I need an MFA/Security Info reset for the sole Global Administrator account. This is a Microsoft 365 work/school account ([Moderator note: Personally Identifiable Information removed]@editingwritinghub251.onmicrosoft.com)

Harparmjot Singh 25 Reputation points
2026-06-11T09:16:53.11+00:00

I am the sole administrator of my Microsoft 365 tenant. I changed phones and lost access to Microsoft Authenticator. I successfully reset the password using my recovery email, but sign-in still requires approval from the old Authenticator registration. I need my MFA/Security Info registration reset so I can register Microsoft Authenticator on my new iPhone.

Microsoft 365 and Office | Subscription, account, billing | For business | Other
0 comments
Answer accepted by question author
Liora D 18,920 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
2026-06-11T11:11:07.33+00:00

Please note that this forum is a community support space, so I don’t have the ability to access tenant data or perform actions such as resetting MFA/security information directly. I can only guide you based on documented processes and experience, but I will do my best to point you in the right direction so this can be resolved properly.

Dear Harparmjot Singh,

I hope you’re having a good day.

Thank you for providing the details.

I’m really sorry that you’re running into this situation, I understand that you’re currently locked out of your Microsoft 365 administrator account after changing your phone, and you now need to reset your MFA/security information so you can register Microsoft Authenticator on your new device.

I can also see that you’re still able to provide important ownership information, which are all essential for verifying your identity in cases like this.

Because You are the sole Global Administrator on the tenant and don’t have access to any other MFA methods, then this becomes a full admin lockout situation. In that case, the only supported way forward is to contact Microsoft Support and request a tenant admin recovery / MFA reset. This request is handled by the Microsoft Data Protection / Identity team, who can verify ownership and unblock or reset the MFA configuration for your account.

Please try to find the related hotline number to call the frontline let them raise a ticket for you: Customer service phone numbers - Microsoft Support 

(Depending on your country or region, when you call the support number, you may hear an introduction of about 30 seconds such as "you can visit the link...". You can ignore this introduction and wait until you are presented with the options. Then press "1" as a business email user, and again "1" for technical help.)     

In some countries, this is an automated conversation: First, when you call the hotline, they will ask you what kind of problem you are struggling with.    

Answer: Authenticator.    

A: What products do you use?    

B: Office 365 for business.    

Verification: Education or company account?    

B: For companies    

A: Are you an administrator?    

B: Yes.    

A: Are there any other administrators in your organization?    

B: No.    

A: I need one.... Service request?    

B: Yes    

If your organization’s Office 365 Business subscription was purchased through a partner or reseller, and you’re unable to open a service request directly, you may also contact the reseller’s support provider and ask them to open a support request on your behalf.

Alternatively, you can try set up a new trial tenant and submit your support request, please follow this link to create a trial tenant: Compare Office 365 Enterprise Pricing and Plans | Microsoft 365 - after that you will be able to access to Microsoft 365 Admin Center to raise the ticket

Assuming that you have already created an account after registering a free trial and you can go to Microsoft 365 admin center and click Support > Help & support icon to raise your ticket. The agent will be able to create a ticket for you under the affected tenant and then transfer this ticket to Data Protection team who could help you to regain access.

User's image

Please mention that you are raising ticket on behalf of the affected tenant that you do not have access to. The support team will help you to create ticket on the affected tenant then later on the Microsoft Data Protection team will assist you.

Note: This process will take more time than usual (7-14 working days) for your account to get access again as Data Protection is always overwhelmed with the number of tickets. As I am forum moderator, I do not have access to Microsoft internal system to assist or push this process to be quicker.

If you do create the trial and it resolves the issue, please remember to cancel the subscription afterward to avoid any related charges. This new trial tenant will not give you access to any of the data or settings in your original locked tenant. It is solely a temporary means to contact Microsoft support.   

I hope my information is helpful. Please give me any updates once you get this resolved.

Warm regards, 

If the answer is helpful, please click "Accept Answer" and kindly upvote it. If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".    

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.   

Was this answer helpful?

1 person found this answer helpful.
0 comments

2 additional answers

Sort by: Newest
Most helpful Newest Oldest
  1. Harparmjot Singh 25 Reputation points
    2026-06-11T09:19:42.1133333+00:00

    Thank you. I confirm that:

    • I am the sole Global Administrator of the tenant.
    • The administrator account is @editingwritinghub251.onmicrosoft.com.
    • I know the password and have already reset it successfully.
    • I have access to the recovery email [Moderator note: Personally Identifiable Information removed]@outlook.com.
    • I own the domain editingwritinghub.com.
    • The only registered MFA method was Microsoft Authenticator on a phone that has been replaced.

    Please escalate this case to the Data Protection / Tenant Recovery team for an MFA/Security Info reset so that I can register Microsoft Authenticator on my new iPhone.

    Was this answer helpful?

    0 comments

  2. AI answer

    2026-06-11T09:17:08.79+00:00

    Because this is a work/school (Microsoft 365) account and the only registered MFA method was Microsoft Authenticator on a phone that is no longer available, the MFA/security info must be reset by either:

    1. Another Global Administrator in the tenant, or
    2. Microsoft Support (Data Protection / Tenant Recovery) if there is no other admin.

    From the provided guidance, the supported recovery paths are:

    1. If there is another Global Administrator
      • A Global Admin signs in to the Microsoft Entra admin center.
      • Go to Users → All users → select the affected admin account.
      • Open Authentication methods.
      • Select Require re-register multifactor authentication.
      • After this, the next sign-in for the affected account will prompt for fresh MFA registration (e.g., Microsoft Authenticator on the new iPhone).
    2. If there is no other Global Administrator (sole admin scenario)
      • This becomes a tenant admin lockout and must be handled by Microsoft’s Data Protection / Tenant Recovery team.
      • Use the published Customer service phone numbers - Microsoft Support channel to reach a live agent and request escalation to the Data Protection team for an admin MFA reset on the tenant.
      • Clearly state that:
        • This is a Microsoft 365 work/school tenant.
        • The locked-out account is the only Global Administrator.
        • Password is known but MFA cannot be completed because the only method was Microsoft Authenticator on a lost/replaced phone.
      • The Data Protection team will verify tenant ownership and, once satisfied, can reset the MFA registration so that a new Authenticator registration can be completed on the new phone.

    If support is difficult to reach, one documented workaround is to create a temporary new tenant (for example via a Microsoft 365 trial), sign in as Global Admin there, and use that admin portal to open a support ticket requesting Data Protection assistance for the original tenant. The Data Protection team then works on the original tenant to reset the MFA for the sole admin.

    Once Microsoft resets MFA/security info for the Global Administrator account, sign-in will proceed directly to MFA registration, allowing Microsoft Authenticator to be set up on the new iPhone.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

    Was this answer helpful?

Your answer

Answers can be marked as 'Accepted' by the question author and 'Recommended' by moderators, which helps users know the answer solved the author's problem.