How do I get my Microsoft Authenticator to move to my new phone?

If the account on the new phone shows up but still sends approvals to the old phone, that usually means the old phone is still the active Authenticator device.

Use this order:

1. Keep the old phone available until sign-in works on the new one.
2. On the new phone, restore or add the account:
   • For iPhone backup restore, make sure the old phone had:
     • iCloud Drive enabled
     • iCloud Keychain enabled
     • iCloud Backup enabled
     • Apple Account > iCloud > Saved to iCloud > Authenticator turned on
   • Open Authenticator on the old phone at least once before switching.
   • If the backup does not appear on the new iPhone, uninstall and reinstall Authenticator on the new phone.
3. If this is a work or school account, seeing the account name on the new phone is expected, but setup is not complete yet. Open that account on the new phone and sign in again. Red text such as "Sign in to add your account." is expected after restore.
4. If sign-in approval still goes to the old phone, approve it there if possible. Microsoft notes that push notifications can go to the device where Authenticator was last used.
5. After the new phone is working, remove the old device or old Authenticator registration.

What gets restored:

• Work or school accounts: only the account name is restored; sign-in is required again.
• Personal Microsoft accounts: one-time code entries restore, but passwordless accounts still require sign-in again.
• Third-party accounts: one-time code entries are typically restored.

If Restore from backup is missing, verify:

• backup was enabled on the old phone
• the same recovery account is being used
• restore is being done to the same device type

If the old phone is no longer available and there is no other sign-in method, a work or school account may require the organization’s IT admin or help desk to help re-register Authenticator.

• Transfer Microsoft Authenticator account entries to a new phone
• Microsoft Authenticator FAQs
• Back up your accounts in Microsoft Authenticator