Unable to Remove old Authenticator Accounts

Question

Unable to Remove old Authenticator Accounts

Jeffrey Bradway 5

My company recently migrated tenants. There are several old accounts stuck in my Authenticator app. I don't have any "Remove" button for old accounts within Authenticator. I am on Android 13. I can open the Authenticator app, click on an old account. Under the Manage section I see the following:

Change Password
Update security Info
Review recent activity
reset device notifications.

There is a gear icon in the upper right on this old account. If I click the gear icon I only see the following:

Account name <my old account name. >

That single line is clickable but only allows me to rename the old account. There appears to be no way to clean up any of the several old accounts that are stuck here.

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Jeffrey Bradway 5

This weekend I did a deep cleaning of all Microsoft software and credentials from my phone.

I removed my (my company) account from Authenticator. When I did it popped up a 2 digit number (authentication request screen). I backed out. In authenticator I saw the message

"Update your security info

One of your sign-in methods wasn't deleted from your account. So you'll need to delete it at https://aka.ms/mysecurityinfo"

With noted exceptions I forced stopped, cleared data and cache, and uninstalled the following:

Outlook

OneDrive: Uninstalled updates, unable to fully uninstall preloaded software.

Edge: Had to go to Manage Data and Clear data instead of normal android menu.

Teams

Excel

OneNote

Company Profile

Authenticator

(should have also cleared Office, but did not)

Checked my phone Settings>Accounts and Backup>Manage Accounts: Cleared account starting with "work-3F..."

Google Play store: Force stop, clear data, clear cache

Android System WebView: clear data, clear cache

Pass (samsung): Force stop, clear data, clear cache

Autofill with Samsung Pass: Clear data, clear cache

Google Play Services: (Left alone)

Restarted phone

Set up screen lock pin

Install Company portal

Logged in

Company Portal says device does not meet (my company) Requirements. Lists Device Settings Status as Unknown.

Restarted

Open Company Portal, status same.

In Company Portal>Settings>Management Policy hit SYNC

No changes.

Gemini suggests the following causes:

Cause 1: Your company blocks personal Android devices (Most Likely)

During tenant migrations, IT administrators frequently restrict enrollment to company-owned devices by default. If they haven’t explicitly whitelisted personally owned Android devices (known as BYOD, or Bring Your Own Device) in the new tenant's Enrollment Device Platform Restrictions, any personal Android phone attempting to enroll will be hit with an immediate block, returning an "Unknown" status.

Cause 2: A lingering stale registration in the Microsoft Cloud

Even though you completely wiped your phone locally, your phone's unique hardware identifier (Device ID) might still be registered to your old company tenant up in the Microsoft cloud. When the new tenant tries to claim and register your device hardware, Microsoft sees the conflict, drops the handshake, and reports the configuration status as "Unknown".

I then cleared all data from Company Profile again.

I also investigated other Android sandbox options. I searched my phone for "profile" and found a built-in method to set up a work profile. This app is looking for a code from my IT department. Gemini suggests that this code will be automatically injected into my system from Company Portal, but only if the Company Portal app properly accepts my device. It suggests that the work profile setup would have actually been kicked off upon proper device registration.

Currently it seems that the Tenant configuration is doing one or more of the following:

Blocking device registration of non-company devices

Failing to whitelist OneNote in Company Portal

Reserving my device registration on the old Calvary Tenant

After all the deep cleaning mentioned below, I opened OneDrive. It warned me that data was deleted by my company. I then STILL saw BOTH old tenants and (new tenant) accounts listed. I cleared data from OneDrive again then closed and reopened OneDrive. Now I do not see any accounts.

After clearing data in OneDrive for a 2nd time...

Sign in to OneDrive

Got "Help us keep your device secure" prompt

Registered device

Prompted me to install Company Portal > Installed

Signed in, saw only current company

Saw Get Access page with checkmarks showing green on

Recently Connected
Device is supported
Everything's up to date
Device is healthy

Set up PIN for Company Portal

Now able to see OneDrive files

Select a OneNote notebook within OneDrive

Prompted to get the app

Linked to Google Play Store for "Microsoft OneNote: Save Notes" app

Installed, opened

OneNote screen saying "All Done" then see my company account listed. Logged in.

OneNote notebooks now work.

Opened Company Portal

Signed in (somehow wasn't?)

Can now see Play Store inside Company Portal.

Install Teams from Company Portal

Open Teams, log in with current company account shown.

"Get Access" screen, again all green.

Allowed nearby devices and approximate location while using the app.

Teams works.

From Company portal, install Edge

Open Edge

Did NOT choose as default browser

Sign-in with latest company credentials shown

Sync with company

"Get Access" screen, all green.

