Can't login to teams: authenticator generates too long OTP

Question

Can't login to teams: authenticator generates too long OTP

Anonymous

Hello @all,

i cant access my teams-account(s) with ******@custom8.de (yes, this info can be kept visible).

it asks for my authenticator OTP but i can only enter 6 digits, my authenticator generates 8 digit codes.
i guess i've set it up wrong.

but since i cant login, i cant change my authenticator settings.
there is no button to choose another login method, only authenticator.

on this learn.microsoft.com page i saw that i seem to have a personal and a company account, login is not possible in either of them. both ask for the 6-digit-OTP.

how can i get access to my account again, i can access the mail address of course.

currently, it should be teams free but I plan to buy a license since i need to work with others in a team.

thanks a lot

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Alex Butcher 0 Reputation points

2026-08-29T07:16:01.2533333+00:00

It sounds like the account is configured for 6-digit MFA while your Authenticator is generating 8-digit codes. You may need an admin to reset your MFA method, or contact Microsoft Support if there’s no alternative sign-in option available.
JuliaMarvin 22,275 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2026-08-29T07:38:54.5866667+00:00

@Alex Butcher
Please refrain from resurrecting old threads. See: [Article] Community Tip: Get the most out of active questions
Also read https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/support/ai-usage-policy as well as https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/support/code-of-conduct

4 answers

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This comment has been deleted due to a violation of our Code of Conduct. The comment was manually reported or identified through automated detection before action was taken. Please refer to our Code of Conduct for more information.
Alex Butcher 0 Reputation points

2026-08-29T07:16:01.2533333+00:00

It sounds like the account is configured for 6-digit MFA while your Authenticator is generating 8-digit codes. You may need an admin to reset your MFA method, or contact Microsoft Support if there’s no alternative sign-in option available.
JuliaMarvin 22,275 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator

2026-08-29T07:38:54.5866667+00:00

@Alex Butcher
Please refrain from resurrecting old threads. See: [Article] Community Tip: Get the most out of active questions
Also read https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/support/ai-usage-policy as well as https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/support/code-of-conduct

Answer 1

Hello,

If your account is personal, it will ask for 8 digits code.

If your account is org account, it will ask for 6 digits code.

So, question for you, did you use this same email address @custom8.de to open both personal and organization accounts?

OR

When you sign into Teams, did it have a pop up asking you to choose personal or organization (typically it will provide you the name of the org too)?

Answer 2

Anonymous

okay then i messed up and created both accounts but only the 8digit is in my authenticator app

when i visit teams.microsoft.com, I am instantly asked for my digit code.

when i visit login.microsoftonline.com, i can choose between work and personal account.

work asks again for the 6digit code
clicking "personal" logs me in directly.

but from there, i cant do much.
my plan is to upgrade my teams account to "essential" to be able to join the team of a customer.
but when i click on the tile "teams" it just opens
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-teams/free

clicking "sign in" in the top right corner redirects me to
https://login.microsoftonline.com/
and asks for the 6digit code again

EmilyS726 264.6K Reputation points Independent Advisor

2025-10-06T23:57:54.7933333+00:00

You need to first make sure personal and business have their own email alias.

Since you can get into your personal, go https://account.live.com.

Then o to Your Info > Sign in preference, Add an alias.

You have two options here:

Create new: this will allow you to use the native domain outlook.com to create a new alias.

Add existing: this will allow you to add a 3rd party email address, such as yahoo, gmail, as long as they are not already associated with another Microsoft account.

Once added, make this new alias your primary alias, then you can delete the other email as alias, and that email is free from this Microsoft account instantly.

Moving forward, please use this new alias to sign into anything personal.

=============

Now try to log into business account, and see if it allows you to go the business route, and if it prompts you to set up MFA.

Answer 3

Anonymous

still same problem.
i created a new alias with outlook.com, set it as primary and deleted the ******@custom8.de completely.

i double checked the login information: yep it is gone.

i opened a new incognito windows and tried to log in with ******@custom8.de
(this time: no question if personal or work, GREAT!)

but it still asks for the code.

can't i just reset the MFA? i mean, it's my domain and i got access to all custom8 address (hosted at hosteurope.de)

EmilyS726 264.6K Reputation points Independent Advisor

2025-10-07T00:25:07.69+00:00

Ok, you are making some baby step progress. At least you got rid of the tangle of personal and business accounts. That part is squared away.

Now the issue is strictly on the business side.

When you created this business account, do you recall, during the process, did you create a username in this format:

username @ businessname.onmicrosoft.com

Where, username and businessname were defined by you?
markus schnepf 0 Reputation points

2025-11-01T20:52:06.4933333+00:00

i was on vacation and now i try to login.
it still tells me that i have 2 accounts. business (where i cant login) and personal.
so i selected my personal account (which was saved on my pc!) and it told me that i dont have an account with that mail address.
i changed the primary mail adress to custom8@outlook, so yes, i did resolve the problem that both accounts use the same mail address.

so i created another with my private gmx mail address just to comment on this. i did not even remember to create a business account yet, i did not receive a single mail about that on my mail address ******@custom8.de

still, i cant sign in to my business mail. it does NOT display "i cant login right now" or any other option.
it asks for the 6-digit authenticator code which I dont have.
there is just a hyperlink with "further details" which give me an error code.
NO other option to login, reset access etc
markus schnepf 0 Reputation points

2025-11-01T20:56:38.95+00:00
markus schnepf 0 Reputation points

2025-11-01T21:58:01.0466667+00:00

i GOT an account with ******@custom8.onmicrosoft.com

I logged in and.. has nothing to do with my ******@custom8.de

Answer 4

markus schnepf 0

i changed the primary mail address of my personal account to my gmx address "******@gmx.net"
when trying to login with it, it promts my windows security key token, i did never configured one...
grafik

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