your saved accounts.  

For more detailed instructions, you can find them here: Back up account credentials in Microsoft Authenticator - Microsoft Support. 

Please note:  

• If you enabled backup, then added some new accounts to Authenticator without activating backup again or ensuring the backup was updated, these new accounts won't be included in the backup.  Please go into the Microsoft Authenticator app on your old device and back it up again.
• You can only backup and restore on the same type of device, meaning accounts backed up with an iOS device cannot be restored on an Android device.  
• Do not delete the Microsoft Authenticator app on your old phone until you are certain that all accounts have been transferred or successfully set up on the new phone. 
• If you've already signed into any accounts, you need to sign out of all accounts in Microsoft Authenticator on the new phone, then uninstall and reinstall the app, and then try the "Restore from backup" step again." 

Important Note When Transferring Authenticator Accounts 

Keep in mind that the recovery instructions only help you transfer some backed-up accounts from your old phone to your new one. They don't automatically set up MFA for all accounts on the new device. 

Once the transfer is complete, you should: 

• "Delete the transferred accounts from Authenticator on your old phone" to ensure security. 
• "Set up MFA for each account" directly on your new phone. 

This might take a little time, but it's essential to secure your accounts on your new device. We understand this may be inconvenient, and we appreciate your patience. 

Hopefully, this helps clarify your situation and guides you in transferring your accounts. Please ask if you have any other questions. I'm always here and ready to help you with anything. 

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