push notification authentificator

Question

I am receiving push notification regularly from microsoft authentificator, although i am not trying to login into my Microsoft account which i access with a passkey not a password. What should i do to avoid unsollicited notificatoins?

Answer 1

Unsolicited Microsoft Authenticator push notifications usually mean either someone is repeatedly trying to sign in as you, or an old/extra device or sign-in method is still registered and receiving prompts.

Take these steps:

1. Treat the prompts as suspicious
   • Always tap Deny on any notification that is not initiated by you.
2. Review recent sign-in activity
   • Go to the Security basics page and select Review activity.
   • On the Recent activity page, check for unfamiliar sign-ins.
   • For any activity that is not recognized, select This wasn’t me or Secure your account as described in the unusual activity guidance.
3. Secure the account
   • From the Security basics page, select Change password and set a strong, unique password even if normally using a passkey.
   • This helps if someone has the old password and is repeatedly triggering MFA.
4. Check and clean up security info and devices
   • In the account security settings, review phone numbers, email addresses, and registered Authenticator instances.
   • Remove any old or unknown devices or methods so they can no longer receive or trigger notifications.
5. Prefer passwordless and strong MFA methods
   • Using passkeys and Microsoft Authenticator as described in the Authenticator documentation provides stronger protection and can reduce reliance on weaker methods like SMS.

If the notifications continue after these steps, contact support via the official Microsoft account help channels and reference the unusual sign-in alerts and recent activity.

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References:

• What happens if there's an unusual sign-in to your account
• Authentication methods in Microsoft Entra ID - Microsoft Authenticator app
• Common problems with two-step verification for a work or school account
• Microsoft Authenticator FAQs