microsoft authenticator on phone not connecting with with Freelance portal website when prompted to add 6 digit number. Also not connecting on pc.

Do not reinstall an “Authenticator for PC”; contact TPH Freelance support to reset your portal’s two-factor authentication if correcting the iPhone and Windows clocks does not make the current six-digit code work.

1. Check the current code before requesting a reset

Six-digit codes are time-based and normally change every 30 seconds. Incorrect device time can cause every code to be rejected.^1^

1. On the iPhone, open Settings → General → Date & Time.
2. Turn on Set Automatically.
3. On Windows 11, open Settings → Time & language → Date & time.
4. Turn on Set time automatically and select Sync now.
5. Restart Microsoft Authenticator on the iPhone.
6. In Authenticator, select the entry specifically associated with the TPH account—not another personal or work account.
7. Wait for a fresh six-digit code, then enter it immediately on the TPH portal.

Verification codes do not need an Internet connection, although approval notifications do.^2^

2. Do not install another PC authenticator

Microsoft Authenticator is not available for Windows PCs or Macs; the supported Microsoft app is for smartphones.^3^ The program previously installed on the PC was therefore not the supported Microsoft Authenticator mobile app.

The phone and PC are not meant to “sync” six-digit codes. The PC displays the TPH sign-in page, while the registered account inside Authenticator on the iPhone generates the code.

Also, do not scan an unrelated QR code. Each QR code contains registration information for a particular account or service. A code from another setup will create an Authenticator entry that cannot satisfy the existing TPH registration.

3. If the code remains incorrect, contact TPH—not Microsoft account support

The message saying that TPH already has a registered QR code, combined with the iPhone’s codes being rejected, indicates that the portal’s existing registration may no longer match the Authenticator entry on the phone. Only the organization controlling that account can reset its MFA registration.

Ask TPH Freelance portal support or the administrator who issued the account to:

Reset or clear my existing MFA/Authenticator registration and require MFA re-registration. The portal says a QR code is already registered, but the six-digit codes from Microsoft Authenticator on my iPhone are rejected.

For a Microsoft Entra-managed account, an Authentication Administrator can perform this under:

1. Microsoft Entra admin center → Entra ID → Users
2. Select the user.
3. Select Authentication methods.
4. Select Require re-register MFA.

This removes the old Authenticator registration and prompts the user to configure a new method at the next sign-in.^4^

After TPH confirms the reset:

1. Start a new TPH sign-in on the PC.
2. When the new QR code appears, leave that page open.
3. On the iPhone, open Microsoft Authenticator.
4. Select + → Add account.
5. Choose the account type specified by TPH—typically Work or school account if TPH uses Microsoft Entra.
6. Select Scan a QR code and scan the newly displayed code.
7. Complete the portal’s test verification before closing the setup page.^5^

If TPH is not using Microsoft Entra, its support team must use the equivalent MFA-reset function in the TPH portal. Microsoft cannot reset authentication records owned by a separate portal.

References

1. Personal accounts
2. Microsoft Authenticator FAQs
3. Download Microsoft Authenticator | Microsoft Support
4. Manage user authentication methods for Microsoft Entra multifactor authentication
5. [Work/school](https://support.microsoft.com/authenticator/how-to-add-your-accounts-to-microsoft-authenticator#add-a-work-or-school-account-using-a-qr-code)