Lost admin Authentificator access

Question

Hello,

We have lost access to the Authenticator app of the admin account. How can it be regained or reset?

Thank you

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Moved from Microsoft Security | Microsoft Authenticator

Answer 1

Dear @Coco,

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum.Based on your description, you cannot log in your account because authenticator does not work.

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 Business

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 my information above can help you resolve the issue as soon as possible, please feel free to reach out if you have any other questions.

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Answer 2

Regaining or resetting admin access to Microsoft Authenticator depends on whether there are other admins and what kind of account is involved.

1. If this is a work or school (Microsoft Entra / Microsoft 365) admin account and there is another global admin:
   1. Another global admin signs in to the Azure portal and opens Microsoft Entra ID.
   2. Go to Users → select the affected admin account.
   3. Open Authentication methods.
   4. Select Require re-register multifactor authentication.
   5. The next time the affected admin signs in, they will be prompted to set up MFA again in Microsoft Authenticator.
2. If this is a work or school account and the admin still has some security info (another method besides Authenticator):
   1. Sign in to the Advanced security options page of the work or school account.
   2. Select Add a new way to sign in or verify and add a new method (phone, email, etc.).
   3. After verifying the new method, expand the old Authenticator/security info entry and select Remove.
   4. Then add Microsoft Authenticator again as a fresh method.
3. If this is a work or school account and all security info is lost (no other MFA methods, and Authenticator is inaccessible):
   1. Begin sign-in to the work or school account.
   2. At the Verify your identity prompt, choose I don't have any of these.
   3. Follow the instructions to replace the security info. After replacement, there is a 30‑day wait before normal sign-in is allowed.
4. If the admin is the only global admin and cannot pass MFA at all:
   • Standard self-service options will not work. In this case, contact Microsoft support and request escalation to the Data Protection / Tenant Recovery team to reset MFA for the admin account, as described in the referenced Q&A threads. This is handled through Microsoft 365 support channels and requires identity/tenant ownership verification.
5. If the issue is specifically restoring Authenticator data from backup and that fails:
   • For iOS, ensure iCloud Drive, iCloud Keychain, and iCloud Backup are enabled, then reinstall Authenticator and sign in to restore. If iCloud access is not available, Apple Support must be contacted. If restore still cannot be completed, accounts must be added to Authenticator again manually.

Note: Support agents cannot bypass verification or directly provide codes; recovery must follow the documented account and tenant recovery processes.

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References:

• Common problems with two-step verification for a work or school account
• Restore account credentials from Microsoft Authenticator
• Unable to restore Authenticator account credentials
• Can't set up MFA because five devices are already registered to use an authenticator app
• Global Admin Locked out - Microsoft Q&A
• How Do I Regain Access to My Account After Losing Access to Microsoft Authenticator? (Urgent Request). - Microsoft Q&A
• Requesting a Tenant Admin MFA Reset - Microsoft Q&A
• I need to reset my mfa methods - Microsoft Q&A