How to get a QR code to scan for Authenticator App Verification

Question

How to get a QR code to scan for Authenticator App Verification

BUCUREL, CORA 0

I got a new phone, and I am needing to get into my Authenticator app. The app keeps giving me a two digit code but will not give me a place to enter it. There is an option to scan a QR code but I do not know where to locate the QR code to scan.

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Answer 1

The QR code is not shown inside Microsoft Authenticator. It appears on the account security setup page for the account being added.

If access to the account is still available on another device or through another sign-in method:

Sign in to the account’s Security info page.
Select Add sign-in method.
Choose Microsoft Authenticator.
A QR code appears on the computer or browser screen.
On the new phone, open Microsoft Authenticator, add a Work or school account, and scan that QR code.
After scanning, continue the setup and approve the test prompt if shown.

For work or school accounts, the setup flow is:

Go to the setup page on the computer.
Select Next until the Scan the QR code page appears.
In Microsoft Authenticator on the phone, use the QR code reader to scan the code.
If scanning fails, select Can’t scan the QR image on the computer and enter the code manually in the app.

Important details:

Microsoft Authenticator is only available on smartphones, not PC or Mac.
If the app is showing a two-digit number but there is nowhere to enter it, that usually means the account on the new phone has not been fully registered yet. The registration must be completed from the account’s security setup page where the QR code is generated.
If the old phone still works, sign in and add the new phone from Security info, then remove the old Authenticator method only after the new phone works.
If no alternate sign-in method is available and the old phone cannot be used, an organization admin may need to require MFA re-registration.