I can’t get access to authenticator app

If no alternative verification method is available, contact your university IT help desk and ask them to require MFA re-registration for your account; you cannot obtain the requested code from an Authenticator registration that is no longer accessible.

1. Check for another sign-in method

On the Microsoft sign-in screen:

1. Select Sign in another way, Other verification options, or I can’t use my Microsoft Authenticator app right now.
2. If offered, use a method you previously registered, such as a text message, phone call, security key, or another authenticator device. Microsoft recommends trying a different registered method when Authenticator is unavailable.^1^
3. Do not remove or reinstall Authenticator while locked out; that does not reset the university’s stored MFA registration.

2. Ask university IT to reset the MFA registration

If no alternative works, contact the university IT help desk by phone, in person, or through its public support page. Send this request:

I am locked out of my university account because Microsoft Authenticator asks for a code from the same inaccessible Authenticator registration. Please verify my identity and select Require re-register MFA for my account.

This exact Authenticator loop on a university account requires the institution’s administrator to reset the registered authentication methods.^2^

For the administrator, the documented path is:

1. Sign in to the Microsoft Entra admin center as at least an Authentication Administrator.
2. Go to Entra ID → Users.
3. Select the affected user.
4. Select Authentication methods → Require re-register MFA.^3^

This action removes the account’s existing Authenticator, phone, and software OATH methods. At the next sign-in, the account will prompt for a new MFA method.^3^

3. Register Authenticator again

After IT confirms the reset:

1. Start a fresh sign-in to the university account.
2. Follow the security-information setup prompt.
3. Add the university account in Microsoft Authenticator and scan the QR code displayed during setup.
4. Complete the test notification or code request.
5. If permitted by university policy, add a second verification method so there is a fallback next time.

This is a university-managed work or school account, so the personal Microsoft-account recovery form cannot reset its MFA registration.

References

1. Frequently asked questions about Microsoft Entra multifactor authentication
2. Log in Outlook without Microsoft Authenticator - Microsoft Q&A
3. Manage user authentication methods for Microsoft Entra multifactor authentication