How to remove an Account from MS authenticator and then link with it again

rss 0 Reputation points
2026-09-05T14:02:24.2366667+00:00

So I had to login to my Uni mail. we are required by our Uni to have 2F enabled to upon login, I was automatically taken to the authenticator app but I was not able to successfully link the account. Now I'm totally locked out of my account since I am automatically required to verify the login on the app everytime I try to login, but I can't do that since there is no account showing up on the app. so in short; the Mail Id thinks it's registered on the authenticator app and asks for verification everytime, meanwhile the Authenticator app says there is no account to provide verification for, so I'm stuck in this infinite technical paradox. Please tell me what to do as I need to get into my mail Soon. And no, please don't tell me to register that account on the app again because even while doing that IT ASKS FOR VERIFICATION ON THE SAME APP FOR THE SAME ACCOUNT IM TRYING TO REGISTER. I've attached screenshots of the problem. please help.

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Microsoft 365 and Office | Subscription, account, billing | For education | Other
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  1. Ryan-N 15,555 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator
    2026-09-05T16:02:05.1833333+00:00

    Hi rss,

    Welcome to the Microsoft Q&A forum.

    Thank you for sharing additional information.

    Based on your description, I understand that you are currently not receiving any verification prompts or authentication requests in the Microsoft Authenticator app. At the same time, you are unable to link your account to the app again.

    Since you are using an Education Account, your account is typically managed and configured by your school's administrator (usually the IT department) through the Microsoft Entra Admin Center.

    In this situation, you will need to contact your school's administrator and ask them to reset the Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) settings for your account. Resetting MFA will remove the existing associations with previously registered devices or authentication methods linked to your account.

    Once MFA has been reset, you will be prompted to set up Microsoft Authenticator again the next time you sign in. This should resolve the issue you are experiencing.

    After contacting the administrator, you may also share the documentation below with them, which provides guidance on how to reset MFA for a user.

     Manage authentication methods for Microsoft Entra multifactor authentication - Microsoft Entra ID |…

    I hope this information is helpful.

    If you have any questions or need further assistance, please feel free to share them in the comments on this post so I can continue to support you.

    I look forward to continuing the conversation.

    If the answer is helpful, please click "Yes" and kindly upvote it.

    Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread. 

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  2. Nathan Roberts (SN) 13,536 Reputation points Student Ambassador Volunteer Moderator
    2026-09-05T16:04:50.88+00:00

    Hey there, rss

    From reading the question, it sounds as though your university account has somehow become corrupted when being added to the Microsoft Authenticator app.

    Please can you tell me what you see when you click onto your account in the Microsoft Authenticator app?

    Do you see the following options listed:

    • Sign-in notifications,
    • One-time password code

    These should be seen under ways to sign in or verify (As shown in my screenshot)

    User's image

    If you get an option for a one-time password, then you can use this to sign into your account with when prompted to verify your sign-in using the Authenticator app. If this is the case, please let me know and I can tell you how to reset your Authentication method yourself.

    If you get the error message in your screen, telling you you need to re-add your account. Please note this can only be done by your IT department, which means you would need to submit a support request to them. They can bring up your account in the Microsoft Entra ID admin centre and reset your Authentication method for your account.

    Thanks,
    Nathan

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