I need to perform a factory reset on my Android device and want to know the correct way to move my Microsoft Authenticator app, including my configured accounts and codes for two-factor authentication, to a new device. Can someone explain the proper steps to do this without losing my data?

Hello EnoScott-6247 Thanks for your question. To move your authenticator app and configure accounts without losing data, you need to: Go to your authenticator app Open Microsoft Authenticator. Tap the three vertical dots at the top right, and then tap "Settings." In the "Backup" section, toggle-On "Cloud Backup" on an Android phone, or "iCloud Backup" on an iPhone. This will proceed to back up your data. (Note, this will back this up to the account you used to set authenticator up) You can then proceed to navigate to your new phone Open your fresh Authenticator and navigate to recovery tool. In recovery you should see >> "Already have a back up? sign in to your recovery account" Once you do this, You'll be asked to sign in to the Microsoft account you used for the backup on your old phone. Your accounts will then automatically be added to Microsoft Authenticator on your new one. Pls note that some accounts will ask you to revalidate, to confirm it is you. by signing in to those accounts or scanning a QR code. Microsoft Authenticator will display a message if you need to do this. Once done test all your accounts are present then go ahead and remove from your old phone I hope the above answer was helpful. Please let me know if you have further questions.

The advice in the market is to use MFA or Passkeys and so I have many dozens of registrations in the Authenticator App, so many in fact that the backup can no longer be made, this limitation seems to be known and can only be solved by deleting registrations. Perhaps keep only the Microsoft-related registrations in the App and switch to another 2FA application for the rest of the registrations?

sorry, please delete this one ;-)

How can I transfer my Microsoft Authenticator app to a new device without losing my configured data?

Accepted answer

akinbade abiola 18,715 Reputation points

2024-05-08T01:02:09.6466667+00:00
Hello EnoScott-6247

Thanks for your question.

To move your authenticator app and configure accounts without losing data, you need to:

Go to your authenticator app

Open Microsoft Authenticator. Tap the three vertical dots at the top right, and then tap "Settings."

In the "Backup" section, toggle-On "Cloud Backup" on an Android phone, or "iCloud Backup" on an iPhone.

This will proceed to back up your data. (Note, this will back this up to the account you used to set authenticator up)

You can then proceed to navigate to your new phone

Open your fresh Authenticator and navigate to recovery tool. In recovery you should see >> "Already have a back up? sign in to your recovery account"

Once you do this, You'll be asked to sign in to the Microsoft account you used for the backup on your old phone. Your accounts will then automatically be added to Microsoft Authenticator on your new one.

Pls note that some accounts will ask you to revalidate, to confirm it is you. by signing in to those accounts or scanning a QR code. Microsoft Authenticator will display a message if you need to do this.

Once done test all your accounts are present then go ahead and remove from your old phone

I hope the above answer was helpful.

Please let me know if you have further questions.
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7 people found this answer helpful.
EnoScott-6247 55 Reputation points

2024-05-10T01:07:53.85+00:00

Thanks a lot,I'll try that !

Ole Martin Sørli 55 Reputation points

2024-06-10T19:27:40.75+00:00

That sounds cool. Now; where can I find that "recovery tool"? It is certainly well hidden if it exists within the Authenticator app. Edit: I found it. It was well hidden below the bottom of the login screen. Silly me went straigth for that big blue "log in with microsoft" button that was actually visible. 😋 If you find yourself in the same situation, just find the app info in your phone settings and delete all data. Then open the app again, and scroll down to find "recover from backup".

Ankur Bhosale 0 Reputation points

2024-06-10T21:45:12.6933333+00:00

Hello, I wished I had read your suggestions here. But now I am stuck since I didn't backup on cloud and have reset the old phone. Is there any other method I can leverage to add those old accounts back on to the new phone? Ankur Bhosale

Jean-Philippe Encausse 5 Reputation points MVP

2024-07-22T09:15:56.36+00:00

Doesn't work for EXT account where you are invited. It do not backup and restore the information. Searching the forum you have to ask MFA procedure to IT of the companies which is non sens when you just change your phone. Any workaround ?

MarkPrimo 20 Reputation points

2024-07-31T20:17:57.2633333+00:00

Doesn’t work

Mark Francome 0 Reputation points

2024-08-21T09:45:40.8033333+00:00

Is it impossible for Microsoft to write readable help notes? Why are the steps to follow hidden away? Unbelievably amateur.

Jeannine Crooks 0 Reputation points

2024-10-01T23:38:58.7733333+00:00

My new phone already has one MS account on it which it defaulted to, so I can't add the old profile and will lose all those logins. This was not helpful at all!

MS 0 Reputation points

2024-10-05T01:38:03.8766667+00:00

Thank you ole martin sorle!!! Why do they leave us high and dry on this stuff! Until I read your comment I was tearing my hair out. App was automatically opening, no "restore" to be found and what a back handed way of managing the transfer anyway. Good grief!!

Øymyr, Jon 5 Reputation points

2024-10-07T14:14:40.1733333+00:00

Would be nice with some info about how to find all the QR codes I need to scan. The backup is completely useless without that step.

MarkPrimo 20 Reputation points

2024-10-07T17:49:28.2233333+00:00

Switch to Google Authenticator. It does not have these problems and Microsoft Supports it.

Sam53 0 Reputation points

2024-10-12T16:12:44.9066667+00:00

That worked for Microsoft account, however the passwords have not been transferred??

Corbin Schon 0 Reputation points

2024-10-22T23:08:40.1866667+00:00

See other comment,can'tt delete this one

Corbin Schon 0 Reputation points

2024-10-22T23:26:14.9533333+00:00

Ok, I deleted the app and re installed it, found the back up part, the websites were transferred but its not working, no codes

Shawyueh Lin 0 Reputation points

2024-10-30T23:23:59.97+00:00

but those recovered MS email accounts have "Actions Required: and where to find QR code or codes ?

Chad English 0 Reputation points

2024-11-05T17:41:24.5833333+00:00

I have to agree with the people citing the QR Code issue. Some of my account info works, but 4 of them say "Action Required" that says, "Scan the QR code provided by your organization to finish recovering this account."

Where does one get those? One of them is my own company's account (using an .onmicrosoft.com domain). I have no idea how to generate such QR codes or where to get them. There were automated QR codes on screen when first creating the Authenticator entry, but those QR codes disappeared when I originally set it up on the other phone. How do you regenerate them? I'm one of the business managers and several of these, and there's no IT department and nobody knows how to generate them at the companies. It's a Microsoft thing. So how do we get MS to generate them?

David Lang 0 Reputation points

2024-11-05T21:21:32.3666667+00:00

"Pls note that some accounts will ask you to revalidate, to confirm it is you. by signing in to those accounts or scanning a QR code. Microsoft Authenticator will display a message if you need to do this" is the definition of a backup failing. Just tried a transfer and 100% of the accounts need to scan a code that I can't access because I can't sign in. SMH

MarkPrimo 20 Reputation points

2024-11-11T14:23:12.5166667+00:00

Didn't work for me. It wants a personal Microsoft Account. I use Authenticator for business needs. It won't use my business account. When I try to use my personal Microsoft Account, it wants me to enter a code but the App never asks for it. Eventually it times out. I have switched to using Google Authenticator. It works and transfers perfectly when getting a new phone.
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