Adding a work account to MS authenticator app

Question

I am trying to add a work account to my authenticator app. After I enter my password, I get an approval sign in request to go to the authenticator to approve. Since I'm in the app. I can't respond. The same if I ask for a code. I can't answer in the app when I am trying to set up the account in the app. When I try to sign into my account on my pc it refers me to the authenticator app that I can't use yet. The same thing happens when I try to check my security settings. What alternative is there to approve the sign in request?

Answer 1

Hi @Tom Loper,      

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum.               

Regarding that you can't add your work account to the Microsoft Authenticator app. I’d like to ask a quick questions to better understand your situation and assist you effectively:      

Could you please clarify whether you are an end user or an admin?             

If you are an end user I would recommend you contact your account's Admin to reset your MFA settings through the Microsoft Entra Admin Center. Ask your administrator to follow these steps:                 

Revoke MFA sessions and require re-register in the Microsoft Entra admin center                

You could provide your admin this article for a better view: Manage authentication methods for Microsoft Entra multifactor authentication - Microsoft Entra ID |…              

If you’re unsure who the Global Admin is within your organization, you can find guidance on locating them here: How do I find my Microsoft 365 admin? - Microsoft Support.          

Please note that forum moderators have no control over user accounts, especially when it comes to logging in to your account, resetting your password, changing your access, etc.         

Thank you again for your time and understanding. While my initial response may not resolve the issue immediately, I’d like to gather more details about your situation so I can assist you more effectively.              

I really appreciate your patience, and I’m here to help. Looking forward to your response!                      

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Answer 2

To complete setup when the Authenticator app is also your current verification method, use an alternative verification method or complete registration from the Security info page instead of starting inside the app.

Use these approaches:

1. Start from the Security info page on a PC
   1. On the PC, go to the Security info page for the work account: https://mysignins.microsoft.com/security-info.
   2. Sign in using whatever method still works (for example, SMS, phone call, or another app). If the page does not appear, go to Additional security verification, select the checkbox next to Authenticator app, then select Configure to display the QR code.
   3. Select Add sign-in method → choose Microsoft Authenticator → Add → Next to show the QR code.
   4. On the phone, open Microsoft Authenticator, tap + / Add account → Work or school account → Scan a QR code.
   5. Scan the QR code from the PC. If the camera cannot be used, select Can't scan the image on the PC and Enter code manually in the app, then type the code and URL shown on the PC.
   6. Approve the test notification sent to Authenticator when prompted on the PC.
   This flow avoids the loop where the app is asking to approve itself, because the approval is triggered from the PC after the account is added.
2. If no alternative method works (MFA deadlock)
   If there is no working SMS, phone call, or other method and every sign-in attempt sends back to Authenticator that is not yet set up, an administrator must reset MFA for the account:
   • If this is a work/school account and there is an IT/admin team, ask an admin to go to Microsoft Entra admin center and reset MFA / require re-register for the user, then repeat the Security info setup above.
   • If this is a business tenant and the user is the only admin and is locked out, contact Microsoft Support by phone and request the Data Protection team to reset the authentication methods for the tenant admin, as described in the Q&A references.

Once MFA is reset or an alternate method is available, the account can be added to Authenticator using the QR-code method from the Security info page without getting stuck in the approval loop.

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References:

• How to add your accounts to Microsoft Authenticator
• Set up Security info from a sign-in page
• I have a Micrsoft business account and I am the admin and the only user registered under this account. I can't log in because i have replaced my phone and the authenticator doesn't work. - Microsoft Q&A
• I cant log in to my business account because it is requiring Authenticator app which I do not have - Microsoft Q&A
• Microsoft authenticator sending me into a spiral - Microsoft Q&A
• Requesting a Tenant Admin MFA Reset - Microsoft Q&A
• Microsoft Authenticator app doesn't show 6-digit OTP code - Microsoft Q&A