Trouble with verification on the authenticator app

Question

I have change my mobile device and is no longer able to verify my login on my old device. I was trying to add the email into the authenticator app on my new mobile device but it ask me to verify myself as well. I do not have any other method for verification other than the app.

What can I do?

Answer 1

Hello @Alex Lim

As I can see, you have changed your phone and are encountering this issue. 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 support you better, 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)?

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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Answer 2

If the old phone is no longer available and the only registered verification method was Microsoft Authenticator, the next step depends on the account type.

For a work or school account:

1. Try the sign-in screen option Sign in another way. If another method was previously configured, use it.
2. If no other method appears, contact the organization’s IT administrator or help desk. They need to remove the old phone’s MFA information or require MFA re-registration.
3. After access is restored, go to the Security info page or Additional security verification page, delete the old phone entry, and add the new phone.

For a personal Microsoft account:

1. Sign in to the Microsoft account Security page at https://account.microsoft.com/security.
2. Select Manage how I sign in.
3. If access is available through another verification option, select Add a new way to sign in or verify and set up the new Authenticator app.
4. In Authenticator on the new phone, select the plus icon, choose Personal account, and scan the QR code.

If the issue is only that notifications are still going to the old phone, the old device may still be the active Authenticator device. If the old phone is still accessible, approve the sign-in there first, then remove the old device and add the new one.

If an iPhone backup was enabled before switching devices, restore may work after these checks on the old device: enable iCloud Drive, iCloud Keychain, iCloud Backup, make sure Authenticator is turned on in Saved to iCloud, use Authenticator 6.8.33 or later, and open the app at least once before switching. On the new iPhone, uninstall and reinstall Authenticator so the backup can appear.

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References:

• Use a screen reader to set up and troubleshoot multifactor authentication
• How to add your accounts to Microsoft Authenticator
• Microsoft account security info & verification codes
• Microsoft Authenticator FAQs