Microsoft Authenticator is asking me to authenticate using Microsoft Authenticator to use Microsoft Authenticator

Thank you, life-saver!

One specific case for some people (with Work/School account): your admins may have restricted your Microsoft Authenticator setup method to be by QR code, not sign in. If so, when setting up Authenticator on your mobile, select QR code as the option. Then go to the Security Info section in the Microsoft admin interface (https://aka.ms/mysecurity), select Add a sign-in method, then follow the onscreen instructions to sign in with a QR code.

This avoided the endless authentication loop that I had been stuck in, like others in this thread.

I have always wondered the same thing. It's really crazy. They want you to authenticate something that needs to be set up to authenticate but you can't authenticate what you don't have access to because it won't let you authenticate without a code...

MAY 22, 2025

Two years later, this issue has not been addressed by Microsoft. I have a previously created account that I've used for years prior to today, but when I signed in to my Microsoft account, I was asked to authenticate my sign-in using Microsoft Authenticator. After redownloading the application, Microsoft Authenticator asked me to authenticate my sign-in using Microsoft Authenticator, the exact platform I am trying to sign into and access my account. Posts on this thread simply say to use another sign-in option to bypass Microsoft Authenticator. Unfortunately, my account only has two options available, and both require being previously signed into Microsoft Authenticator. I am upset, as I have urgent matters to take care of right now, but instead I am trying to solve this issue. Microsoft is valued at over $3T and has one of the most simple yet infuriating "infinite loop" sign-in problems that I thought the Internet solved over a decade ago.

If I had kept Microsoft Authenticator signed in previously, this would not be an issue, but since Microsoft Authenticator requires a Microsoft sign-in to use, and therefore authentication to confirm my identity, I cannot access my account. Furthermore, there is no mention of this issue in FAQs or anywhere on official Microsoft platforms, yet I know at least 2952 people have this same question.

UPDATE: Reddit says contact account administrator or IT department of organization in order to reset multifactor authentication (MFA).

So much justification and blame from the moderators. Wow. Not a good look.

I went to open Mac Word and got stuck in this authenticator loop (switched phones---who the f would know that you have to back up the authenticator app: that's just a ridiculous expectation). I made so many attempts, now Word is locked out til tomorrow! I have work to do. Infuriating beyond belief. Somebody needs to lose their job for this horrific UX fail.

Unfortunately, NG, it's the only answer anyone can provide, since if you've enabled 2-Step authentication with a Microsoft Personal account, the form Microsoft provides to recover your account can't be used, so since Microsoft has also removed the ability for Microsoft Support to access personal accounts to protect them, the only way to recover is either performing the appropriate Authenticator Recovery process from the backup of that data in your Google or Apple account which you must have made previously, or by using at least 2 other verification methods which are still valid like username/password, alternate email, text message to phone or Microsoft Recovery code.

Restore account credentials from Microsoft Authenticator - Microsoft Support

This attempt is best done from a Windows device that's been registered with your account in the past, which should be recognized as one factor and preferably one using Windows Hello Face (camera), Fingerprint or PIN, which are already considered 2-Step together.

If that's not possible, then using a Microsoft Edge browser (avoid anything 3rd-party like Chrome) to login using your password, then using either alternate email or text of a code as the 2nd-Step, should be enough to allow access to make the change necessary to remove both the Authenticator's 'Send sign-in notification' option, as well as the 2-Step setting turned Off until you're sure you've got everything fixed and working again.

If you didn't back up the authenticator previously and don't have at least 2 other methods available to try and use from either a registered Windows device using Edge to access your account or entirely from scratch using your username/password and alternate method, then no one can help you recover the account, since 2-Step means exactly that and no method exists to recover without them.

Rob