Microsoft Authenticator

Question

Recently my phone stopped working and I no longer had access. I added the authenticator and set up from a back up on my new device since then it seems to be generating invalid codes for a third party app. I have tried a number of different troubleshooting steps such as making sure date and time are set to automatic, turning this off and on again, restarting device etc etc but nothing seems to work. Why has this happened and is there anything I could or should try to resolve this issue?

Answer 1

Hello @Killian

As I can see, you have changed your phone and are encountering an issue with invalid codes. This issue is possibly related to transferring data to the new device in a way that did not fully preserve the authentication setup, which can cause codes not to generate as expected.

I understand this situation may have happened due to an unexpected circumstance that prevented access to your old phone, so I will try to check and see if I can suggest anything to help you.

To address your issue better, might I confirm a few points first?

• As you mentioned "set up from backup", may I confirm how you transferred the data to your new device?
• Which third party app or service are you trying to sign in to?
• May I reconfirm whether you are using: a personal Microsoft account (e.g., @hotmail.com or @outlook.com) An account provided by your work (e.g., @yourcompany.com or @onmicrosoft.com) or a school account (e.g., @schoolname.edu)?
• Have you checked another verification method, such as receiving a code by text message or email?

If you are a user who is using a "business account" or an "educational account"

The only way to regain access is to contact your "IT administrator or Global admin" and request a phone number update in the "Microsoft Entra admin center".

In the Entra admin center, an administrator can set user accounts to require a re-enrollment of multi-factor authentication (MFA). Ask your administrator to follow the steps shown in the following article: 

Manage user authentication methods for Microsoft Entra multi-factor authentication 

• Sign in to Microsoft Entra - Microsoft Entra admin center 
• User -> all users. Select the user you want to act on, and then select "Authentication methods". then select "Require multi-factor authentication re-registration". 

Require re-enrollment MFA: This disables all previous authentication methods. You'll then be prompted to set up a new MFA authentication method the next time you try to sign in, so you can add a new authenticator app.  

If you still need my assistance, please come back with screenshots or any additional details so I can review it again and see if there’s anything more I can help you with.  

Have a nice day!  

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