From Company Portal install Outlook

Open Outlook

Add Account > Current company credentials > Continue > OK

Got popup about "A new way to sign in" asking if I wanted to have Outlook approve sign ins. Tried to learn more then backed out. Option gone. Not enabled.

Went to inbox, Outlook works.

Noticed that "Office" was still installed and was not on list of apps cleared.

Without opening app, cleared data.

Apps in working state. 2FA via Authenticator is not yet re-enabled though text codes are. Currently afraid that resetting 2FA will break everything again.

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Answer 1

Jeffrey Bradway 5

I fixed it. I tried to post an answer but was blocked. I thought it had something to do with a small comment that rhymed with "goat's flair", but I sanitized that and it still failed. Lost energy to enrich the community more. Good luck...

Hin-V 16,830 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-06-30T22:50:19.7266667+00:00

Hi @Jeffrey Bradway

Thanks for your sharing and the detailed update.

This is really helpful. It looks like you performed a full cleanup and re-registration on your device.

Based on what you described, your device was likely stuck in a conflict between the old tenant and the new tenant, with stale device registration information still present in the Microsoft cloud. That’s why Company Portal originally showed “Device not meet requirements” with a status of “Unknown.”

After you cleared app data, removed accounts, and reinstalled everything, the device was essentially forced to register cleanly with the new tenant, which is why everything started working correctly afterward. At this point, your device is successfully enrolled, Company Portal shows it as healthy and compliant, and all core apps like Outlook, Teams, OneDrive, and OneNote are functioning normally. That means the main issue with device identity and tenant registration has been resolved.

Regarding Authenticator, your current approach is valid. You are using SMS as a fallback and have not yet re-enabled Authenticator due to concern about breaking the setup again. That concern is completely reasonable, re-enabling MFA incorrectly sometimes can cause a lockout if the device is not properly tied to the account in the new tenant.

Before enabling Authenticator again, make sure your account has at least one working alternative sign-in method such as SMS, a secondary email, or backup codes. It is also recommended to confirm with IT that your MFA registration has been reset or is ready for a fresh setup. When you are ready, re-add Authenticator as a new method from the security info page rather than trying to reuse any old configuration.

In summary, your cleanup process has successfully resolved the tenant and device conflict, and your current environment is now stable. Your experience will be very valuable to other community members, and I truly appreciate you taking the time to share it.

If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Warm thanks and have a nice day.

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Answer 3

Hin-V 16,830 Microsoft External Staff Moderator

Hi @Jeffrey Bradway

Thank you for reaching out.

If your old accounts cannot be removed from within the Authenticator app, you could consider to clear your data app. You could follow these steps:

Open your device’s Settings app. Go to Apps.

Select Microsoft Authenticator from the app list.

Tap Storage. Tap Clear data, then confirm by tapping OK.

Please note that:

This action will remove all accounts currently configured in the Authenticator app (not just the old ones).

After clearing the data, you will need to re-add and re-register your active accounts.

Before performing this action, please ensure you have backed up everything and prepared the necessary alternative authentication methods for both your personal and work accounts to avoid being locked out.

This method effectively resets the app and removes any stuck or non-removable entries.

User's image

You can refer via: How to sign out from Authenticator | Microsoft Support

Please feel free to correct me if I misunderstood your request. If you have any additional concerns, feel free to comment below. I would be more than happy to assist.

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.

Hin-V 16,830 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-06-13T22:35:54.2233333+00:00

Hi @Jeffrey Bradway

I hope you are doing well.

Have you had a chance to check the replies provided?

Any update would be appreciated.

If you want any further support, let me know in the comment section.
Jeffrey Bradway 5 Reputation points

2026-06-15T13:57:36.26+00:00

This did not resolve the issue. After making sure I had recovery codes for all active accounts, I cleared all cache and data from Microsoft Authenticator, OneNote, and OneDrive. In my Samsung Note 20 (Android 13) I also went to settings > Manage accounts and deleted all Microsoft or work profiles. I also uninstalled OneNote and reinstalled it and restarted my phone. OneNote STILL sees my old tenant (@myoldcompany.onmicrosoft.com) as the default login. If I try to "sign in with another account" all I get is a black screen. I'm glad I moved all my personal notes off of Microsoft a few months ago or else this would have killed all my personal access too.
Hin-V 16,830 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-06-16T22:17:56.74+00:00

Hi @Jeffrey Bradway

Apologies for my delayed response.

Could you please confirm whether your Authenticator app still shows the old profile after clearing the app data? Or is the issue that some old accounts remain stuck while others have been removed?

Regarding the black screen when selecting "Sign in with another account" in OneNote. This is often caused by a stuck web authentication view. You could try to

Force stop OneNote, then clear cache and data again.

