recreate deleted account in microsoft authentifkator

Daniela Hofinger 0 Reputation points
2026-09-18T06:21:13.94+00:00

Is it possible to get a deleted account back for 2F?

Microsoft Security | Microsoft Authenticator
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  1. AI answer

    2026-09-18T06:21:33.3366667+00:00

    No. A deleted 2FA account entry in Microsoft Authenticator cannot be undeleted individually.

    What is possible depends on whether backup was enabled before deletion:

    1. If a cloud backup exists, restore from that backup on the same device type.
      • Backup and restore only work on the same device type: iOS-to-iOS or Android-to-Android.
      • Open Authenticator and use Restore from backup or Begin recovery before signing in.
      • Sign in with the recovery account used during backup.
    2. If no backup exists, or the backup was deleted or overwritten, the deleted account cannot be recovered from Authenticator.
      • The account must be added again.
      • For work or school accounts, sign-in is required again after restore because only the account name is restored.
      • For Microsoft personal accounts with passwordless sign-in, only the account name is restored, and sign-in is required again.
    3. If Restore from backup does not appear, remove or sign out of all accounts in Authenticator first, then start recovery again.
    4. If the issue is access to the backup account itself:
      • For Microsoft backup accounts, use the Microsoft account sign-in helper.
      • If access to the backup account cannot be restored, support agents cannot recover the Authenticator backup.

    If the deleted entry was not backed up, the practical path is to recover each affected service account through that service and set up 2FA again.


    References:

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

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