MFA enabled, lost phone, cant authenticate using verification code

Question

Hi - I have lost access to my account <Mod remove PII> @ .onmicrosoft.com

I have had the MFA enabled on it and lost my phone and I cant now login to the account

Answer 1

Hi @mariamfatima,

Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum.  

Thank you for reaching out and letting us know about the difficulty you’re facing accessing your account after losing your phone. I understand how difficult this can be, especially with MFA enabled.

This issue commonly occurs when your Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) settings need to be reset, particularly after changing devices or reinstalling the Microsoft Authenticator app. Since your new device hasn’t been configured with the Authenticator yet, you're currently unable to access your account. The app remains linked to your previous device, which is why you're not receiving the authentication codes.  

Scenario 1: If you are an end user within a Microsoft 365 tenant 

Since you are using a work or school email address, the MFA settings are managed by your organization's IT department. For assistance with resetting or updating your MFA, you will need to contact them directly to resolve this.    

Please contact your organization's IT Help Desk or support team and explain the situation. You can say: "I am stuck in a login loop between Microsoft Office and the Microsoft Authenticator app. I cannot get the code to sign in."    

Specifically ask them to “Reset my MFA settings or allow me to re-register for MFA". This is a standard request, and your organization's IT team should be able to assist you with it.    

You can also share the steps in this Microsoft article for them so they can help reset your MFA settings for you Manage user authentication methods for Microsoft Entra multifactor authentication.   

Once your organization's in has reset your MFA, the next time you log in to your account, you will be guided through the process of setting up the Microsoft Authenticator app again from the beginning by scanning a QR code. This will break the loop and allow you to access your account normally.    

 

Scenario 2:  If you are the sole administrator of your tenant and currently have no access   

Since you are the sole Global Administrator for the tenant, please follow the steps below to complete the account recovery process and regain access: 

  

Option 1: Contact Microsoft Data Protection Support by Phone (Primary Method)    

To regain access to your admin account as you can't access the Admin Portal, 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. During the call, request to speak to an agent, and share with them every detail related to your query and also mention that you are the only admin lost access to your account. This should allow you to contact the appropriate team so you can solve this incident as soon as possible.   

  

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

In some countries, it is an automated conversation like:   

IVR: What kind of problem are you concerned about?         

You: Authenticator.         

IVR: What kind of product do you use?         

You: Office 365 for business.         

IVR confirmation: education or company account?         

You: For companies         

IVR: Are you an administrator?         

You: Yes.         

IVR: Do you have another administrator in your organization?         

You: No.         

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

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

   

Option 2: Create a Temporary Account (Trial Tenant) to Submit a Support Ticket (Alternative Method)   

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 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.       

 

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.  

May you and your family have a festive Christmas and an amazing start to the New Year. 

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