Microsoft authenticator- trying to recover from old phone

Question

Microsoft authenticator- trying to recover from old phone

Javier Rios 0

Hello,

I have been trying to trasfer from Galaxy 24 ultra to Galaxy fold 7.

It will not tranfer all my data even though I follow the steps.

In the old phone I back up and in the new phone I installed app, and click begin recovery and will not transfer anything.

What I'm I doing wrong?

Javier Rios 0 Reputation points

2026-06-13T21:55:46.5666667+00:00

It still will not recover even though I follow the steps above.

It will give me an error

Unable to recover

" the back up is not stored with ******@yahoo.com

Should I do the following on the old device?

Unchecked "cloud back up"
Nathan Roberts (SN) 13,616 Reputation points Student Ambassador Volunteer Moderator

2026-06-14T12:54:04.5366667+00:00

Hey there, Javier Rios

Is your Microsoft account the @yahoo.com account you have mentioned above?

What accounts have you got listed on your old phone (work/school accounts, Microsoft accounts or accounts on other services)?

Thanks,
Nathan

1 answer

Your answer

Javier Rios 0 Reputation points

2026-06-13T21:55:46.5666667+00:00

It still will not recover even though I follow the steps above.

It will give me an error

Unable to recover

" the back up is not stored with ******@yahoo.com

Should I do the following on the old device?

Unchecked "cloud back up"
Nathan Roberts (SN) 13,616 Reputation points Student Ambassador Volunteer Moderator

2026-06-14T12:54:04.5366667+00:00

Hey there, Javier Rios

Is your Microsoft account the @yahoo.com account you have mentioned above?

What accounts have you got listed on your old phone (work/school accounts, Microsoft accounts or accounts on other services)?

Thanks,
Nathan

Answer 1

On Android, recovery only works if the backup and restore prerequisites are met and both devices are the same platform type. For Microsoft Authenticator:

Confirm backup is actually enabled on the old Galaxy S24 Ultra:
- Open Authenticator.
- Go to Settings.
- Under Backup, make sure Cloud Backup is turned on and shows a recent backup date.
- Verify it is signed in with a personal Microsoft account as the recovery account.
On the new Galaxy Fold 7, before tapping Begin recovery:
- Install Microsoft Authenticator.
- Open the app and make sure no accounts are already added. If Restore from backup or Begin recovery is not visible, remove or sign out of all accounts first so the recovery option appears.
- Tap Begin recovery and sign in with the same personal Microsoft account used as the backup account on the old phone.
Understand what actually restores:
- For Microsoft personal accounts and 3rd‑party accounts that use one-time password codes, the codes are restored and should appear after recovery.
- For work or school accounts and any account using passwordless sign-in, only the account name is restored. Each of these will show Sign in to restore your account or Action required, and must be re-verified:
  - Tap the account tile.
  - Tap Sign in or the recovery option.
  - Enter the password and complete the extra verification (email/phone) to finish setup.
If Begin recovery completes but nothing appears:
- Check if the recovery account is the same as on the old device.
- Make sure the backup on the old device completed successfully (recent date/time in Settings → Backup).
- If still unable to restore, accounts can be re-added manually using their QR codes or setup instructions. For Microsoft accounts, follow the guidance in How to add your accounts to Microsoft Authenticator (linked from the restore article).

If the backup account (the personal Microsoft account used for backup) cannot be accessed, recovery of saved credentials is not possible and accounts must be added again.

References: