Lost access to authenticator

Follow these steps based on what is still accessible:

1. If the old phone is still available (especially iOS):
   • On the old device:
     1. Enable iCloud Drive.
     2. Enable iCloud Keychain.
     3. Enable iCloud Backup and make sure Authenticator is turned on in the Saved to iCloud list.
     4. Update Microsoft Authenticator to version 6.8.33 or later.
     5. Open Authenticator at least once.
   • On the new iOS device:
     1. Uninstall and reinstall the Microsoft Authenticator app.
     2. Open it and sign in with the same backup account; the backup should now appear and restore.
2. If the backup account for Authenticator cannot be accessed:
   • Authenticator account credentials cannot be recovered by support if the backup account itself is inaccessible.
   • Use the Microsoft account sign-in helper to regain access to the backup account: Sign-in helper.
3. If backup still cannot be restored for other reasons:
   • Manually add accounts again to Authenticator following each service’s “add new authenticator / set up MFA” process.
   • For any account in Authenticator showing Action required after restore:
     1. Open Authenticator → Accounts.
     2. Tap the affected account.
     3. Use the “sign in to recover” option, enter the password, and complete additional verification (email/phone) as prompted.
4. If locked out of a work/school (Microsoft Entra / Microsoft 365) account because of lost phone:
   • Ask another cloud services admin to reset MFA settings for the account so contact methods can be re-registered.
   • If there is no other admin and this is a business tenant, contact Microsoft support and request escalation to the Data Protection team to reset admin MFA, as described in the Q&A references.

If none of the above is possible and there is no access to any backup or alternative verification method, the only option is to work with each account provider’s recovery process (email, SMS, support) and then re-add those accounts to Microsoft Authenticator from scratch.

References:

• Microsoft Authenticator FAQs
• Restore account credentials from Microsoft Authenticator
• Can't use Azure Multi-Factor Authentication to sign in to cloud services after you lose your phone or the phone number changes
• Cannot authenticate with E-mail when logging into Microsoft Authenticator(iOS). - Microsoft Q&A
• How Do I Regain Access to My Account After Losing Access to Microsoft Authenticator? (Urgent Request). - Microsoft Q&A
• I have a Micrsoft business account and I am the admin and the only user registered under this account. I can't log in because i have replaced my phone and the authenticator doesn't work. - Microsoft Q&A
• Requesting a Tenant Admin MFA Reset - Microsoft Q&A