after switching to a new phone all of my authentications are gone

Restore Authenticator from the backup recovery option—not by signing in normally—using the same recovery account and the same phone platform used for the backup.

Restore the backup

Recovery works only if Authenticator backup was enabled on the old phone, and an iPhone backup cannot be restored to Android or vice versa.^1^

Android

1. If currently signed in to Authenticator, sign out of all accounts.
2. Reopen Authenticator and select Restore from backup or Begin recovery before signing in.
3. Sign in with the exact personal Microsoft account used as the recovery account on the old phone.
4. The backed-up account names and eligible one-time password codes should appear.

iPhone

1. Ensure the phone is signed in to the same Apple/iCloud account used on the old iPhone.
2. Enable iCloud Drive, iCloud Keychain, and iCloud Backup.
3. Install and open Authenticator. The backed-up codes and account names should appear.
4. For entries showing Sign in to restore your account, tap Sign in and complete verification.

Complete account setup

What is restored depends on the account type:

• Personal Microsoft accounts: 30-second verification codes can be restored. Passwordless credentials are not restored, so passwordless sign-in must be configured again.
• Work or school accounts: Only the account name is restored. Open each account and sign in again to register the new phone.
• Third-party accounts: Backed-up 30-second codes are restored.
• Passkeys: These are handled separately and might need to be created again on the new phone.^2^

Keep the old phone available until sign-in has been tested successfully on the new one.

If no backup is found

Without a backup, the missing Authenticator codes cannot be reconstructed. Each account must be recovered or registered again:

• Work or school account: Use another registered sign-in method. If none is available, contact the organization’s IT help desk and request an MFA reset or Authenticator re-registration. The administrator may issue a Temporary Access Pass where organizational policy permits; this can be used to register Authenticator again.^3^
• Personal Microsoft account: Use another available verification method or the Microsoft account recovery process.
• Third-party service: Use that service’s backup codes, recovery email/phone, or account-recovery process, then disable and re-enable two-factor authentication to generate a new QR code.

Do not erase or trade in the old phone until recovery and re-registration are complete.

References

1. [Android](https://support.microsoft.com/authenticator/restore-account-credentials-from-microsoft-authenticator#what-information-is-restored-in-authenticator)
2. Transfer Microsoft Authenticator account entries to a new phone
3. Enable passwordless sign-in with Authenticator