In microsoft authenticator loop

Question

Unable to sign in on phone or laptop because it keeps asking me for a code on both devices, and no other way to sign in

Answer 1

The account is stuck in an authenticator loop where only Microsoft Authenticator is offered, and the code cannot be accessed. The way out depends on whether this is a personal Microsoft account or a work/school (Entra ID) account and whether any alternate methods exist.

1. On the sign-in screen, look carefully for alternate options
   • After entering username and password, select options like:
     • “I can’t use my Microsoft Authenticator app right now”
     • “Sign in another way” / “Use a different way to sign in” / “Show more verification options”
   • If SMS, phone call, email, or recovery code is offered, use that to complete sign-in and then:
     • Go to the security info page (for work/school: https://mysignins.microsoft.com/security-info or https://aka.ms/mysecurityinfo as applicable in the prompts) and add at least one additional sign-in method (phone, email, passkey, etc.).
2. If no alternate method is shown (pure authenticator loop)
   • For a personal Microsoft account:
     1. Try the Microsoft Sign-in Helper from the “I can’t sign in to my Microsoft account” help page (linked from Microsoft account help). This is designed to break sign-in loops.
     2. If still locked out, use the official account recovery form at https://account.live.com/acsr (linked from the Microsoft account recovery articles) and provide as much accurate information as possible so ownership can be verified and access restored.
   • For a work or school (Microsoft 365 / Entra ID) account:
     1. Contact the organization’s IT admin or help desk and ask them to:
        • Reset or require re‑registering multifactor authentication for the account.
        • Optionally revoke existing MFA sessions.
     2. After the admin resets MFA, sign in again and reconfigure Microsoft Authenticator plus at least one backup method (phone, SMS, etc.).
3. If repeatedly blocked or seeing “too many attempts” / “try another verification method”
   • Wait before retrying; repeated attempts can trigger temporary security blocks.
   • If possible, try another verification method or network as suggested in the verification-code troubleshooting guidance.

If completely locked out of a work/school account and also the only global admin for the tenant, contact Microsoft via the customer service phone numbers and request escalation to the Data Protection team to reset MFA, as described in the referenced Q&A.

---

References:

• Troubleshoot problems with Microsoft Authenticator
• Troubleshoot Microsoft verification code issues
• Sign in to your work or school account using two-step verification
• Common problems with two-step verification for a work or school account
• Can't set up MFA because five devices are already registered to use an authenticator app
• I am stuck in authenticator loop for my business account - Microsoft Q&A
• Can’t use Microsoft authentication - Microsoft Q&A
• Help with Authenticator - Microsoft Q&A
• Endless password loop - Microsoft Q&A
• How can I fix Verify your identity issues? - Microsoft Q&A
• Authenticator Did Not Complete Login
• Sign in using Microsoft Authenticator
• Troubleshoot signing in with a passkey