Authenticator login

Cason England 0 Reputation points
2026-09-10T05:24:55.4333333+00:00

I recently lost my phone and my Authenticator app but a lot of my accounts are still connected to it. I signed into a different account on Authenticator but I can’t figure out how to sign out to get back into the original account. Do I need to reset or will this make it worse

Microsoft Security | Microsoft Authenticator
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  1. AI answer

    2026-09-10T05:25:18.5033333+00:00

    To sign out of Microsoft Authenticator, all accounts must be removed. There is no separate sign-out button for a single signed-in account.

    What to do:

    1. If the goal is to restore the original backed-up accounts, sign out first by removing accounts.
    2. To remove one account in Authenticator:
      • Open Authenticator.
      • Select the account.
      • Tap the Settings gear.
      • Tap Remove account.
    3. To remove all accounts, reset the app data:
      • Android: Settings > Apps > Authenticator > Storage or Storage & cache > Clear data > OK
      • iOS: Settings > General > Storage > Authenticator > Offload App

    Important:

    • This has no undo. All accounts will be removed, and the device will no longer be usable to verify sign-in until accounts are added back.
    • If the wrong backup account was used, the backup can be deleted in Authenticator > Settings > under Backup, turn off Cloud Backup and confirm, then turn it on again and choose Continue or Change account to sign in with the correct backup account.
    • For restoring backed-up credentials, select Restore from backup or Begin recovery before signing in. If already signed in, sign out first.

    What is restored:

    • Work or school accounts: only the account name is restored; sign-in is required again.
    • Microsoft personal accounts with passwordless sign-in: only the account name is restored; sign-in is required again.
    • One-time password accounts: codes are restored.

    If the original backup account cannot be accessed, support cannot restore those credentials. In that case, the accounts must be added again.


    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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