When signing in, try using a different network (for example, switch between mobile data and Wi-Fi), and ensure any VPN is turned off.

Any updates would be greatly appreciated.
Jeffrey Bradway 5 Reputation points

2026-06-17T17:06:13.1066667+00:00

My current situation: My Microsoft Authenticator currently shows no accounts at all. If I launch OneNote it says "Your organization has removed its data associated with this app..." I then get a screen with the OneNote logo in the center and Microsoft at the bottom with no action buttons to do anything. I will say this is an improvement because before it showed my old tenant email as a sign on. Note that I did not do anything since my last post other than restart my phone an additional time for an unrelated issue. Does this sound like the apps are "ready" for me to set up my MFA again and work?
Jeffrey Bradway 5 Reputation points

2026-06-17T18:02:53.5333333+00:00

Correction: As I started signing into my new tenant in Authenticator I now saw the old tenant start to pop up as a login option under Outlook and Teams. I then cleared data for each of these apps and continued to log in to my new tenant. I also logged into the Intune Company Portal. Now Teams and Outlook work fine and AGAIN OneNote has found my old tenant login, no matter how many times I clear OneNote's data it still seems to find it. Again if I try to sign in using a different account in OneNote I just get a blank screen with no options to do anything. Also, I just installed Edge for the first time on this phone and somehow it can see my old tenant credentials as well. How is it possible that old credentials stick around so much?
Hin-V 16,830 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-06-17T22:48:57.1866667+00:00

Hi @Jeffrey Bradway

Thank you for the detailed information.

Looks like old tenant credentials remain cached in multiple places on your Android devices, even after clearing app data. Your Authenticator and most apps are almost ready for the new tenant. However, the old tenant data is mainly stuck in system-level accounts and shared Microsoft services, especially affecting OneNote and Edge.

You could try the following steps:

On your phone, go to Settings > Accounts and backup > Manage accounts (or Passwords, Passkeys & Accounts) and remove all Microsoft or work accounts related to the old tenant.

For OneNote, clear its cache and data. After that, clear cache and data for Edge as well.

Restart your phone and try signing into OneNote with your new account.

Finally, restart your phone again and re-add your new tenant account in Authenticator first, followed by the other apps.

You could give it a try and let me know if this helps.
Jeffrey Bradway 5 Reputation points

2026-06-18T16:54:51.1133333+00:00
I had already tried removing all Microsoft and work accounts from Manage Accounts. AI suggests that a very specific list of actions needs to be taken clearing all of the Microsoft apps data, uninstalling all Microsoft apps, clearing the accounts in Manage accounts, clearing data from Google Play services and Android System Webview, and Chrome. Follow all this with restarts and specific installation order.

I have not tried the following yet, but I suspect this will not solve the real root cause (potentially) that OneNote is not whitelisted on my company's tenant for Company Portal. I have not been able to get a response from my IT department confirming this is the case.

Do this in order:

Uninstall these apps:

OneNote

Outlook

Teams

OneDrive

Edge

Company Portal

Authenticator

Go to:

Settings → Apps → Show system apps

Clear data for:

Google Play Services

Android System WebView

Chrome (or default browser) Reboot phone

🔧 Step 3 — Rebuild clean (correct order matters)

Install in this order:

Company Portal

Sign in with NEW tenant only

Complete device registration

Install:

Outlook → sign in

Teams → sign in

Then install:

OneNote (last)

👉 This ensures Intune policies are applied before OneNote initializes
Hin-V 16,830 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-06-19T00:19:29.8733333+00:00

Hi @Jeffrey Bradway

You could try confirming with your IT admin whether OneNote is allowed under your organization’s policies. If it isn’t approved, that would normally explain access issues.

That said, based on the specific behavior you’re seeing (the old tenant continuing to appear and the blank sign-in screen), it doesn’t quite match what I typically see when an app is blocked by policy. In those cases, the behavior is usually more explicit, for example, you would see a clear message or error code indicating that the app isn’t approved or that access is restricted by your organization.

What you’re describing is more consistent with a leftover device-level identity state. Even after removing accounts from “Manage accounts” and clearing app data, there can still be cached identity information at the system level or within the authentication broker (including Company Portal or the underlying Android account framework). That remaining state can cause apps like OneNote to keep discovering the previous tenant and fail during account switching.

For now, you can continue to follow up with your IT team to help rule out whether this behavior might be related to company policy. Once you have that confirmation, please let me know so I can better address your issue.
Any update would be appreciated.
Hin-V 16,830 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-06-22T21:25:16.26+00:00

Hi @Jeffrey Bradway

Any update on this thread?

If you need any further assistance regarding this issue, please feel free to reach out at any time.
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Unable to Remove old Authenticator Accounts

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🔧 Step 3 — Rebuild clean (correct order matters)

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