Try another verification method - phone verification not working

Question

I have had an account for a number of years which I have failed to long into yesterday - after repeated failed password attempts I have tried to use forgotten password.

I have 2 factor authentication turned on which normally isnt an issue.

1. I do NOT have access the the authenticator app - can not sue this option
2. I CAN access the email to get an authentication code and this method works
3. I can NOT get a code to my mobile number as I repeatedly get the message 'Try another verification method That verification method isnt working right now' message.

Because the mobile number does not work I can not get into my account.

Does anybody know why this is happening as I have today and yesterday recieved text messages from microsoft regarding the same account ie when recovering the username so I know for certain it is the correct phone number.

How can I get around this?

Thanks.

Answer 1

Hello @Matthew

Welcome to the Microsoft Q&A Platform, and thank you for reaching out. I hope you are doing well.

I understand you’re experiencing trouble logging into your account. It appears that receiving a code via email works for MFA, but the SMS option to your phone number is not functioning.

Since you received text messages when recovering your username, it seems your phone number is correctly registered.

To confirm, is the login issue occurring only when using SMS for verification?

Please follow the steps below to check which authentication methods are registered to your account.

1. Visit My Sign-Ins | Security Info | Microsoft.com. You will be prompted to log in with your credentials. After entering your account details and password, a page will open as shown in the picture below.
2. In the Security Info tab, review the available sign-in methods for your account.
3. Please verify that your phone number is correctly registered to your account.
4. If possible, remove the existing number and try adding it again.
5. I also recommend adding Microsoft Authenticator as a sign-in method for your account.
6. To add a new sign-in method, select "Add sign-in Option" as shown in the screenshot above and follow the on Screen instructions.

This method allows you to view and update the security information for your account.

If you have any questions, please let me know. Thank you.