User has MFA issue

Haruna Muwawu 0 Reputation points
2026-09-09T13:00:41.7+00:00

Dear team

I am currently experiencing an issue accessing the primary admin account for the EPRC Microsoft 365 Tenancy, which is preventing me from performing necessary administrative tasks.

Issue Details:

  • Password Reset: Working as expected (security codes arrive at `******@eprcug.org`).
  • Authenticator App: I no longer have access to the MS Authenticator App configured for this account.
  • Phone Verification: Attempting to use the registered phone number triggers the error message: "Phone number cannot be verified."

Because Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) is failing across both methods, I am completely locked out of the tenancy.

Could you please assist in resetting the MFA authentication methods or updating the security settings for the primary admin account?

Microsoft Security | Microsoft Authenticator
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  1. Bence Weiszmann 1,555 Reputation points
    2026-09-09T14:05:39.8633333+00:00

    Dear @Haruna Muwawu

    If you don’t have any other alternative authentication method available or other Administrators, you will need to contact the Microsoft Data Protection Team using the following link and the methods described above. They can assist with recovering access when you’re unable to complete the verification process using your existing authentication methods. You can start the following link: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/support/

    Some countries, the call may be handled by an automated conversation. For example:

    1. What kind of problem are you concerned about?
      1. Authenticator
    2. What kind of product are you using?
      1. Office 365 for business/Azure portal/Entra ID
    3. Is this an education or company account?
      1. Company
    4. Are you an administrator?
      1. Yes
    5. Do you have another administrator in your organization?
      1. No
    6. You need to create a service request
      1. Yes

    Once you reach a support engineer, I would be very explicit:

    “This is a Microsoft Entra tenant lockout. The only Global Administrator account is no longer accessible, and there are no other Global Administrators in the tenant. We need to recover administrative access to the tenant. Please escalate this case to the Data Protection / Tenant Recovery team.”

    Have the following information ready for the ownership verification:

    • Tenant ID
    • Initial *.onmicrosoft.com domain
    • Microsoft 365 subscription and billing information
    • Company information
    • Details about the previous Global Administrator
    • Any other information Microsoft requests to verify ownership

    Other option would be to create a temporary Microsoft 365 tenant using a trial subscription. You can then use this tenant to access the Microsoft 365 Admin Center and contact Microsoft Support. Once the new tenant is set up, sign in to the Microsoft 365 Admin Center and go to Support › Help & Support. Open a new support request and explain that you need help recovering access to your original tenant. In the request, mention that you are the Global Administrator of the original tenant and that you are currently locked out because you no longer have access to the MFA method required to sign in. One important thing: the trial tenant is only needed to contact Microsoft Support. After you regain access to your original tenant and the issue has been resolved, remember to CANCEL the trial subscription so you don't accidentally get charged.

    Microsoft's instructions for cancelling a trial subscription can be found here: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-365/commerce/subscriptions/cancel-your-subscription?view=o365-worldwide&#how-do-i-cancel-my-free-trial

    Best regards,
    Bence

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