How to fix failure to use microsoft authenticator app

Question

Currently im in college and in order to get textbooks i have to sign up for cengage but in order to use my school email i need to verify it and authenticate it using microsoft authenticator however i can't since the phone that i had that app on is no longer usable and i cant log onto the same account without using the authenticator app from said phone that won't work.

Does anyone know anywhere that i can send a complain to or anything that could help me use the authenticator from a different cellphone without using the current phone to authenticate it ?

Answer 1

Hi Ivan,

I hope you're doing well. 

Sorry to hear you're having trouble signing in to your Microsoft account. 

From what you've described, it sounds like your Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) setup may need to be reset. This can sometimes happen after switching to a new device, replacing a phone, or reinstalling the Microsoft Authenticator app. Since your new device hasn't been registered yet, the authentication requests may still be linked to your previous device, which can leave you stuck in a sign-in loop. 

Because you're using a work or school account, the MFA settings are managed by your university's IT administrator. Unfortunately, this isn't something that can be reset from the user side. 

I'd recommend reaching out to your university's IT administrator and explaining that you're unable to sign in because you're stuck between Microsoft Teams and the Microsoft Authenticator app and are no longer receiving authentication prompts or codes. 

You can specifically ask whether they can: 

• Reset your MFA settings 
• Require MFA re-registration 
• Remove your existing Authenticator registration so you can set it up again 

You may also want to share the following Microsoft article with them: Manage authentication methods for Microsoft Entra multifactor authentication - Microsoft Entra ID | … 

If you are unsure who your IT administrator is, you can refer to this official Microsoft guide for assistance: How do I find my Microsoft 365 admin? - Microsoft Support    

Once your IT administrator resets your MFA registration, you should be able to sign in again and go through the Microsoft Authenticator setup process from the beginning, including scanning a new QR code on your device. 

I hope this points you in the right direction. If you receive any updates from your IT team or run into any issues along the way, feel free to reply back with more details and I'll be happy to help further. 

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Answer 2

For a school account, the fix is usually not self-service if the old phone is gone and no other sign-in method was set up.

Try these steps in order:

1. On the sign-in screen, select Sign in another way.
   • If an alternative method was previously added, use it.
   • If no alternative appears, the account does not have another verification method available.
2. If the old phone is still listed for Authenticator, notifications may still be going there.
   • For work or school accounts, old device verification can be removed from the My Apps page or the organization’s company portal.
   • If access to those pages is blocked by the MFA prompt, admin help is required.
3. If the account entry appears on the new phone with “Sign in to add your account”, that is expected for work or school accounts after restore.
   • Open the account in Authenticator and sign in again.
   • If sign-in loops back to the unusable old phone, continue to the next step.
4. Contact the college IT help desk and ask them to reset or clear MFA / require re-registration of multifactor authentication for the school account.
   • This is the standard resolution when the old Authenticator device is lost, broken, wiped, or unavailable.
   • After the reset, the next sign-in should prompt setup of Authenticator again on the new phone.
5. If the device was lost or stolen, report that to the school IT help desk as well.
   • They can clear the existing settings so registration can be completed again.

There is generally no complaint channel that can bypass school-managed MFA directly. For college-managed Microsoft accounts, the organization’s IT department controls the authentication methods.

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• Use a screen reader to set up and troubleshoot multifactor authentication
• Microsoft Authenticator FAQs
• Transfer Microsoft Authenticator account entries to a new phone
• Common problems with two-step verification for a work or school account
• How to Log into Authenticator on a New Phone? - Microsoft Q&A
• How can I sign into my account on Authenticator app without another device to confirm - Microsoft Q&A
• My old phone has broken so I can’t access the old authenticator app so now I can’t log in on the phone as I need the old phone to login which I broken - Microsoft Q&A