Transferring Authenticator accounts from old phone to new phone

Question

I have received a new phone at work. My old phone and new phone are both Samsung.

In Authenticator, I have many customer related accounts that I need for support purposes in my job. I have been unable to transfer all these accounts to my new phone. Is there a way to do this?

There are no choices for transferring accounts. I also can't find a way to upload the security copy I made from my old phone's Authenticator-app.

Answer 1

Hi Camilla A,
As the forum’s AI recommended, Microsoft Authenticator can restore backed-up account entries, but it does not transfer every account as a fully working MFA registration.

Since both phones are Android devices, they meet the same-device-type requirement. The Samsung brand itself does not provide a separate transfer option for Authenticator.

On the old phone:

1. Open Microsoft Authenticator > Menu > Settings.
2. Confirm that Cloud Backup is enabled.
3. Note the Microsoft personal account shown as the recovery account.
4. Keep the old phone available until every important account works on the new phone.

On the new phone:

1. Open Authenticator and select Restore from backup or Begin recovery before signing in or adding accounts.
2. Sign in with the same Microsoft personal account used as the recovery account on the old phone.
3. Review the restored entries.

What happens next depends on the account type:

• For work or school accounts, only the account name is restored. Open each entry showing “Sign in to add your account” and complete the sign-in again.
• For third-party accounts that use a 30-second verification code, the code entry should be restored.
• For Microsoft personal accounts using passwordless sign-in, another sign-in is required.

Because some of these accounts belong to customer organizations, their MFA registrations may need to be completed separately. If an account cannot be activated on the new phone, try signing in to its Security info page using the old phone or another available verification method, then add Microsoft Authenticator as a new sign-in method. If no other method is available, the administrator or help desk for that customer organization may need to assist with MFA re-registration.

There is no documented option to upload a local Authenticator backup file manually. On Android, Microsoft’s recovery process uses Cloud Backup and the same recovery account.

If Restore from backup is not displayed, first verify that:

• Cloud Backup is still enabled on the old phone.
• The same recovery account is being used.
• Recovery is being performed from Android to Android.
• The new Authenticator app was not already signed in or populated with accounts before recovery was started.

Please do not clear the app or reinstall it if the new phone already contains accounts that are not present elsewhere. If the restore option is still missing, let me know what appears under Backup on the old phone and what the first screen on the new phone shows. Please mask account addresses and do not share QR codes.

Microsoft references:

• Transfer Microsoft Authenticator account entries to a new phone
• Back up your accounts in Microsoft Authenticator
• Restore account credentials from Microsoft Authenticator

Answer 2

Yes, but not all Authenticator data transfers fully.

What restores depends on the account type:

• Work or school accounts: only the account name is restored. Each account must be opened and signed in again on the new phone.
• Third-party accounts that use 30-second one-time password codes: the verification code entry is restored.
• Microsoft personal accounts:
  • if they use only one-time password codes, the codes restore
  • if they use passwordless sign-in, only the account name restores and sign-in is required again

For the message "Sign in to add your account.", that is expected for work or school accounts after restore. Open the account and sign in again.

For a Samsung-to-Samsung move, check these points if the backup is not appearing on the new phone:

1. On the old phone, open Microsoft Authenticator.
2. Go to Settings.
3. Make sure Cloud Backup is turned on.
4. Confirm the backup was saved to the correct Microsoft personal account.
5. If the backup was saved to the wrong account, delete the existing backup and create a new one.
6. On the new phone, uninstall and reinstall Microsoft Authenticator.
7. Sign in with the same recovery account used for the backup.

If Restore from backup still is not available, verify all of the following:

• backup was enabled on the old phone
• the same recovery account is being used
• restore is being done to the same device type

For the customer-related accounts used for support work:

• If they are work or school / organizational accounts, they generally must be re-registered one by one on the new phone by opening each restored entry and signing in again.
• If push notifications or prompts are still going to the old phone, remove the old device registration. Adding Authenticator to the new phone does not automatically remove the old one.
  • For a work or school account, remove the old device from the two-step verification area of My Apps or the organization’s company portal.
• If a customer or guest organization account does not work after the phone change, that MFA registration may still be tied to the old phone and may need to be added again for that organization.

Important: do not remove Authenticator from the old phone until all needed accounts are working on the new phone.

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• Transfer Microsoft Authenticator account entries to a new phone
• Back up your accounts in Microsoft Authenticator
• Microsoft Authenticator FAQs
• Transfer Microsoft Authenticator account entries to a new phone