My business account isn't recognised, and the authenticator app is stuck in an infinite loop, so cannot access any of my Microsoft products - reset options don't work because of the authenticator issue,

Question

My business account isn't recognised, and the authenticator app is stuck in an infinite loop, so cannot access any of my Microsoft products - reset options don't work because of the authenticator issue. Weirdly, I can still see my outlook email on my phone via the Apple mail account, but appears to be no way to access Word, account management etc.

Answer 1

How do I contact data protection support team?

Answer 2

Hi @Iain M,

Thank you for posting on Microsoft Q&A forum and I'm sorry to hear you're having trouble logging into your work account.

Based on what you described, the problem occurs because the Microsoft Authenticator app is currently the primary method for verifying your identity, and if it is stuck in a loop, you cannot complete the sign-in process. This also explains why reset options are not working, as they require successful authentication.

The reason you can still access Outlook email on your phone is that the Apple Mail app uses an existing cached token or connection, which does not require re-authentication. However, accessing other Microsoft services like Word or account management requires a fresh sign-in, which is blocked by the authenticator loop.

With that in mind, regarding your situation, please kindly follow these steps to help regain access to your work account.

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Scenario 1. You're an admin or an end-user in your organization 

Please check to see if there are other IT admins in your organization who can help you with the reset MFA for your account and share with them the steps outlined in the article Manage user authentication methods for Microsoft Entra multifactor authentication. This will help them assist you in resetting your MFA settings and restoring access to your account.

 

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Scenario 2. You are the only admin

In this situation, the Microsoft Data Protection Team has tools and processes in place to verify identity and regain access to administrator accounts. You can try reaching out to our Global Customer Service phone to raise a request for resetting your authentication method here: Customer service phone numbers - Microsoft Support.

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.   

Here are some tips and an example of a prompt to help you navigate the IVR more effectively:     

IVR: What kind of problem are you concerned about?   

You: Authenticator.   

A: What products do you use?

B: Office 365 for business.

Verification: Education or company account?

B: For companies

A: Are you an administrator?

B: Yes.

A: Are there any other administrators in your organization?

B: No.

IVR: Do you need a... Service request?

You: Yes. I need to create a ticket. Please send me directly to the Data Protection Team.

 

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• As an alternative, you can create a new tenant account and submit your request from there.

To set up a new tenant, please follow these steps:

Visit Microsoft 365 Business Plans and Pricing | Microsoft 365. This would allow you to create a new tenant following the prompts provided. Once set up, you can access the admin console of the new tenant and submit a support ticket requesting to speak with the Data Protection team on behalf of your previous tenant.

Follow the guided setup process to create a new account for a new tenant.

Once your tenant is created, you should be able to access the support portal and submit your ticket referencing your locked account without further issues.

In your ticket description, you'll need to clearly explain that you're trying to regain access to your previous Microsoft 365 tenant and need help from the Data Protection team. Here's a message you can use or adapt:

"Hello, I’m currently unable to access my previous Microsoft 365 tenant due to losing MFA access, which prevents me from receiving verification codes. I’m the global admin, but I’m locked out and unable to generate a QR code or bypass MFA.

I created this new tenant solely to request assistance. I kindly ask to be connected with the Data Protection team to verify my identity and help me recover access to the original tenant.

This is urgent, as I rely on Microsoft 365 for my work and have been unable to operate for several days. I’m available to provide any documentation or verification needed to support the recovery process."

Ticket Support: In the Microsoft 365 Admin Center > Support > Help & Support.

Please remember to cancel the trial subscription once your issue is resolved to avoid any unintended charges.

I hope this helps you regain access to your account quickly. I'm glad to assist and truly hope the information provided has been useful. Please feel free to reach out anytime if you need further assistance.

If you find my post helpful, kindly consider marking it as the accepted answer. Doing so can assist others in the community who may have similar questions in finding solutions more quickly.

Thank you for your kindness and contributions to the forum.

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