Microsoft asks me to confirm my sign on to the authenticator app by using the authenticator app. How can I sign in via the authenticator app if I need the authenticator app to be able to sign in?

Question

Im trying to sign into my university email account but I can’t without the Microsoft authentication. I downloaded the app but I also need a authentication for the Microsoft authentication app.

Answer 1

Good day Avila and I’m sorry to hear about the difficulties you’re experiencing.  

This situation commonly occurs when the authenticator registration is no longer linked correctly to the device. For example, this can happen after changing phones, reinstalling the Microsoft Authenticator app, restoring a device, or when the existing MFA registration becomes invalid. 

Since you are using a school email address, the MFA settings are managed by your school's IT department. For assistance with resetting or updating your MFA, you will need to contact them directly to resolve this and explain your situation. You can say: "I am stuck in a login loop between Microsoft Teams and the Microsoft Authenticator app. I cannot get the code to sign in."    

Specifically, ask them to “reset my MFA settings” or “allow me to re-register for MFA” on your account. This is a standard request and your school’s IT team should be able to assist you with it. 

You can also share the steps in this Microsoft article for them so they can help reset your MFA settings for you Manage user authentication methods for Microsoft Entra multifactor authentication.  

Once your school's IT admin has reset your MFA, the next time you log in to your account, you will be guided through the process of setting up the Microsoft Authenticator app again from the beginning by scanning a QR code. This will break the loop and allow you to access your account normally.   

Additional information is available in the following resource: How to add your accounts to Microsoft Authenticator | Microsoft Support 

Please note that forum moderators do not have access to user account settings and cannot assist with logging in, resetting passwords, or changing access rights. While I do not have access to the internal systems or administrative tools required to resolve account-specific or backend-related issues, I will continue to do my best to support you within the scope of my responsibilities. 

If you have any questions or need further support, please don’t hesitate to reach out at any time. 

Thank you for your patience and understanding. 

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Answer 2

This usually happens when the university account is configured to allow only Microsoft Authenticator for multifactor authentication, and no other verification methods were set up. In that case, the sign-in page will not show SMS, email, or phone call options.

Try these steps:

1. On the sign-in page, select Other ways to sign in or Sign-in options if it appears.
2. If Approve a request on my Microsoft Authenticator app is available, use that only if the university account is already added in Authenticator on another signed-in device.
3. If the account is not already in the app, the app cannot be used to generate or approve codes until the account has been added and registered first.
4. To add the account to Authenticator for a work or school account, open Authenticator and select Add work or school account and follow the setup flow.
5. If setup fails because sign-in still asks for Authenticator approval, the account’s MFA methods likely need to be reset or re-registered by the university IT administrator.

For work or school accounts, the practical fix is to contact the university IT helpdesk or Microsoft 365 administrator and ask them to reset or require re-registration of the account’s multifactor authentication methods. After that, the next sign-in should prompt for Authenticator setup again on the phone.

If the admin has enabled remote sign-in, Authenticator also supports Sign in from another device:

1. In Authenticator, select Add work or school account > Sign in.
2. Select Sign in from another device.
3. On the remote screen, open the Sign in to your account page and enter the code shown in Authenticator.
4. Sign in with the work or school account credentials.
5. Return to Authenticator to complete setup.

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