My Authenticator app only works on my old phone, how do I transfer it to my new phone?

Question

My app is only working on my old phone and I can not figure out how to transfer it to make it work on my new phone.

Answer 1

Dear @Megan Smith,

Thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A forum.

I understand that you’re looking to transfer your Microsoft Authenticator app from your old phone to your new phone but aren’t sure how to proceed. I’m happy to guide you through it. The most important thing to remember is not to delete the app or wipe your old phone until you have confirmed that the new phone is successfully receiving notifications and generating codes.

The transfer process depends on whether you are using a personal Microsoft account or a work/school account. Please follow these steps:

1.For personal Accounts (Cloud Backup)

If you use your Authenticator app for personal accounts (like @outlook.com or @gmail.com), you can use the built-in backup and recovery feature.

On your OLD phone:

• Open the Authenticator app.
• Tap the menu icon (three dots or lines) and select Settings.
• Scroll down to the Backup section.
• On Android: Turn on Cloud backup.
• On iPhone: Turn on iCloud backup.
• Ensure your backup is linked to a personal Microsoft account you can access.

On your NEW phone:

• Install the Microsoft Authenticator app.
• Open the app and do not sign in immediately.
• Look for the link at the bottom of the screen that says Begin recovery or Restore from backup.
• Sign in using the same personal Microsoft account you used for the backup on your old phone.

For reference: Back up your accounts in Microsoft Authenticator - Microsoft Support

2: Work or School Accounts (Manual Re-registration)

Many organizations disable the cloud backup feature for security reasons. For these accounts, you must re-register the new phone through your organization's security portal.

1. On a computer, log in to your Security Info page.
2. Select Add sign-in method and choose Authenticator app.
3. On your new phone, open the Authenticator app, tap the plus (+) icon, and select Work or school account.
4. Choose Scan QR code and point your phone at the computer screen.
5. Once the new phone is verified, you can delete the old phone entry from that same Security Info page.

For reference: How to add your accounts to Microsoft Authenticator - Microsoft Support

Once you have verified that the new phone is working, you should remove the old device from your account settings to ensure that login notifications are only sent to your active phone.

I hope this information is helpful. Please follow these steps and let me know if it works for you. If not, we can work together to resolve this. Thank you for your patience and understanding. If you have any questions or need further assistance, please feel free to share them in the comments so I can continue to support you. I'm looking forward to your reply.

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Answer 2

To transfer your Microsoft Authenticator app from your old phone to your new phone, follow these steps:

1. Set up recovery settings on your old device:
   • Open the Microsoft Authenticator app on your old phone.
   • Go to Settings and enable iCloud backup. This will back up your account credentials to your iCloud account.
2. Prepare your new device:
   • On your new phone, download and install the Microsoft Authenticator app from the App Store.
3. Restore your backup on the new device:
   • Open the Authenticator app on your new phone and tap Begin recovery.
   • Sign in with the same personal Microsoft account you used for the backup on your old phone.
   • Follow the prompts to restore your allowed MFA credentials and saved passwords.
4. Enable phone sign-in (optional but recommended):
   • After restoring, you can set up phone sign-in for easier access in the future.

Make sure not to remove the Authenticator app from your old device until you have successfully set it up on your new device. If you have any issues, refer to your IT support for assistance.