Transfer to new device

Question

How do I transfer Authenticator to new mobile device

Answer 1

Dear @Yolanda Hoffmann,

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

Since you are using business account, 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.

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

For reference, please refer to: 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.

Could you please confirm these questions below to help me diagnose the issue more effectively: 

• Do you still have access to the old phone with Microsoft Authenticator installed?
• If not, since you are using business account, are you a Global Admin? Are you seeing a specific error message when trying to approve sign-in or restore the account?

I hope the information shared helps point you in the right direction. Please try the steps above and let me know if they work. If not, we can continue working together to narrow this down.

The first response may not always resolve the issue right away, but with your help and more details, we can work toward a solution.

Thank you for your patience and understanding. I'm looking forward for your reply.

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Answer 2

To move Microsoft Authenticator to a new iOS device, set up the new phone, back up Authenticator on the old phone, then restore and re‑register accounts on the new phone.

1. Prepare and back up on the old iPhone
   1. Make sure the old phone still works and can complete MFA. Do not wipe it or remove Authenticator until setup on the new phone is finished.
   2. Ensure you have:
      • A personal Microsoft account to act as the recovery account.
      • An iCloud account for storage.
   3. On the old iPhone, turn on:
      • iCloud Drive
      • iCloud Keychain
      • iCloud Backup
      • In your Saved to iCloud list, search for Authenticator and turn on the toggle for Authenticator.
   4. Update Microsoft Authenticator to version 6.8.33 or later.
   5. Open the Authenticator app at least once so it can update the backup.
2. Set up the new iPhone
   1. Power on the new iPhone and complete Apple’s Setup Assistant.
   2. If desired, transfer data from the old phone or from iCloud during setup.
   3. After reaching the home screen, confirm that Microsoft Authenticator is installed. If not, install it from the App Store.
3. Restore Authenticator on the new iPhone
   1. If you don’t see the backup when opening Authenticator, uninstall and reinstall the app on the new device.
   2. Open Authenticator and choose Begin recovery.
   3. Sign in with the same personal Microsoft account used for backup.
   4. Restore the backup:
      • Microsoft personal accounts and third‑party OTP accounts (Amazon, Facebook, Gmail, etc.) will restore their one‑time password codes.
      • Work or school accounts and passwordless sign‑in entries restore only the account names; they must be re‑registered.
4. Re‑register work or school accounts and phone sign‑in
   1. On the new iPhone, sign in to a work app (for example, Microsoft Teams). Use the old phone to complete MFA if prompted.
   2. If your organization uses Intune:
      • Install Intune Company Portal and enroll the device as required.
      • After enrollment and compliance, open Authenticator and restore backup if not already done.
   3. In Authenticator, for each work or school account placeholder:
      • Select the account.
      • Choose Set up 2-step verification.
      • Follow the prompts (usually scanning a QR code from the My Security info or organization setup page) to register the new device.
   4. If using phone sign-in for your work account, enable it again on the new device from within Authenticator after restoration.
5. If the old phone is unavailable
   • If there is another admin in the tenant, that admin can reset MFA for the user in the Microsoft Entra admin center so the new phone can be set up from scratch.
   • If this is a business account and there is no other global admin, contact Microsoft support and ask for the Data Protection team to help recover the tenant admin account and reset MFA.

After confirming that all accounts work on the new phone, the old device and its Authenticator app can be safely removed.

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References:

• Back up your accounts in Microsoft Authenticator
• Microsoft Authenticator FAQs
• Migrate to a new iPhone for work
• Use a screen reader to set up and troubleshoot multifactor authentication
• 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
• Microsoft authenticator sending me into a spiral - Microsoft Q&A
• I need to reset my mfa methods - Microsoft Q&A
• Requesting a Tenant Admin MFA Reset - Microsoft Q&A
• Severity A Situation - Locked out of global admin account (MFA) - business down - Microsoft Q&A