Stuck in loop needing authenticator code to create new account in authenticator

Question

I'm trying to sign in to a new account on my Microsoft authenticator. I already signed in the first time I downloaded the app no problem. But then my company asked me to do it again using their QR code, so I did. However, that meant I had 2 accounts listed under the same email in my authenticator app which really bothered me. I tried to delete 1 of the entrys since they were the same account and I shouldn't have needed 2 entrys listed. Apparently that was a ginormous mistake because now when I try to sign in to this Microsoft account anywhere, it asks for a code from my authenticator app to which my authenticator app shows no code and no notifications. I tried clearing the app data then re downloading it and signing in again but I keep getting stuck in this loop of needing to approve a request that doesnt exist. Please help I feel like Im going insane.

Moderator's note: Moved from Microsoft Security | Microsoft Authenticator

Answer 1

Hi Ava Fox (Student)

Based on your description, I understand that after removing one of the duplicate accounts from the Microsoft Authenticator app, you are now stuck in a verification loop where the sign-in process keeps requesting an Authenticator approval or code that no longer appears in the app. 

In this situation, since the account is managed by your organization, the best option would be to contact your IT administrator and ask them to follow this article to reset MFA for you: Manage authentication methods for Microsoft Entra multifactor authentication - Microsoft Entra ID |…. After that, you should be able to register your phone again from scratch. 

For security and management reasons, only your organization’s IT administrators can manage access and MFA settings for work or school accounts. Microsoft Support cannot directly reset MFA for accounts that are managed by an organization. 

Once you regain access, it's a good idea to set up an additional sign-in method if your organization allows it (such as phone or email), so you’ll have a backup option in case something like this happens again.  

Please let me know if you have any updates.  

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