I can’t authenticate

Question

So I have the Authenticator app already installed for my work Microsoft account, it worked just fine. I am now having to create an account for my school account, I added account entered my email and password and then it takes me a “get code” screen. Where do I get that code from? I can’t fully log in and authenticate because of the “code” so how do I get past entering the code?

Answer 1

Hello,

Is this the first time you set up your school account, or you are setting up authentication on a new phone/reinstall of authentication app?

If it is a install on a new phone, you will need to get the code from the authentication app on the old phone. Your current authentication app for your school account is not "authenticated" yet, so you cannot use it to receive code yet.

If you no longer have access to the old phone, see if you have a trusted device you can go on, and go to https://myaccount.microsoft.com > Security. From there, add the authentication, and it should provide you the QR code to scan with the authentication app.

Otherwise, you need to contact school IT.

Microsoft does not directly manage organization users. Instead, each organization's IT administrator is responsible for managing its users according to its internal protocols.

You should contact your organization's IT support team. They need to reset your MFA for you in order for this to work. Once the reset is completed, follow these steps:

1. Open your web browser and navigate to https://myaccount.microsoft.com
2. Sign in to your account.
3. You will be prompted to set up MFA again.

If your organization's IT administrator requires guidance, they can follow these steps:

1. Sign in to the Microsoft Admin Center at https://admin.microsoft.com using their credentials.
2. Navigate to Users > Active Users in the left-hand menu.
3. Select the relevant user.
4. On the user card that appears on the right, scroll to the bottom and click Manage multifactor authentication.
5. On the MFA settings page, locate the user's name, select it, and click Manage user settings on the right.
6. In the pop-up box, check the first box and click Save.

This process will reset MFA for the user, allowing them to set it up again.

Answer 2

To authenticate your school account using the Microsoft Authenticator app, you should receive a verification code via the app itself. Here’s how you can proceed:

1. Open the Microsoft Authenticator app on your device.
2. If you have already added your school account to the app, you should see it listed there.
3. Tap on your school account, and the app should display a verification code.
4. Enter this code in the login screen where it asks for the code.

If you haven't added your school account to the Authenticator app yet, you will need to do so by following the prompts in the app to add a new account. You may need to scan a QR code or enter a setup key provided by your school.

If you are still having trouble, ensure that you have a stable internet connection and that notifications are enabled for the Authenticator app, as this can affect code delivery.

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References:

• Authentication methods in Microsoft Entra ID - Microsoft Authenticator app