Authenticator app issues.

Lance Bolton 0 Reputation points
2026-09-15T10:29:54.8566667+00:00

Hi there,

I have two accounts. One under the a personal address , which I'm currently logged in with but do not have a subscription with. The other account is under Amy business email. This account has a subscription.

Ok, this is where I have a problem. I go to sign in with my business email then click on 'send request'. I'm then prompted to open the authenticator app but when I do my business email address isn't listed in the app so I can't check the authenticator number given to me. I've tried adding my business email address to the authenticator app but I then get told that email address is not recognised.

I'd like to be able to log into the account with the above email address to manage it but I can't and no idea what to do.

Kind regards,

Lance.

Microsoft 365 and Office | Subscription, account, billing | For business | Other
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  1. Heimerdinger 385 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-09-15T11:38:37.5766667+00:00

    Hi @Lance Bolton, 

    Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Q&A forum. 

    I’m very sorry to hear about your situation. Regarding that you’re unable to log in to your account.          

    If you are an end user I would recommend you contact your account's Admin to reset your MFA settings through the Microsoft Entra Admin Center. Ask your administrator to follow these steps:                  

    Revoke MFA sessions and require re-register in the Microsoft Entra admin center         

    1. Sign in to Microsoft Entra admin center with the admin account   
    2. Go to Users   
    3. Select the affected user account   
    4. Open Authentication methods   
    5. Revoke sessions   
    6. Select Require re‑register MFA   
    7. Save the changes                 

    Revoke MFA sessions and require re-register in the Microsoft Entra admin center                

     User's image

      

    You could provide your admin this article for a better view: Manage authentication methods for Microsoft Entra multifactor authentication - Microsoft Entra ID |…               

    If you’re unsure who the Global Admin is within your organization, you can find guidance on locating them here: How do I find my Microsoft 365 admin? - Microsoft Support.                  

    Thank you again for your time and understanding. I really appreciate your patience, and I’m here to help. Looking forward to your response.                       

    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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  2. AI answer

    2026-09-15T10:30:16.8933333+00:00

    If the business account is a work or school account, the most likely issue is that the account is either not added to Microsoft Authenticator yet, or it is being added with the wrong account type.

    Try this:

    1. Open Microsoft Authenticator.
    2. Select + Add account.
    3. Choose Work or school account for the business email, not Personal account.
    4. Select Sign in and enter the business email address carefully.
    5. If sign-in succeeds, complete the verification steps shown.

    If the app says the business email is not recognized:

    1. Confirm the business email is typed correctly.
    2. Make sure the account being added is really the work/business account and not the personal Microsoft account.
    3. If the business account uses another email account to receive verification codes, use two browser windows in privacy mode so both accounts can stay signed in at the same time:
      • In the first private window, sign in to the business account.
      • When prompted for the code, keep that window open.
      • Open a second private window.
      • Sign in to the alternate email account there and get the verification code.
      • Return to the first window and enter the code.

    If repeated sign-in attempts were made, Microsoft Entra multifactor authentication can temporarily block more attempts. In that case, wait and try again later, or use a different MFA method if one is available.

    If the business account still is not listed in Authenticator and cannot be added, and there is no other working sign-in method, the next step for a work or school account is to contact the organization IT admin or helpdesk so they can investigate the sign-in logs or help reset the MFA setup.

    If this is a personal Microsoft account instead, use the account recovery option if the email is correct but still cannot be recognized.

    Important: do not remove or change all security info at the same time, because the account may be restricted for 30 days.

    References:

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

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