Lost phone and backup codes, how to recover account

If Microsoft Authenticator backup was enabled before the phone was lost, recovery is only possible on the same device type:

1. Install Microsoft Authenticator on the new device.
2. If restoring on Android, select Restore from backup or Begin recovery before signing in. If already signed in, sign out first, then start recovery.
3. Sign in with the same personal Microsoft account used as the recovery account.
4. If accounts show Sign in to restore your account or Action required, open each account and complete the extra verification by entering the password and confirming the email address or phone number.

Important limits:

• Backups can only be restored to the same device type. iOS backups cannot be restored to Android, and Android backups cannot be restored to iOS.
• For work or school accounts, only the account name is restored, and sign-in is required again.
• For third-party accounts such as Facebook or Instagram, the one-time password codes are restored only if they were included in the backup.

If backup was not enabled, or the backup cannot be accessed, the Authenticator entries cannot be recovered from Microsoft Authenticator. In that case, the remaining path is to recover each affected account directly with the service provider and re-add the accounts to Authenticator afterward.

For Facebook and Instagram specifically, Microsoft cannot restore those accounts. Recovery must be done through those services' account recovery options.

If access to the Microsoft backup account was lost:

• If the password is known but some security info is still accessible, add a new sign-in or verification method in Advanced security options, verify it, then remove the old method. Avoid changing all security info at once because the account may be restricted for 30 days.
• If the password is known but all security info is lost, start sign-in and at Verify your identity select I don't have any of these, then follow the steps to replace security info. After replacement, there is a 30-day wait before sign-in is allowed.
• If the password is not known and no security info is accessible, use the account recovery form.

• Restore account credentials from Microsoft Authenticator
• Back up account credentials in Microsoft Authenticator
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