How to restore an older version of Authenticator backup?

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2026-04-28T13:07:44.68+00:00

I had enabled backup on old phone. In new phone, as the "Recover from backup" is a tiny link at the bottom of signin screen, I missed it and continued with signin and went to settings and elected enable backup. This overwrote my backup from old phone. How do I get to my previous backup copy?

Microsoft Security | Microsoft Authenticator
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  1. AI answer

    2026-04-28T13:07:53.01+00:00

    Authenticator backup only keeps a single current backup per account and device type. When backup is turned on again on the new phone, it replaces the previous backup from the old phone. There is no supported way to roll back to or restore an older version of that backup once it has been overwritten.

    To avoid this in the future on a new device:

    1. On Android, open Authenticator and select Restore from backup or Begin recovery before signing in. If already signed in, sign out first, then restore.
    2. Sign in with the same personal Microsoft account that was used to create the backup so the saved credentials can be recovered.

    If the backup has already been overwritten, accounts must be re‑added manually (and for work/school and passwordless accounts, signed in again) using each service’s recovery or MFA reset process.

    References:

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