Authenticator App - can't remove greyed out account

Ris Janssen 116

Hello all,

I'm stuck in a strange loop using the MS Authenticator App. I'm one of the admins at my school and I've registered my phone via https://account.activedirectory.windowsazure.com/securityInfo using the MS Authenticator App.

I wanted to create a manual for my colleagues so I removed the app from my phone (without deleting the account first, because I assumed that it would be deleted when the app is removed), redownloaded and reinstalled it so I could show them step by step what they should do and how to use the app.
However, my account was never removed when I uninstalled the app and is greyed-out, so I can't edit or delete it.
When I then try to change the MFA settings in my Active Directory User account, I can't access the 'Additional security verification page' or the 'Securty-info page', because it tells me that I should approve the sign in request from my app, but the app tells me it cannot process the request from the work or school account and I should remove the app first from the MFA registration page... So I'm stuck in a loop, because I can't access the MFA registration page and I can't approve the sign in request from the app.

I've tried multiple possible solutions, like checking if there is a MFA policy in Azure for our school, trying to remove my phone from devices in the Azure Users panel, ...

What might be causing this problem and how can I fix it?

Thanks in advance!

Ris

12 answers

Sebastien Menard 501 Reputation points

2021-02-20T10:08:25.853+00:00
Hello all,

To remove a greyed out account on the MS Authenticator app, you must delete the account to the smartphone.

For example, you want to remove the foo@zamir1 .com account to the ms authenticator app
For Android :

You edit your smartphone parameters --> account

You have to see an entry "professional account" foo@bar.com

Delete this account

Return to the MS Authenticator app, the "evil" entry has disappear !

Hope it works for you !
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194 people found this answer helpful.
VipulSparsh-MSFT 16,231 Reputation points Microsoft Employee

2021-01-27T12:37:42.187+00:00

@Ris Janssen Normally if you used the MS account to create a cloud backup with all the accounts you have added, you will have option to restore those accounts even if you uninstall the Authenticator App. Uninstalling the App does not remove the accounts if you have enabled cloud backup.

For some reason if you still see your account being greyed out, and removing the app does not help you, you can delete the account from your phone's account settings.

Mark Concepcion 36 Reputation points

2021-01-31T22:42:52.593+00:00

I have a similar problem, I changed jobs and did try to remove the previous employer's account on authenticator, instead of being removed, it got greyed out and now I am unable to do anything to remove it, can you help? thanks.

Mark

81117622 121 Reputation points

2021-02-05T23:39:04.42+00:00

I have the same issue.

Jeroen Burgerhout 36 Reputation points

2021-02-16T09:32:18.237+00:00

I got the same issue. How can we remove this?

81117622 121 Reputation points

2021-02-20T11:58:14.183+00:00

Thank you so much. The issue is resolved on my Galaxy phone by deleting the account from the phone settings > Accounts and backup > Accounts.

Ace21 6 Reputation points

2021-02-23T14:05:22.803+00:00

Thank you Seb.

RobRaz 16 Reputation points

2021-02-25T16:48:11.687+00:00

I use the Teams app on my personal phone to access my organization's Team server. But we don't use MS Authenticator, we use another means of 2FA, so I end up a greyed out account in Authenticator.

I should be able to remove the greyed out account from Authenticator, period, not being forced to remove an account that I actually need on the phone.

Aman Rajay 1 Reputation point

2021-04-07T17:44:39.563+00:00

Thanks a ton, I had tons of test accounts.

Dane Thorson 1 Reputation point

2021-04-15T10:38:25.66+00:00

Hello Seb
Did not worked for me. My work account was migrated recently from @oldaddress.com to @newaddress.com
Of course i deleted work account in my phone and recreated it. I have 2 instances of Authenticator app.
One is tied to work account and has active work account - so this instance is fine.
Problem is my personal Authenticator instance - it has active personal account entry (which is OK) and 2 greyed out accounts - @oldaddress.com and @newaddress.com
i checked my MS account but i can't remove them from there.
Can you please help with this?

