authenticator problems

Question

i really need to talk to a person...i cant get into authenticator and when i try to sign in is asks me for a code within authenticator. which obviously i cant do

Answer 1

Hi @James Yates,

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum, and I’m sorry to hear you're having trouble signing in with your account due to Microsoft Authenticator.

To help us better assist you, could you please clarify the following:

• Have you previously set up the Microsoft Authenticator app on any device for this account, or is this your first time trying to sign in?   
• If so, are you currently using the same device where you originally registered the Authenticator app? Have you recently switched to a new device?
• Could you upload a screenshot illustrating what you see so I can better understand what occurs when you can’t access Authenticator?

While we wait for your response, here are the steps you can try to resolve the issue:

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As the account type has not been specified, I may not be able to provide an exact solution. If you are using a work account, please refer to the following steps. If your account is not a work or school account, kindly share your account type so I can provide the correct instructions or connect you with the right team.

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1/ Update the Authenticator App on your phone

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2/ Contact your IT admin

If you are an end-user or an admin in your company, please check to see if there are other IT admins 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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3/ Contact Microsoft Data Protection Support by phone

If you're 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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4/ Create a new tenant to submit a support ticket

If you still cannot reach to a live agent, there is still a workaround, you might consider registering for a new tenant by signing up for a trial subscription via this link 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.     

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

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 but we’ll continue doing our best to support you within the scope of our responsibilities.   

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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