Authenticator app is inactive

Question

I am trying to sign into my college portal. To sign in, I am required to verify my identity through the Microsoft Authenticator app. However, whenever I try to send a verification or code to the app, nothing shows up. The app stays unchanged. I am unsure of what to do.

---

Moved from Microsoft Security | Microsoft Authenticator

Answer 1

Dear @Troutner, Cypher,

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

Based on your description, you cannot log in your college account because authenticator does not work.

Since your email is a education account, your school IT team or Helpdesk may be able to reset your Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) settings. As a forum moderator, I do not have administrative access to change these settings. Only your IT team has the ability to adjust or reset your MFA configuration. You can also refer to this Microsoft support article for more information: Manage authentication methods - Microsoft Entra ID | Microsoft Learn  

In case you are the only Global Administrator and you are completely locked out from the tenant. You might need to contact Microsoft Support team via phone service number: Customer service phone numbers - Microsoft Support. The agent will be able to create a ticket for you under the affected tenant and then transfer this ticket to Data Protection team who could help you to regain access.   

To help you navigate the automated phone system (IVR), here's an example of what the conversation might look like:

IVR: What kind of problem are you worried about?

You: Admin account locked

IVR: What kind of product do you use?

You: Office 365 for business

IVR: Does it count for education or business?

You: For education

IVR: Are you an admin?

You: Yes

IVR: Do you have another administrator in your organization?

You: No

IVR: Need a service request?

You: Yes

This should help you connect with a live support agent who can help you directly.

If you can't create a support ticket during the call, I recommend creating a temporary tenant account and submitting the support request from there. To create a new tenant, follow these steps:

1. Visit Office 365 E3 - Enterprise Collaboration and Productivity | Microsoft    
2. Select any plan and click Try for free.    
3. Complete the setup to create a new tenant.    
4. Ticket support: In the Microsoft 365 admin center>support>help & support. You can create a support ticket: https://admin.microsoft.com/#/support/requests     

Important: Please remember to cancel the trial subscription once your issue is resolved to avoid any charges.   

I hope information above can help you access your account ASAP. If you have any other questions, feel free to reach out.

---

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread. 

Answer 2

Try these steps in order to get Microsoft Authenticator working for your college sign-in:

1. Check if notifications are going to another device
   • If Authenticator is still installed on an old phone, the push notification may be sent there instead of the current phone.
   • If possible, open Authenticator on the old device and approve the sign-in.
   • If you no longer use the old device, ask your college/IT helpdesk to remove old Authenticator registrations from your account and re-register MFA.
2. Make sure notifications are allowed on the current phone
   • Open your phone’s Settings → Notifications.
   • Find Microsoft Authenticator and ensure:
     • Notifications are allowed.
     • Sound/vibration is enabled if alerts are needed.
   • Confirm the phone is not in Do Not Disturb/Quiet mode.
3. Verify that the app can receive notifications at all
   • Check if other apps on the phone receive notifications.
   • If no apps receive notifications, there may be a phone OS or network issue. Try:
     • Toggling Airplane mode off/on.
     • Switching between Wi‑Fi and mobile data.
     • Restarting the phone.
4. Check the Authenticator app itself
   • Ensure the app is updated to the latest version from the app store.
   • Open Authenticator and confirm it is not locked (if the app is locked, unlock it so prompts can appear).
   • If you see your college/work account but it never gets prompts while others do, remove that specific account from Authenticator and add it again when your college portal prompts you to set up the app.
5. If the app still shows nothing when you try to sign in
   • On the sign-in page, look for “Use a different verification method” (such as SMS or email) and use that if your college has enabled it.
   • If no alternate method is available and you cannot approve via Authenticator, contact your college IT/helpdesk and ask them to:
     • Reset your MFA settings, or
     • Require re-registration of MFA for your account in the Microsoft Entra admin center.

If you see an “Authentication did not complete” message at any point, also verify:

• The device date/time is set correctly (preferably automatic).
• The device has a working internet connection.

---

References:

• Microsoft Authenticator FAQs
• Troubleshoot problems with Microsoft Authenticator
• Authentication did not complete
• Common problems with two-step verification for a work or school account