Anonymous

2021-04-19T15:20:13.703+00:00

@Sebastien Menard any chance you know how to do this for Apple/iOS devices?

Lukasz 1 Reputation point

2021-05-14T00:02:19.673+00:00

You sir are a God damn national treasure. Many thanks!

Rob Ryder 1 Reputation point

2021-05-27T15:23:45.973+00:00

Open Authenticator, click on the account you want to remove, click the Cog icon (top right-hand side), click "Remove Account". All done!

I fell for the "Edit Accounts" menu option and couldn't work out how to remove it, but if you follow the steps above that should do it.

RobRaz 16 Reputation points

2021-05-27T16:04:39.79+00:00

Rob, that does not work for grayed out accounts. That is specifically what people are asking Microsoft here.

For dodo's sake, just put a 'remove account' option to greyed out accounts, Microsoft!

Guna 1 Reputation point

2021-06-08T09:36:21.773+00:00

This works

Christopher Yepez 1 Reputation point

2021-06-21T16:46:28.763+00:00

So, i am not sure if this helped but i ended up having to look at saved accounts on my Samsung phone, scrolled all the way to the bottom and discovered the entry in there for my old company. once i clicked into this and clicked Remove this account. Bingo!
she is clean from the old company.

Bill Fischer 1 Reputation point

2021-07-06T02:46:50.097+00:00

I had the same issue today. Your solution worked for me.

Thanks!

Ted Statham 1 Reputation point

2021-07-06T13:18:54.037+00:00

This worked beautifully! Thanks!

Darren Reevell 1 Reputation point

2021-07-17T11:56:34.503+00:00

Cheers, you legend...works perfectly on my Android, many thanks

Vinod Bhadaliya 1 Reputation point

2021-07-30T17:45:38.077+00:00

Thanks @Sebastien Menard , I faced this issue from many times but didn't find any solution but this steps worked in a seconds only.
I appreciate your help.

David Armstrong 1 Reputation point

2021-08-03T19:47:33.347+00:00

Please promote this to the first response / answer.

sajin siyad 1 Reputation point

2021-10-07T04:45:05.57+00:00

thank you soo much, its worked

Martin Ng 136 Reputation points

2021-10-21T05:55:01.43+00:00

I have the same issue when I left my employer. I am not finding the account delete option in the Microsoft Authenticator app for Android.

Thtgrldiana 6 Reputation points

2021-10-21T20:44:29.8+00:00

Does the user need to unsync the account in the accounts and settings menu? Also, might there by a roadblock of the account is tied to another application? I have a user who cannot delete the grayed out account, but the account also not listed in the Accounts under Accounts and backup. The use has an Android phone and is located in China. The image shows

Raymond Keen 1 Reputation point

2021-11-04T20:17:25.133+00:00

thanking you, was getting frustrated

Rahul C 1 Reputation point

2021-11-15T14:22:01.423+00:00

Thanks Seb , It works :)

Dmitrii Razbornov 21 Reputation points

2022-01-01T13:34:36.13+00:00

Removed all my tests account. Should be easier fix from the app I think.

Zoltan Dorogi 1 Reputation point

2022-01-05T16:01:35.943+00:00

This is brilliant. I have done the same as above. removed from the listed accounts on my android phone/Accounts and Back Up/Manage Account and removed my old work account. Cheers Seb!

Nicole Deshong 1 Reputation point

2022-01-20T07:43:16.177+00:00

How does this work for IOS? I have the same issue

Jeroen Burgerhout 36 Reputation points

2022-01-20T15:58:24.477+00:00

I'm not familiar with iOS, but probably you have somewhere an account tab in the settings?

scarty16 1 Reputation point

2022-01-26T14:13:54.26+00:00

Worked perfectly :-)

Kai Kasad 1 Reputation point

2022-03-03T03:16:05.277+00:00

Brilliant! I have had it on my phone for months and even my ex-firm's IT guys couldn't tell me how to get it off my phone! :D

tedytalks# 1 Reputation point

2022-03-08T16:16:30.947+00:00

Thanks, this was a really simple and helpful answwer!

