Microsoft Authenticator issue

Issa Abu Jamil 0 Reputation points
2026-06-12T23:36:56.0466667+00:00

Hello Microsoft Support, I accidentally deleted the Microsoft Authenticator app from my phone and reinstalled it. Now I am unable to access my account (Valencia College) because the sign-in process is still asking for approval in the old Authenticator setup.

I do not have access to approve the request anymore, and I need assistance resetting or re-registering my multi-factor authentication methods so I can sign in again.

Microsoft 365 and Office | Subscription, account, billing | For education | Android
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  1. Anonymous
    2026-06-13T00:11:03.93+00:00

    Hi @Issa Abu Jamil

    Please note that we're not Microsoft support, this is a user-to-user support forum. Moderators here don’t have backend access to Microsoft systems, so we can only provide technical guidance based on the public resources and experience. 

    I'm really sorry to hear you're having trouble accessing your account after switching to a new phone. Since you no longer have access to your old device and the Authenticator app wasn’t set up on your new one, and because your account is a work or school account managed by your college’s IT department, forum moderators don’t have the administrative permissions needed to change these settings directly.

    To regain access quickly, the best step is to contact your college’s IT Support or Help Desk. They are the only ones who can reset your multifactor authentication (MFA) settings or help you configure a new verification method. You can refer them to this guide: Manage authentication methods for Microsoft Entra multifactor authentication - Microsoft Entra ID |… 

    If you’re unsure who your IT administrator is, see How do I find my Microsoft 365 admin? - Microsoft Support 

    Once your school IT team helps you regain access, you can manage your security verification methods by visiting My Sign-Ins | Security Info | Microsoft.com page. This allows you to control which methods you use for MFA in the future.

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

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  2. AI answer

    2026-06-12T23:37:07.94+00:00

    For a Valencia College (work/school) account where Microsoft Authenticator was removed and reinstalled, the old registration must be cleared and MFA re-registered. Because the sign-in still prompts for the old Authenticator and there is no other verification method available, this cannot be fixed only on the device; an admin must reset the MFA registration for the account.

    Use these steps:

    1. Contact Valencia College IT/Help Desk
      Explain that the Microsoft 365/Entra ID account is locked in an MFA loop after deleting and reinstalling Microsoft Authenticator and that there is no access to the old app. Ask them to:
      • Require re-register multifactor authentication for the user account.
      • Remove or reset existing sign-in methods for the account.
    2. Admin-side action (for Valencia IT staff)
      An administrator with access to the tenant should:
      1. Go to the Azure portal → Microsoft Entra ID → Users.
      2. Open the affected user.
      3. Under Manage → Authentication methods, select Require re-register multifactor authentication.
      4. Instruct the user to sign in again; they will be prompted to set up MFA from scratch.
    3. User reconfigures MFA after reset
      Once the admin has required re-registration and the user can pass the initial sign-in (for example from a trusted device or temporary method configured by IT):
      1. Go to the Security info page (for example via the Additional security verification or My Account portal, as directed by IT).
      2. Remove any entries tied to the old phone or Authenticator registration.
      3. Add a new sign-in method and choose Authenticator app and/or Phone.
      4. Install and configure Microsoft Authenticator on the current phone following the prompts.

    If there is no other administrator who can reset MFA and the only admin account is also locked by Authenticator, the institution’s IT must open a support case with Microsoft and request assistance from the Data Protection team to reset MFA for the tenant admin, then for affected users.

    References:

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