Able to sign into Microsoft, cannot sign into Azure

Question

Able to sign into Microsoft, cannot sign into Azure

Amiel Hassan 0

I'm able to log into my Microsoft account, but when I try logging into the Azure portal with the same email address (which has worked many times before), it says that my authenticator code is wrong, despite working for other Microsoft logins. Here is the error:

Error Code: 500121

Request Id: [Moderator note: Personally Identifiable Information removed]

Correlation Id: [Moderator note: Personally Identifiable Information removed]

Timestamp: 2026-09-15T16:27:38Z

With message "You didn't enter the expected verification code. Please try again."

When selecting another verification method, like receiving a code on the Microsoft Authenticator app, the code never comes. And no other option seems to be listed like my email or phone number.

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Answer 1

Dear Amiel Hassan,

Please understand that this forum is a public platform, and moderators will modify your question to cover your personal information in the description. Please notice to hide these personal or organization information next time you post error or some information to protect personal data.

Error AADSTS500121 generally means that Azure/Entra ID MFA verification failed, even though the username and password were accepted. Microsoft describes it as:"Authentication failed during strong authentication request" and it commonly occurs when there's a problem with the user's MFA registration, MFA prompt delivery, or the account has been blocked for MFA-related reasons.

If you're entering a 6-digit code from Authenticator instead of approving a push notification, make sure your phone's date/time is set to Automatic. Time-based codes will fail if the device clock is off.

If your account is a business or education account, your IT team or Helpdesk may be able to reset your Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) settings. 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

In case 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:

Visit Office 365 E3 - Enterprise Collaboration and Productivity | Microsoft
Select any plan and click Try for free.
Complete the setup to create a new tenant.
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.

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