Transferring Authenticator to new phone

Question

I need to transfer my authenticator from my old Android phone to my new Android phone. How do I do that?

Answer 1

To move Microsoft Authenticator from an old Android phone to a new Android phone, use cloud backup and restore on Android.

1. On the old Android phone
   1. Open Microsoft Authenticator.
   2. Tap the menu (⋮ or ☰), then Settings.
   3. Under Backup, turn on Cloud Backup.
   4. When prompted, select the Microsoft personal account where the backup will be stored, then tap OK.
      • If the wrong account is used, delete the backup (turn Cloud Backup off and confirm delete), then turn it on again and choose the correct account.
2. On the new Android phone
   1. Install Microsoft Authenticator from the Google Play Store. See Android → To install Authenticator on your Android device in the documentation.
   2. Open the app and sign in with the same Microsoft personal account used for the backup.
   3. Follow the prompts to restore from backup. This will restore:
      • One-time password (OTP) codes for Microsoft personal accounts that use OTP only.
      • OTP codes for third-party accounts (Amazon, Facebook, Gmail, etc.).
      • Account names for work or school accounts and for Microsoft accounts that use passwordless sign-in (these will require signing in again after restore).
3. After restore
   • For work or school accounts and any passwordless sign-in Microsoft accounts, sign in again when prompted so they fully re-activate on the new phone.
   • Confirm that codes and notifications work, then remove Authenticator from the old phone if no longer needed.

Note: Backup and restore work only between the same device type (Android → Android). Accounts backed up on iOS cannot be restored on Android.

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References:

• Back up your accounts in Microsoft Authenticator
• Download Microsoft Authenticator