I cannot log into my Azure account due to authenticator app being removed.

Question

I cannot log into my Azure account due to authenticator app being removed.

Michelle French 0

I have a personal Microsoft account authenticated with a password and google authenticator app. The app was removed from my phone. I have been able to log in to my Microsoft account and changed the security settings to password only.

But my Azure account still insists on having a code, so I cannot log in. The pop up window gives me no options.

I tried the "recover my account" option but this only works with a company account.

I tried Microsoft support but they kept cutting the call off, so didn't not get anywhere with that.

Any suggestions are welcome.

Sridevi Machavarapu 33,820 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-06-10T15:40:38.3366667+00:00

Hello Michelle French,

We need few details to proceed further. Please check your Private messages tab and provide those details.
Ritesh Kumar 0 Reputation points

2026-06-10T16:00:55.56+00:00

If you still have access to your Microsoft account, remove the old authenticator app from your security settings and configure a new authentication method. Azure may continue to require the previously registered MFA method until it is updated.

For work or school accounts, contact your Azure administrator and request an MFA reset. For personal Azure subscriptions, contact Azure Support for assistance recovering access to your account's authentication methods.

1 answer

Your answer

Sridevi Machavarapu 33,820 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-06-10T15:40:38.3366667+00:00

Hello Michelle French,

We need few details to proceed further. Please check your Private messages tab and provide those details.
Ritesh Kumar 0 Reputation points

2026-06-10T16:00:55.56+00:00

If you still have access to your Microsoft account, remove the old authenticator app from your security settings and configure a new authentication method. Azure may continue to require the previously registered MFA method until it is updated.

For work or school accounts, contact your Azure administrator and request an MFA reset. For personal Azure subscriptions, contact Azure Support for assistance recovering access to your account's authentication methods.

Answer 1

Azure uses its own multi-factor authentication profile, separate from the general Microsoft account security settings. Changing the Microsoft account to password-only does not automatically reset Azure MFA, so Azure continues to require a code from the removed authenticator.

For a personal account used in Azure, the MFA profile typically must be reset by an administrator in the tenant where the account is used, or via Microsoft support. From the provided scenarios, the effective resolutions were:

If the account is a guest in an Azure/Entra tenant
- Sign in to Azure/Entra with another Global Administrator account in that tenant (or have the tenant admin do this).
- Go to Microsoft Entra admin center → Identity → Users → All users.
- Select the affected user (the personal Microsoft account).
- Open Authentication methods.
- Select Require re-register multifactor authentication.
- Next time signing in with the personal account, Azure will prompt to set up MFA again, allowing a new authenticator app or another method to be registered.
If there is another Global Administrator in the tenant
- That admin can follow the same steps above (Require re-register multifactor authentication) for the locked-out account.
If the locked-out account is the only Global Administrator
- This cannot be fixed from the portal because no admin can sign in.
- The documented path is to work with Microsoft Support/Data Protection to verify identity and reset MFA for at least one admin account. This is what was done in similar cases:
  - Call Microsoft support using the regional customer service phone number and clearly state that the Global Admin is locked out due to lost authenticator and there is no other admin.
  - Ask for escalation to the Data Protection/Tenant Recovery team.
  - After identity verification, the Data Protection engineer can reset MFA registration or help create a new admin account, which can then reset MFA for the original account.
If the personal Microsoft account is only a consumer account (no Azure tenant)
- For consumer sign-in issues, use the Microsoft account sign-in helper and recovery tools referenced under “I can't sign in to my Microsoft account”. However, since Azure is already prompting for MFA and the account is tied to an Azure tenant, the practical fix still requires an admin or Microsoft support to reset the Azure MFA profile as in steps 1–3.

Because the Azure sign-in prompt is not offering alternative verification options and self-service MFA reset for personal accounts is not available, the only supported resolution path is:

Use another Global Admin in the tenant to trigger Require re-register multifactor authentication, or
If no other admin exists, work with Microsoft support/Data Protection to reset MFA for the tenant’s admin account.

References: