Cannot log into Admin account due to Authenticator issue

Question

Hi there,

I need to manually pay an invoice but cannot access my Admin Centre. After changing my phone I need to add my Microsoft account to my Authenticator App but I have been unable to do so. I opened a ticket with Microsoft support and have now been on hold for 2hrs 50mins.

Two questions:

1. Does anybody know how I can fix this, other than waiting for Microsoft to answer the phone and
2. Has anyone had a worse customer experience than dealing with Microsoft? I guess this is what happens when a monopoly already has your money, they're utterly uninterested in helping. Shameful and infuriating.

Answer 1

Hi @Paul Barnsley,

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum.

Thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. I understand the urgency of your situation and the inconvenience caused by the inability to access your Admin Center following the change of your mobile device.

Restoring access requires engagement with the Data Protection team, as they are the only team authorized to perform MFA resets and administrator account recovery. This process is designed to ensure proper identity verification and compliance with security protocols, and the team can only be reached through a support ticket, which guarantees secure handling of your case.

In relation to your current experience, the extended wait time is likely due to high demand and the thorough security checks required for these sensitive operations. These measures are in place to protect your organization’s data. Once you have created a support ticket, please be assured that it is already in the system and will be processed by the appropriate team.

Since you have already opened a support ticket, the next step involves the Data Protection team conducting internal checks and gathering the necessary information. Once this step is complete, they will contact you to verify and confirm that you are the legitimate owner of the tenant. Following successful verification, the case will be escalated to a higher-level team to perform the MFA reset for your Global Admin account.

This process involves multiple security validations and therefore requires some time. We kindly ask for your patience and understanding, as these measures are essential to safeguard your organization’s data.

Please note that forum moderators do not have access to user account settings and cannot assist with logging in, resetting passwords, or changing access rights. While we do not have access to internal systems or administrative tools required to resolve account-specific or backend-related issues, we’ll continue doing our best to support you within the scope of our responsibilities.   

I hope this clarifies the process and provides reassurance that your case is progressing. Please feel free to reach out if you have any further questions or need additional assistance.

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