Can’t sign in after changing to a new phone

Question

Hi,

I recently changed to a new phone, and now I can’t sign in to my Microsoft account.

When I try to sign in, it asks me to approve the MFA request, but I no longer have access to my old phone. I’m stuck in a loop and can’t complete the sign-in process.

Has anyone experienced this before? How can I update my MFA or regain access to my account?

Answer 1

Hello, thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A.

I’ve experienced a similar situation while switching to a new phone a few months ago. Here’s what I did:

1. Installed the Microsoft Authenticator app on the new device.
2. Sign in with your recovery email address (if you backed up your Authenticator credentials beforehand) or with your Microsoft account.
3. On the screen asking you to approve your sign-in using the Authenticator app, select “I can’t use the Authenticator app right now.”

4. You’ll then see alternate recovery options, such as the phone number or email address you added earlier.
5. Verify your identity by receiving a verification code and entering it on the screen.

For security reasons, I was asked to reset the password. I followed the same procedure to reset the password and then added the account again using the same steps.