How to access previous backups in Authenticator

Question

I deleted my Apps (Norton 360 Deluxe) A/V credentials after getting a new phone and signed out of old phone. I don't know why I deleted my Authenticated Apps and just sign out. Now I've added Authenticator to my new phone I cannot access previously stored/deleted Authenticate logins now. Is there a backup option available to retrieve my Apps sign-in credentials as way of a backup solution to the above.

Answer 1

Deleted Authenticator entries themselves cannot be recovered. Recovery is only possible from a previously created cloud backup, and only under specific conditions.

Key points from how Authenticator backup/restore works:

1. Backup must have been enabled before deletion
   • On iOS, Authenticator backs up to iCloud; on Android, to a Microsoft account cloud backup.
   • If backup was not turned on before the apps/accounts were deleted, there is no way to retrieve those deleted Authenticator entries.
2. Backup/restore is per device type
   • Accounts backed up on iOS cannot be restored on Android, and vice versa.
3. What actually gets restored
   • Microsoft personal accounts
     • If they used only a 30‑second one-time password (OTP), the OTP configuration is restored and works immediately.
     • If they also used passwordless sign‑in, only the account name is restored; sign-in must be completed again to re‑enable passwordless.
   • Work or school accounts
     • Only the account name is restored; sign-in is required again.
   • 3rd‑party accounts (e.g., Norton, Amazon, Facebook, Gmail)
     • The OTP configuration is restored if it was present in the backup.
4. How to attempt restore on the new phone
   • Android:
     1. Open Authenticator.
     2. Before signing in to any account, select Restore from backup (or Begin recovery).
     3. Sign in with the same personal Microsoft account that was used for backup.
   • If Restore from backup is not visible, all existing accounts in the app may need to be removed or signed out first to expose the restore option.
5. If restore does not show the old entries
   • If the Norton (or other app) entries do not appear after a successful restore, then they were not present in the backup at the time it was taken, or no backup existed.
   • In that case, the only option is to reconfigure MFA/OTP directly with each service (e.g., Norton 360 account portal) as if setting it up for the first time.
6. If unable to restore because the backup account itself is inaccessible
   • If the cloud backup account cannot be accessed, Authenticator credentials cannot be restored. The only path is to:
     • Recover access to the Microsoft backup account using the Microsoft account sign‑in helper.
     • Or re-add each account manually following the provider’s recovery process.

There is no separate “previous versions” or “deleted items” history for Authenticator entries beyond the single cloud backup. If the entries were deleted and were not in a valid backup that can be restored, they cannot be retrieved and must be re-added with each service.

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References:

• Restore account credentials from Microsoft Authenticator
• Back up your accounts in Microsoft Authenticator
• Back up account credentials in Microsoft Authenticator
• Microsoft Authenticator FAQs