I have lost my old phone.how can I restore all my accounts In I have lost my old phone.how can I restore all my accounts In my new phone Authenticator app

Question

I have lost my old phone.how can I restore all my accounts In Microsoft authenticator app in my new phone

Answer 1

Hi @Sai Harika Kanakatla

I understand that losing your phone and needing to restore your accounts in the Microsoft Authenticator app on a new device can be a very stressful and urgent situation. Please know that we are here to provide clear guidance to help you through this. 

Here's how you can recover or set up your accounts on your new Authenticator app: 

If you had cloud backup enabled 

If you previously set up cloud backup for your Authenticator app on your old device, you can restore your accounts directly to your new phone: 

• Install the Authenticator app: Download and install the Microsoft Authenticator app on your new device from your app store. 
• Begin recovery: Open the app and when you first launch it, do not proceed with adding accounts manually. Instead, look for and tap the option such as Restore from backup or Begin recovery. 
• Sign in: Use the same Microsoft account you used for the backup on your old device. 
• Restore accounts: After signing in, your accounts will be restored automatically. Some accounts may require additional verification for security. 

If backup was not enabled 

If cloud backup was not turned on, accounts cannot be restored automatically. In this case, you will need to manually re-add each account to your new Authenticator app. This involves visiting the security settings of each individual online service. 

1. Access each account's security settings:  

• For your Microsoft Account(s): Go to account.microsoft.com/security. Sign in, then find Advanced security options or Two-step verification. Proceed to remove your old Authenticator app entry. 
• For all other accounts: Log in to each specific service's website. Go to their security settings or two-factor authentication (2FA) settings. 

2. Set up new authenticator link:  

• In each account's security settings (Microsoft or others), look for an option to Add a new way to sign in; Set up Authenticator app or Change authenticator app.
• This will typically provide a new QR code. Scan this QR code using the Authenticator app on your new device. 
• Complete any remaining steps to link the new app and activate 2FA for that account on your new device. 

To prevent this issue from occurring again and to ensure seamless access to your accounts, we strongly recommend the following: 

• Enable Backup: To prevent this issue in the future, please enable backup on your new device. 
• Update Recovery Info: Review and update your security info (like recovery phone numbers or email addresses) for all your connected accounts. 
• Save Backup Codes: Whenever a service provides backup codes during 2FA setup, download or write them down and keep them in a safe, offline place. These are your emergency keys. 

We understand this process requires patience, but following these steps will help you regain control of your important online accounts. If you have any questions or need further assistance at any step, please don’t hesitate to ask.

---

If you found this response helpful, please consider selecting "Accept Answer" and giving it an upvote. Should you have any further questions or require clarification, feel free to click "Comment" to continue the discussion. 

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. 

Answer 2

Generally a restore will recovery the account, but the phone is not authorized. Typically you would use your old phone or alternate authentication to authorize the new phone. As you lost your old phone, and probably did not setup alternate authentication, you will need to go thru password recovery for each account. All the accounts will have a different methods to verify you and restore your account. for each account login via the browser, and follow the forgot password flow.