How can I make my Authenticator app work, I’ve tried everything!

Question

My Authenticator app is used for work and school, for work I need it to access my schedule, and for school to access all the information but that’s not the problem, the problem is every time I try to log back in it asks me for a code that I don’t have or it asks me to input a number I can’t input because I’m not getting the notification or anything, please help I’ve tried resetting, turning on and off my phone completely, deleting the account, deleting the app, redownloading the app, checking the date and time, checking if it needs updates I’ve tried EVRYTHING the internet tells me to try, but nothing works. Now I did get a new phone, and traded in my old one, so can that be the issue? Do I need to wait till everything’s done processing? If so, how long would that take??? Please help I’ve tried everything!

Answer 1

The issue is not with phone processing time. When a phone is replaced or reset and the old Authenticator app is no longer available, the existing MFA registration usually cannot be recovered from the app alone. The sign-in loop (being asked for a code or number match that cannot be approved) means the MFA methods must be reset by the account owner or an administrator.

Since Authenticator is used for both work and school accounts, the next steps depend on who manages each account:

1. If these are work or school (organization) accounts
   End users cannot break this loop themselves once they lose access to the old Authenticator. An IT admin must reset MFA:
   • Contact the organization’s IT/helpdesk and explain that access to Microsoft Authenticator was lost when the phone was replaced and there is no other verification method.
   • Ask them to reset MFA / require re-register MFA for the account in the Microsoft Entra admin center. The documented admin path is:
     • Go to Microsoft Entra admin center → Identity → Users → All users.
     • Select the affected user.
     • Open Authentication methods.
     • Select Require re-register multifactor authentication.
   • After this reset, sign in again; the account will prompt to set up Authenticator from scratch on the new phone (scan QR code or sign in in-app).
   If the account is a business/education tenant and the user is the only global admin and is locked out, the resolution is to contact Microsoft support and have a ticket raised to the Data Protection team to reset MFA from Microsoft’s side, as described in the Q&A references.
2. If any of the accounts are personal Microsoft accounts
   For personal accounts, use the account recovery and security options (alternate email, phone, or recovery form). If those are not available or also locked behind Authenticator, Microsoft’s Data Protection team must assist, again via a support ticket raised through customer service.
3. Push notifications and codes on the new phone
   Once MFA is reset and Authenticator is re-registered, ensure the app can receive prompts:
   • Use the latest version of Microsoft Authenticator.
   • In the app, go to Settings and:
     • Turn on App updates.
     • Turn off battery optimization for Authenticator.
     • Under Notification Settings, ensure Show notifications is on.
   • Make sure the device has correct Date & time, is not in Airplane mode, and has a working network connection (try both Wi‑Fi and mobile data).
   • If a VPN is in use, disconnect it and test again.
4. If Authenticator still does not show prompts after re-registration
   For work/school accounts, the organization can control whether push notifications/number matching are allowed. If prompts still do not arrive after re-registering, the IT admin must verify that:
   • The account is correctly configured for Authenticator-based MFA.
   • No conditional access or security policy is blocking notifications.

Because the old phone was traded in and there is no alternative MFA method, the only way out of the current loop is an MFA reset by the admin (for work/school) or by Microsoft support/Data Protection (if the admin is also locked out or it is a personal account). Waiting for device processing will not resolve this.

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References:

• Troubleshoot problems with Microsoft Authenticator
• Microsoft Authenticator FAQs
• I need to reset my mfa methods - Microsoft Q&A
• Microsoft authenticator sending me into a spiral - Microsoft Q&A
• Microsoft Authenticator app doesn't show 6-digit OTP code - Microsoft Q&A
• Requesting a Tenant Admin MFA Reset - Microsoft Q&A
• Reset Personal Azure MFA - Microsoft Q&A