Unable to Recover Microsoft Authenticator Accounts After Changing Phone

Question

I recently changed my phone, and my previous phone had the Microsoft Authenticator app configured with multiple accounts for MFA/two-step verification.

Unfortunately, I did not transfer Authenticator accounts before switching to the new phone. The old phone has also been reset, so I no longer have access to the Authenticator entries that were configured on it.

I am now unable to retrieve/recover the accounts in Microsoft Authenticator on my new phone. I tried signing in with the same Microsoft account, but the previously configured Authenticator accounts are not appearing.

Could someone please guide me on whether it is possible to recover the previously configured Authenticator accounts or restore them from a backup?

I need access to accounts that were protected using Microsoft Authenticator and MFA.

Any guidance on the recovery process would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

Answer 1

Dear @Satish Cpd

Unfortunately, if backup was not enabled in Microsoft Authenticator and the old phone has already been reset, the previous Authenticator registrations cannot be restored to the new phone.

For a personal Microsoft account, if you still have another verification method available (such as email, or a recovery code), use that to sign in and register Authenticator again. If you don't have access to any of your verification methods, try Microsoft's Sign-in Helper to see what recovery options are available.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/accounts-billing/manage/microsoft-account-sign-in-helper

For a work or school account, you'll need to contact your Microsoft 365/Entra ID administrator. The administrator can reset your MFA registration from the Microsoft Entra admin center by going to:

Users --› select the user --› Authentication methods --› Require re-register for multifactor authentication

After this, you can set up Microsoft Authenticator again on your new phone.

I hope this helps.

Best regards,
Bence

Answer 2

Yes, but only if a backup was created on the old phone and the restore is being done to the same device type.

• Same device type is required: an iPhone backup can only be restored to iPhone, and an Android backup can only be restored to Android.
• If no backup was enabled before the old phone was reset, the previous Authenticator entries cannot be restored from Microsoft Authenticator backup. In that case, the accounts must be added again manually.

What to check:

1. Confirm the old and new phones are the same platform
   • Restore works only iOS-to-iOS or Android-to-Android.
2. If the new phone is Android
   • Open Microsoft Authenticator.
   • Open the menu and select Settings.
   • Check whether Cloud Backup had been enabled on the old phone.
   • Restore requires signing in with the same Microsoft personal account that was used as the recovery account for the backup.
3. If the new phone is iPhone
   • iCloud Drive, iCloud Keychain, and iCloud Backup must have been enabled on the old device.
   • On the new device, Authenticator restore depends on the iCloud-backed data being available.
4. Use the restore flow correctly
   • In Authenticator, select Restore from backup or Begin recovery before signing in to the restored accounts.
   • If Restore from backup is not visible, remove or sign out of all accounts in Authenticator first, then try again.

What to expect after restore:

• Work or school accounts: only the account name is restored. Each account must be opened and signed in again to complete setup. Red text such as “Sign in to add your account.” is expected.
• Microsoft personal accounts:
  • If they used only 30-second one-time password codes, the codes are restored.
  • If they used passwordless sign-in, only the account name is restored, and sign-in is required again.
• Third-party accounts such as Amazon, Facebook, or Gmail: the 30-second verification code entries are restored.

If restore still does not work:

• Verify that backup was enabled on the old phone.
• Verify the same recovery account is being used.
• Verify the restore is being done to the same device type.
• If the old phone was reset before backup was enabled, the accounts must be re-added manually.

If access to protected accounts is blocked now:

• Work or school accounts: contact the organization’s IT admin or help desk to reset MFA methods or allow re-registration.
• Personal Microsoft backup account access issue: use the Microsoft account sign-in helper.
• If unable to restore for other reasons, add the accounts again manually.

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