Transferring Microsoft Authenticator to a New Device (Already Signed In)

Just be aware that the backup and restore on the Microsoft Authenticator is fundamentally broken for IT Admin use. The backup will only work for up to around 60 accounts before it just stops backing up. There is no fix or workaround for this, Microsoft has been aware of it for years and has done nothing. There needs to be either the ability to back up hundreds or even thousands of accounts, either automatically or a one off dump to OneDrive (business) or the ability to do a direct transfer from one device to another like Google Authenticator can do. I have been forced to maintain a second device and duplicate MFA registration on each of them rather than risk losing access to every account I have added in the past 18m.

A BIT of I.T.,

While trying to determine how to properly fix this problem for my earlier post i this thread, I ran into this Entra Blog article that details how the back and restore processes work, though I don't immediately see anything about a limit.

How it works: Backup and restore for Microsoft Authenticator | Microsoft Community Hub

Maybe something in the article will stand out to you, though it's possible this issue is really just some sort of either timeout or capacity limit relating to whatever they're using within the Google Android or iPhone iChain backup storage.

You didn't mention which type of phone you're using, since I'd guess it's probable the issue is related to a characteristic of that particular device's storage limitations. This is probably one of the reasons I've noticed that they don't even seem to recommend trying to backup and restore for individual users and instead suggest simply resetting their MFA setting to allow setting that up again.

They'll likely run into this problem even worse with the new passkey addition to the Authenticator, so I'm guessing they'll have to fix this problem there even for many consumers, since its very similar to the TOTP Key backup requirements.

Rob

this worked!

the best method is likely to click the Microsoft account on the main Authenticator screen, then click the 'Settings' gear in the upper right-hand corner, then click the Remove account button displayed there.

Then at the sign-in screen ignore sign-in and click recover backup.

:)

Perfect !!

Nice one!!

this works for me!

Ok, I had the same problem. Moving from an older android phone to a new release (old one couldn't be upgraded - Avoid moto Motorola Phones!!!). Anyway I got a new one and am manually migrating apps across; what a pain. Anyway, when I got the the Authenticator I had this issue. Well, if you have it working on a phone, make sure it is backed up with your Microsoft account. Then delete and do a fresh install on the new device and Select the RESTORE option before signing in. Then sign in with your Microsoft account and it will load just fine. Worked for me!