All Global Administrators locked out after losing Microsoft Authenticator

Hi moulder,

If your account is also an admin account and there are no other available global administrators in your tenant, then the only way to regain access is contact Microsoft support. Please try locating the appropriate hotline for your region here: Customer service phone numbers - Microsoft Support  

In this situation, the Microsoft Data Protection team has tools and processes in place to verify identity and regain access to administrator accounts.  

Here are some tips and an example of a prompt to help you navigate the IVR more effectively:  

(When you call the support number, you may hear an introduction of about 30 seconds such as "you can visit the link...". You can ignore this introduction and wait until you are presented with the options. Then press "1" as a business email user, and again "1" for technical help.)    

In some regions, the initial interaction may be automated, so here’s a general idea of how the conversation might go to help you prepare:      

• What kind of problem are you experiencing?         
• Answer: Authenticator         
• What products do you use?         
• Answer: Office 365 for business         
• Is this for an education or company account?         
• Answer: For companies         
• Are you an administrator?         
• Answer: Yes         
• Are there any other administrators in your organization?         
• Answer: No. I am the only admin in my tenant          
• Do you need a... Service request?          
• Answer: Yes. I need to create a ticket. Please send me direct to the Data Protection Teams.      

During the phone call, you will need to provide the information associated with your subscription, such as your company name, billing details, phone number, and an alternate email address, etc. This information allows the Data Protection team to verify your identity and securely assist you in regaining access to your administrator account.      

I know being locked out of the only admin account can be stressful, but contacting the Data Protection team is the correct path forward in this scenario. 

If you're unable to reach a live support agent through your existing tenant, another option is to create a temporary Microsoft 365 trial tenant. This can provide access to the Microsoft 365 Admin Center, where you can open a support request and explain that you need assistance recovering access to a different tenant.

To create a temporary tenant, visit: Microsoft 365 Business Plans and Pricing | Microsoft 365. This would allow you to create a new tenant following the prompts provided. Once set up, you can access the admin console of the new tenant and submit a support ticket requesting to speak with the Data Protection team on behalf of your previous tenant.

Follow the guided setup process to create a new account for a new tenant.

Once your tenant is created, you should be able to access the support portal and submit your ticket referencing your locked account without further issues.

In your ticket description, you'll need to clearly explain that you're trying to regain access to your previous Microsoft 365 tenant and need help from the Data Protection team. Here's a message you can use or adapt:

"Hello, I’m currently unable to access my previous Microsoft 365 tenant due to losing MFA access, which prevents me from receiving verification codes. I’m the global admin, but I’m locked out and unable to generate a QR code or bypass MFA.

I created this new tenant solely to request assistance. I kindly ask to be connected with the Data Protection team to verify my identity and help me recover access to the original tenant.

This is urgent, as I rely on Microsoft 365 for my work and have been unable to operate for several days. I’m available to provide any documentation or verification needed to support the recovery process."

Ticket Support: In the Microsoft 365 Admin Center > Support > Help & Support.

Please remember to cancel the trial subscription after your issue is resolved, as this will help you avoid any accidental billing. You may prefer the following resource for detailed instructions: Cancel your Microsoft business subscription in the Microsoft 365 admin center | Microsoft Learn

If your organization's subscription is from a partner or reseller: Contact the reseller's support provider to help open a service request on behalf of you instead. 

Once you have successfully regained access to one of your Global Administrator accounts, I recommend using that account to reset the MFA settings for the other administrator account that is still locked out. This is typically the quickest way to restore access to the remaining account.

The recovered administrator can reset the affected user's authentication methods through the Microsoft Entra admin center, allowing the account owner to register a new MFA method and sign in again.

For reference: Manage authentication methods for Microsoft Entra multifactor authentication - Microsoft Entra ID | … 

I hope this helps point you in the right direction. If you have any updates or additional questions, feel free to reply back and I'll do my best to assist further. 

Best regards,