Want to switch my phone and shift authenticator app codes to new phone

aakash jain 0 Reputation points
2026-08-28T17:16:19.3+00:00

Want to switch my phone and shift authenticator app codes to new phone. i cant find my login email through which i can login to a new phone

Microsoft Security | Microsoft Authenticator
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  1. Hal Hostetler MVP-Outlook 12,011 Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2026-08-28T17:58:42.0166667+00:00

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  2. Bence Weiszmann 1,815 Reputation points
    2026-08-28T17:20:50.4466667+00:00

    Dear @aakash jain

    If you are moving to a new phone and want to transfer your Microsoft Authenticator accounts, the process depends on whether you still have access to your old phone.

    If you still have your old phone, you can use the backup and recovery feature in Microsoft Authenticator to restore your accounts on the new device. However, you will generally need to sign in with the same Microsoft account that was used to create the Authenticator backup.

    If you do not remember the email address associated with your Microsoft account, you can try Microsoft's account recovery options to identify or recover the account before setting up Authenticator on the new phone.

    If you no longer have access to the old phone or cannot complete the required verification, you may need to contact your organization's administrator if this is a work or school account. An administrator can reset your MFA/Authentication Methods and require you to register Microsoft Authenticator again on the new device.

    For a personal Microsoft account, you can use Microsoft's account recovery process to regain access to the account first.

    I would recommend not removing Microsoft Authenticator from the old phone until you have successfully registered the new phone, if the old device is still available. This will help prevent you from being locked out of the account.

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  3. AI answer

    2026-08-28T17:16:37.8+00:00

    If the old phone is still available, complete the transfer before erasing or trading it in.

    1. On the old phone, turn on backup in Microsoft Authenticator.
      • Android: Open Microsoft Authenticator > Settings > turn on Cloud Backup > select a Microsoft personal account to store the backup.
      • iPhone: Enable iCloud Drive, iCloud Keychain, and iCloud Backup, then go to Apple Account > iCloud > Saved to iCloud and turn on Authenticator.
    2. On the new phone, install Microsoft Authenticator and restore from backup.
      • Restore works only when using the same recovery account.
      • Restore must be to the same device type.
    3. After restore, check each account:
      • Work or school accounts: only the account name is restored. Open the account and sign in again. Seeing "Sign in to add your account." is expected.
      • Personal Microsoft accounts: one-time password entries are restored. If the account also used passwordless sign-in, sign in again to complete setup.
      • Third-party accounts such as Amazon, Facebook, or Gmail: one-time password entries are restored.
    4. If passkeys were used, set them up again on the new phone if needed. If a passkey was saved only on the old phone, create a new passkey on the new phone before removing the old one.

    If the problem is that the recovery account email cannot be found, the available guidance only supports restore when the same recovery account is known and used. In that case, the practical fallback is to re-add the accounts manually:

    • For work or school accounts, sign in to Security info at https://aka.ms/mysecurityinfo, select Add sign-in method, and add Microsoft Authenticator on the new phone.
    • If already signed in elsewhere, old phone details can also be removed from the Security info page and the new phone added.
    • If self-service passkey setup is blocked, contact the organization admin or help desk.

    Keep the old phone until sign-in works on the new phone for the accounts used most often.


    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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