Stuck in an infinite loop of needing to already be signed in to the Authenticator app to approve a sign in FOR the authenticator app.

I can't sign in because my account says it need me to approve the sign on in the Authenticator app. HOWEVER, the sign on for the Authenticator app is ALSO saying I need to approve the sign on in the app. So I can't sign in to approve it without already being signed in. SO I am stuck in an infinite loop of it asking me to approve a sign in on my account in an app that I can't sign into without already being signed in!

If you are on a work account, you most likely need to have your administrator reset your Entra MFA (multifactor authentication) so you can re-establish Microsoft Authenticator on the new device.

Kind regards.

As an update, my problem was that because I created a business account with Microsoft under my business email address, I also needed to create a separate business Admin account (even though I'm a sole proprietor and even though that's not intuitive, as it's just me, it was necessary). The admin account (that my IT consultant created) used a special "onmicrosoft.com" email address. Once I accessed the Admin account, I was able to (1) create an Authenticator account for the Admin account, (2) access my Microsoft Admin account online, (3) view the members of my business account (consisting of my regular business email account and my new Admin account) under my groups (one of the options on the dashboard to the left), (4) make my regular business email account an owner, (5) log into my regular business Microsoft account (this time choosing a code sent via text rather than the Authenticator app; I could have stopped there as I had access but I wanted the ease of the Authenticator app); (6) once inside my regular business Microsoft account I added Microsoft authenticator as a sign-in option; (7) followed the steps (which popped up automatically) to create an Authenticator account for my regular business email using the QR code that appeared on screen, which (8) sent an Authenticator push to my phone under my regular business email Authenticator account. So long story short, because I have a business Microsoft account, I needed a separate Admin account to manage the Authenticator login process.

Does not work, I am still stuck in an infinite loop & cannot access my work emails.

I am about to change over to another email company, this is ridiculous.

This the worst service I have ever come across I have to sign in using a different email address than the one I cannot login into to even get to write a message here in the hope that someone will take pity and mercy on my absolutely disastrous predicament. There is no phone number to get to in an emergency and this is an emergency I am totally and utterly stuck in a loop with the authenticator app. The app asks me to login and then brings me back to looking for the authenticator. I cannot login as normal as I am not getting the authenticator app to work properly leaving me in an infinite loop. I need to be able to switch off the authenticator on my email but I have no way of logging in at all and I am the admin.

Can someone please help me this is the utmost urgency and I have never seen anything so ridiculous happen in over 20 years working in software. But really this is not just an annoyed rant it really is important and I am in dire need to get into my email as I have important emails and documents that need urgent attention.

PLEASE HELP ME!!!!!!!

Hi David - it sounds exactly like the situation I was in.

I know how frustrating it is.

I had to contact the Microsoft data protection team. The only way without having access to your account is to call the global customer service centre and just persevere.

Numbers below.

Long call wait times but if you want it sorted it's the only. Explain the issue and they'll log a ticket and you'll get lots of back and forth with the team in California but eventually they'll reset your password etc....