Two Factor Authentication Face Unlock Loop

Brandon Mawhinney 0 Reputation points
2026-10-10T12:54:43.1066667+00:00

My school requires a password to access my outlook account. The authenticator app suggested that I use face ID to quicken the process. Now it wont let me enter a password but wont let me into my outlook account without a password and only offers a face ID option. I am so upset with this

Microsoft 365 and Office | Install, redeem, activate | For education | Other
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  1. Michelle Nguyen 2,025 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-10-11T01:04:06.9866667+00:00

    Hi @Brandon Mawhinney

    I’m sorry you’re stuck in this authentication loop. Because this is a school-managed account, the available sign-in and verification methods are controlled by your school’s security policies. Please contact your school’s IT help desk or Microsoft 365 administrator and ask them to:

    • Check the authentication methods registered to your account.
    • Require you to re-register for multifactor authentication (MFA).
    • Revoke your current sign-in sessions if necessary.

    If the sign-in page offers Sign in another way, you may try an existing alternative method. Otherwise, your school’s IT team will need to reset the registration for you. Microsoft advises users with work or school accounts to contact their organization’s help desk when two-step verification problems cannot be resolved.

    Please refer them the following article:

    Manage user authentication methods for Microsoft Entra multifactor authentication

    After the reset, you should be able to sign in and set up Microsoft Authenticator again using the method permitted by your school. Avoid removing the account from Authenticator until the school’s IT team confirms the reset.

    I’m just another user on this forum, not a Microsoft employee, but your school administrator is the appropriate contact because they manage the account and its authentication requirements.

    Please keep me updated.

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  2. AI answer

    2026-10-10T12:54:55.95+00:00

    This sounds like an MFA sign-in loop on a work or school account.

    Try these steps in order:

    1. On the sign-in screen, look for Other ways to sign in or Sign in another way.
    2. If it appears, choose it and select another verification method already registered on the account, such as a phone, text, call, or another approved method.
    3. If access is restored, go to https://mysignins.microsoft.com/security-info and review the registered sign-in methods. Add another method so the account does not depend on only one option.
    4. If the issue is specifically in Microsoft Authenticator, open the app and check whether there is a New sign-in request waiting. For work or school accounts, Authenticator may need to be unlocked before the approval can be completed.
    5. If the app is showing errors related to Face ID or biometric unlock, make sure the device still has PIN or biometric unlock enabled in device settings, then restart the device and try again.

    If Sign in another way is not available, or no other verification methods were set up, the self-service path is blocked. In that case, the school IT help desk must reset the MFA methods or allow MFA re-registration for the account.

    After access is restored, keep multiple sign-in methods registered. Microsoft recommends having three different sign-in methods associated with the account so losing access to one method does not lock the account.

    References:

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

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