New employee cannot receive MFA code when signing in to Outlook

Question

New employee cannot receive MFA code when signing in to Outlook

Sonic M 0

I am a new employee and this is my first time signing in to my company Outlook account.

I installed Microsoft Authenticator on my new phone and set up MFA as instructed. However, when I try to sign in to Outlook, I am asked to verify my identity with MFA, but I don’t receive any verification code or notification on my phone.

I have checked that the Microsoft Authenticator app is installed and notifications are enabled.

What should I do? Please help me

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2 answers

Your answer

Answer 1

Hi Sonic,

Thank you for reaching out and I'm sorry you're running into this issue.

Based on what you've described, your Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) registration may need to be checked or reset. Because you're using a work account, the MFA settings are managed by your organization's IT administrator. Unfortunately, this isn't something that can be reset from the user side.

I'd recommend reaching out to your organization's IT administrator and explaining that you're unable to sign in because you aren't receiving verification codes or approval notifications in Microsoft Authenticator.

You can specifically ask whether they can:

Reset your MFA settings
Require MFA re-registration
Remove your existing Authenticator registration so you can set it up again

You may also want to share the following Microsoft article with them: Manage authentication methods for Microsoft Entra multifactor authentication - Microsoft Entra ID | …

If you are unsure who your IT administrator is, you can refer to this official Microsoft guide for assistance: How do I find my Microsoft 365 admin? - Microsoft Support

User's image

Once your IT administrator resets your MFA registration, you should be able to sign in again and go through the Microsoft Authenticator setup process from the beginning, including scanning a new QR code on your device.

I hope this points you in the right direction. If you receive any updates from your IT team or run into any issues along the way, feel free to reply back with more details and I'll be happy to help further.

Best regards,

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Answer 2

For a first-time work or school account sign-in where Microsoft Authenticator is installed but no code or notification arrives, use this sequence:

Try the sign-in again, but avoid repeated attempts. Microsoft may temporarily stop sending codes after many repeated requests or unusual activity. If there were multiple attempts already, wait and try again later, or choose a different MFA method if one is available.
On the sign-in page, select Sign in another way or a different verification method. If another method was set up, such as SMS, phone call, office phone, or email, use that method to complete sign-in.
If SMS or phone call is available, request it carefully. For phone call or text delivery, attempt up to five times in 5 minutes. Do not make excessive or repetitive requests beyond that, because that can cause temporary blocking.
Check whether the verification is going to a different device. If Microsoft Authenticator was previously active on an older phone, the push notification may be sent there instead of the current phone. If the old phone is still available, open Authenticator on that device and check for the approval prompt.
Check for common delivery blockers.
- If the phone blocks texts from unknown numbers, change that setting and request the code again.
- If a third-party security app is installed on the phone, disable its protection temporarily and request another verification.
- If using a VOIP number, replace it with a mobile phone number, because VOIP numbers cannot be used for verification codes.
Verify the registered security information. Sign in to the Security info page using any method that still works, then select Update info and confirm the phone number or other sign-in methods are correct. If none of the listed methods work, choose I don't have any of these if that option is shown.
If this is a new phone, remove the old phone entry and add the new one. On the Additional security verification or Security info page, delete the old phone or outdated method, then add the new phone and re-register Microsoft Authenticator.
If no alternative method works, contact the organization’s IT help desk. For work or school accounts, the help desk or administrator can clear or reset MFA settings so registration can be completed again. If a mobile device was lost, replaced, or the setup is stuck, this is the supported next step.

If the issue is specifically that text messages are unreliable, Microsoft recommends using the Microsoft Authenticator app or phone call method instead, because Authenticator can receive notifications over cellular or Wi-Fi and can generate codes even without mobile signal.

References: