Global Admin locked out – Lost Microsoft Authenticator – MFA reset required

Question

Global Admin locked out – Lost Microsoft Authenticator – MFA reset required

Erhard Leffers 0

Hello Microsoft Support,

I am a Global Administrator of an existing Microsoft 365 business tenant.

After migrating to a new iPhone, I lost access to Microsoft Authenticator. My previous phone has been erased, and I can no longer approve MFA requests or generate verification codes.

I have already tried:

Restoring Microsoft Authenticator on my new iPhone.
Reinstalling Authenticator on my iPad.
Signing in through different devices and browsers.
Using my second administrator account, which is also inaccessible.
Contacting Microsoft Support by telephone.
Using the Microsoft 365 Support Assistant.

Unfortunately, none of these attempts have restored access.

I have also created a separate temporary Microsoft 365 tenant to access the Admin Center and contact support. However, I have been unable to open a support ticket for the original tenant.

I urgently need to recover Global Administrator access to my original Microsoft 365 tenant.

Could a Microsoft moderator please help me contact the appropriate tenant recovery or Data Protection support team to initiate a secure identity verification and MFA reset?

I can provide proof of domain ownership, billing information, and identity verification privately.

Please contact me through a private message rather than requesting sensitive information publicly.

Thank you for your assistance.

Kind regards,

Erhard

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1 answer

Your answer

Answer 1

Julie Huynh 4,020 Independent Advisor

Dear @Erhard Leffers,

Good day! Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum!

First of all, I would like to clarify that this is a community forum where users help one another. No one here, including myself, has access to your Microsoft 365 tenant, account details, billing information, or authentication settings.

This occurred because the Authenticator app wasn’t backed up or transferred to the new phone before the old device became unavailable.

If you're an admin, please check to see if there are other IT admins in your organization who can help you with the MFA reset by following the steps in the article: Manage user authentication options

If you're the only admin, in this situation, the Microsoft Data Protection Team has tools and processes in place to verify identity and regain access to administrator accounts.

Regarding your situation, since you couldn't reach out to Phone Support, could you kindly check if you know someone with Admin rights to a Microsoft 365 Business tenant that could help raise a support ticket on your behalf (with your contact information in the ticket's description so that the Data Protection Team could reach out to you)?

I noticed you mentioned that you created a temporary Microsoft 365 tenant to contact support but were unable to open a support ticket for the affected tenant. Could you clarify what happened when you attempted to create the support request?

Were you able to access the Help & Support section and submit a ticket, but it was rejected because you were signed into a different tenant?
Or were you unable to create a support request at all?
Did Microsoft Support provide any case number, email correspondence, or guidance regarding recovery of the original tenant?

Could you give these steps a try again and let me know if you still can't open a support ticket:

When you open a support ticket, please make sure to turn off the Support Assistant (AI) in the help panel.
Several customers have reported issues when the Support Assistant is turned on the system sometimes fails to display the “Contact Support” option.
As shown in the screenshot, simply switch Support Assistant > Off, then type your issue description. Once the AI is off, the “Contact Support” button will appear normally, allowing you to submit a ticket directly.

User's image

After clicking on "Help & Support" button, you can type "I need agent support via phone or email". After that, you can click on "Contact support"
Choose contact method: "Phone"
Fill all the information in this contact support details, please describe your situation carefully so they will have enough information to help you.
Finally, click on "Contact me"
After completing them, you will receive an email appointment for a meeting to review this issue professionally together.
For more details, you could refer to this article: Get support for Microsoft 365 for business
This new trial tenant will not give you access to any of the data or settings in your original locked tenant. It is solely a temporary means to contact Microsoft support.
Be prepared for Microsoft support to ask for verification of your identity and administrative rights for the locked tenant.
The resolution time might be longer as you are contacting support from a different tenant.
Remember to cancel the trial subscription for the new tenant once your issue with the original account is resolved to avoid any unintended charges. You can typically do this within the Microsoft 365 Admin Center under "Billing" > "Your products."

Kindly let me know when there are updates or if you need further assistance. Any updates you’re able to share would be really helpful.

I'm here and happy to help! Thank you for your kindness and patience!

Erhard Leffers 0 Reputation points

2026-10-20T19:57:48.8566667+00:00

Thank you for your detailed response.

I have followed your instructions using my temporary Microsoft 365 tenant.

I successfully signed in to the Microsoft 365 Admin Center, configured MFA, and disabled the Support Assistant.

However, when I click “Contact Support”, I am only shown a page containing Microsoft’s telephone numbers. There is no option to create a support ticket, request a callback, or contact support by email.

I have already tried calling both listed telephone numbers, but neither was reachable.

I am still completely locked out of my original Microsoft 365 tenant because I lost access to Microsoft Authenticator.

Could you please advise on an alternative way to open a support case with the Microsoft Data Protection Team?

I can provide proof of ownership and identity privately.

Thank you for your assistance.
Erhard Leffers 0 Reputation points

2026-10-21T07:08:02.34+00:00

Hello,

I would like to provide an update.

Unfortunately, I am still locked out of my original Microsoft 365 tenant because of the lost Authenticator access.

The temporary tenant I created to contact Microsoft Support is now also inaccessible. Every login attempt results in error AADSTS90019.

I have already spent several days trying to resolve this issue. My business email remains inaccessible, and I urgently need assistance.

Could you please help me reach the Microsoft Data Protection Team or provide a working escalation procedure?

Thank you.
Julie Huynh 4,020 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-10-21T09:55:34.19+00:00

Dear @Erhard Leffers,

Thank you for letting me know more about your current situation.

If your tenant currently has a Microsoft 365 Business Basic trial, you may also want to check whether you're eligible to activate another Microsoft 365 trial offer, such as Microsoft 365 Business Premium or an Enterprise plan, from the Microsoft Marketplace in the Microsoft 365 Admin Center.

This can sometimes provide additional administrative options while using the same tenant, without requiring you to create a separate Microsoft 365 environment.

Afterwards, please proceed with creating a support ticket again and let me know if that works.

Once access has been restored, you can review your active subscriptions and keep only the plans that best meet your organization's needs.

Thank you for your time and patience.
Erhard Leffers 0 Reputation points

2026-10-21T10:08:03.5966667+00:00

Hello Julie,

Thank you for your response.

Unfortunately, I cannot follow your suggestion because I have no access to the Microsoft 365 Admin Center at all.

My only Global Administrator account is locked out due to Microsoft Authenticator, and I have no alternative MFA methods available.

I also attempted to create a separate Microsoft 365 trial tenant, as previously suggested, but the registration process failed before I could complete it.

The situation has now become more urgent because people sending emails to my business address are receiving delivery failure notifications.

This means my business email service may also be affected.

I urgently need assistance from the Microsoft Data Protection Team to verify ownership and restore administrative access.

Could you please help escalate this issue or arrange for a Microsoft support representative to contact me through a private message?

I can provide proof of domain ownership and billing information.

Thank you.
Julie Huynh 4,020 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-10-21T10:42:26.6766667+00:00
Dear @Erhard Leffers,

Thank you for the update.

I would like to clarify one point to better understand the current situation. In your earlier reply, you mentioned that you were able to access a temporary Microsoft 365 tenant and successfully sign in to the Microsoft 365 Admin Center. However, in your latest message, you indicated that the registration process for the temporary trial tenant could not be completed.

Could you let me know which subscription was assigned to that tenant that was used to sign in to the Microsoft 365 Admin Center to create a support ticket but you were only shown a page containing Microsoft’s telephone numbers with no option to create a support ticket, request a callback, or contact support by email.(for example, Business Basic, Business Premium, E3, or E5)?

Could you also please clarify whether:

The temporary tenant you previously accessed is still available to you, or

You attempted to create a different temporary tenant (a Microsoft 365 Business Premium or an Enterprise plan that I suggested) and that registration failed?

Understanding this detail will help me know which support options may still be available to you.

Kind regards.
Erhard Leffers 0 Reputation points

2026-10-21T11:14:39.8533333+00:00

Beste Julie,

Bedankt voor uw reactie.

Ik zal proberen de situatie zo duidelijk mogelijk uit te leggen.

Ik heb toegang gehad tot een Microsoft 365-beheercentrum, maar toen ik daar ondersteuning probeerde aan te vragen, kreeg ik uitsluitend een lijst met telefoonnummers te zien. Ik kon geen supportticket aanmaken, geen terugbelverzoek indienen en ook geen e-mail naar Support sturen.

Ik weet op dit moment niet zeker welk abonnement aan deze omgeving gekoppeld was. Mogelijk was dit Microsoft 365 Business Basic, maar dat kan ik niet bevestigen.

Vervolgens heb ik geprobeerd een andere tijdelijke Microsoft 365-omgeving aan te maken om alsnog contact te kunnen opnemen met Support. Deze registratie is niet succesvol afgerond.

Mijn oorspronkelijke probleem is nog steeds niet opgelost. Ik ben buitengesloten van mijn bestaande Microsoft 365-omgeving omdat Microsoft Authenticator na het vervangen van mijn telefoon niet meer werkt.

Ik wil graag mijn bestaande omgeving en e-mailaccounts behouden. Ik heb uitsluitend hulp nodig bij het herstellen van de MFA-toegang van mijn beheerdersaccount.

Kunt u aangeven hoe ik rechtstreeks een herstelverzoek kan laten aanmaken voor een buitengesloten beheerder, zonder dat ik opnieuw een proefabonnement hoef af te sluiten?

Met vriendelijke groet,
Erhard Leffers 0 Reputation points

2026-10-21T11:26:26.9166667+00:00

I can confirm that my domain, erhardleffers.nl, is registered with Versio and that I have full access to the domain management panel.

I can add a DNS TXT verification record if Microsoft requires proof of domain ownership.

Could you please escalate my case to the Microsoft Data Protection Team for Global Administrator MFA recovery?

I am ready to complete the necessary verification process.
Julie Huynh 4,020 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-10-21T12:39:48.1466667+00:00

Dit antwoord is automatisch vertaald. Het kan daarom grammaticale fouten of ongebruikelijke formuleringen bevatten. Omdat mijn testomgeving de Engelse interface gebruikt, worden de schermafbeeldingen ook in het Engels weergegeven. Bedankt voor uw begrip!

Beste @Erhard Leffers,

Allereerst wil ik verduidelijken dat dit een communityforum is waar gebruikers elkaar helpen. Niemand hier, inclusief ikzelf, heeft toegang tot uw Microsoft 365-tenant, accountgegevens, factuurgegevens of authenticatie-instellingen.

Op basis van uw beschrijving is het wellicht nuttig om een supportticket aan te maken met een supportnummer. Zo kan Microsoft Support u helpen bij het herstellen van het beheerdersaccount. Aangezien u aangeeft dat u nog steeds toegang hebt tot een tijdelijke Microsoft 365-tenant, kunt u controleren of u een extra gratis proefabonnement binnen diezelfde tenant kunt activeren in plaats van een nieuwe aan te maken.

In het Microsoft 365-beheercentrum kunt u naar Marketplace gaan, zoeken naar Microsoft 365 Business Premium (of een andere in aanmerking komende Microsoft 365-proefversie), Details selecteren en vervolgens Gratis proefversie starten kiezen als die optie beschikbaar is. Hiermee wordt de bestaande tijdelijke tenant gebruikt en krijgt u mogelijk extra ondersteuningsopties zonder dat u een aparte Microsoft 365-omgeving nodig hebt.

Volg dan de bovenstaande stappen om een supportticket aan te maken. Laat het me weten zodra je een casenummer hebt, zodat ik deze zaak kan escaleren.

Met vriendelijke groeten.