Can’t sign in after changing to a new phone

Grey Shane 25 Reputation points
2026-08-07T02:44:29.4733333+00:00

I recently changed to a new phone, and now I can’t sign in to my Microsoft account.

When I try to sign in, it asks me to approve the MFA request, but I no longer have access to my old phone. I’m stuck in a loop and can’t complete the sign-in process.

Has anyone experienced this before? How can I update my MFA or regain access to my account?

Microsoft 365 and Office | Subscription, account, billing | For business | Windows
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Answer accepted by question author
Darren Bruce 1,400 Reputation points Independent Advisor
2026-08-07T03:56:38.0366667+00:00

Dear @Grey Shane,

Based on your description, it appears you recently switched to a new phone and can no longer complete the MFA prompt because it is still linked to your old device. As a result, you're unable to sign in to your Microsoft account.

Could you please confirm which type of account are you using (personal account or business account)?

In case you are using business account, your company IT team or Helpdesk may be able to reset your Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) settings. This will allow you to reconfigure MFA from scratch on your new device. As a forum user, I do not have administrative access to change these settings. Only your IT team has the ability to adjust or reset your MFA configuration. You can also refer to this Microsoft support article for more information: Manage authentication methods - Microsoft Entra ID | Microsoft Learn  

If you are the only Global Administrator and you are completely locked out from the tenant. You might need to contact Microsoft Support team via phone service number: Customer service phone numbers - Microsoft Support. 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.   

To help you navigate the automated phone system (IVR), here's an example of what the conversation might look like:

IVR: What kind of problem are you worried about?

You: Admin account locked

IVR: What kind of product do you use?

You: Office 365 for business

IVR: Does it count for education or business?

You: For Business

IVR: Are you an admin?

You: Yes

IVR: Do you have another administrator in your organization?

You: No

IVR: Need a service request?

You: Yes

This should help you connect with a live support agent who can help you directly.

If you can't create a support ticket during the call, I recommend creating a temporary tenant account and submitting the support request from there. To create a new tenant, follow these steps:

  1. Visit Office 365 E3 - Enterprise Collaboration and Productivity | Microsoft    
  2. Select any plan and click Try for free.    
  3. Complete the setup to create a new tenant.    
  4. Ticket support: In the Microsoft 365 admin center>support>help & support. You can create a support ticket: https://admin.microsoft.com/#/support/requests     

Important: Please remember to cancel the trial subscription once your issue is resolved to avoid any charges.

I understand that this issue may take some time to resolve and could impact your workflow. However, the following solutions have been effective in resolving Microsoft Authenticator issues.

If you have any other questions, please feel free to reach out.

If the answer is helpful, please click "Yes". If you have extra questions about this answer, please click "Comment".   

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

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  1. AI answer

    2026-08-07T02:44:47.0533333+00:00

    If this is a work or school account, the fastest path depends on whether any other sign-in method is already registered:

    1. At the MFA prompt, select Sign in another way.
    2. If another method is available, use it to complete sign-in.
    3. After signing in, open the Additional security verification page or the Security info page and:
      • delete the old phone entry
      • select Add sign-in method
      • choose Phone
      • add the new phone number
    4. If the new device needs Microsoft Authenticator, install the app and complete setup again.

    If no alternative verification method is available, contact the organization’s IT administrator/help desk. For work or school accounts, MFA methods are managed by the organization. An admin can reset MFA or require re-registration so the next sign-in lets the account set up a new authentication method from scratch.

    If this is a personal Microsoft account, when prompted for verification and the old phone is unavailable, select I don't have any of these and follow the prompts to add or verify new security info. Avoid changing all security info at the same time, because the account may be restricted for 30 days.

    If the issue is specifically with a restored Authenticator setup on a new phone and a work or school account shows “Sign in to add your account.”, open that account in Microsoft Authenticator and sign in again.

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

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