Insomniac Hart 1 Reputation point

2022-06-08T11:09:01.257+00:00

It doesn't work and your instructions don't take you anywhere as that option is not available

Lewd Dewd 1 Reputation point

2022-07-18T16:12:31.707+00:00

That's a problem. I want the account on my phone but I don't need it in my authenticator app.

Microsoft needs to stop doing things for me. Let me control my stuff.

MESH 1 Reputation point

2022-09-06T01:38:00.41+00:00

How would I do this on an Apple device?

Robert Deringer 1 Reputation point

2022-10-28T11:31:10.887+00:00

This did not help as i have two entries in MS-A for single account set up in phone.
One MS-A is active and being used, other one lies dormant and takes space.

Also Seb your suggestion at best is a work around an actual issue.
If APP allows adding new entries then also it should allow removal.

RCH Virtual Assistance 6 Reputation points

2022-11-28T15:15:08.65+00:00

Thank you for sharing this extra information, I have found the accounts in settings and removed and they have finally gone from MS Authenticator.

Julian Londono 1 Reputation point

2022-12-28T07:26:00.213+00:00

Thank you @Sebastien Menard !

Lethukuthula Shabalala 1 Reputation point

2023-03-03T07:50:40.78+00:00

This worked. Thanks a lot.

FabioRamirez 0 Reputation points

2023-03-04T17:18:05.9833333+00:00

Worked well for me. Thanks.

martin mucha 5 Reputation points

2023-03-17T06:56:22.1033333+00:00

Would it be possible to rephrase it so that the steps are specific and actionable?

You wrote:
"You edit your smartphone parameters --> account" -- WHAT does it mean? Where, what to click? What to do?

tutorials:
Q: "my car engine does not work!"
A: "Easy! Open hood, quickly update your engine settings, close the hood and enjoy the ride with microsoft!"

Adheres to microsoft tradition, but really it's pointless.

Frank Chen 0 Reputation points

2023-04-04T13:49:40.56+00:00

I have to say that this answer solved the problem that had troubled me for many years. Previously, the only way I could do was to reset my phone. This answer is like magic and miraculously solved all the problems.

Nestor Lobo 0 Reputation points

2023-04-10T20:16:43.0466667+00:00

Great catch for the tip

Would it worth that the application can give the use a little hint on this path how to effectively removing the account instead of being blind guessing or searching on the web for this simple and slick solution

Allen Visser (EMEA) 6 Reputation points

2023-04-13T12:40:54.27+00:00

on your android phone > go to settings > search for "Manage Accounts" > and then select Manage Accounts > and now scroll down the list and remove each respective account you want removed > click on the account and select Remove Account > Remove Account. now back to your authenticator and it should be updated.

henocsoares 0 Reputation points

2023-04-27T04:12:44.5933333+00:00

@Sebastien Menard Your step-by-step is greatly appreciated, and worked fine for me! Tks a lot!

David Ruekberg 0 Reputation points

2023-05-15T13:05:39.54+00:00

I deleted the account but when I try to add it back it asks me to authenticate using the MS Authenticator app. How can I authenticate from the app when I am trying to set up an account in the app? Stuck in an endless loop.

Dionisis Gardikiotis 0 Reputation points

2023-07-10T06:46:23.4366667+00:00

Thank you Sebastian for your solution. The issue is resolved on my Galaxy phone by deleting the account from the phone settings > Accounts and backup > Accounts.

Misael C. Homem 0 Reputation points

2023-08-23T13:16:50.3433333+00:00

I did follow the @Sebastien Menard instructions and have successfully.

Jopi Kochumattathil Jose 0 Reputation points

2024-01-31T11:52:26.46+00:00

Hello Seb, Good day!
You saved my day, your steps works as a charm!
Thanks for the assistance.

Nhất Nam Vũ 0 Reputation points

2024-02-23T02:29:14.01+00:00

It worked. But in my case, Name of the app in the section "Accounts & sync" was not named "Authenticator" but "Work account".

Ricessa Serapio 0 Reputation points

2024-02-23T17:08:22.6733333+00:00

Hi where can I this parameters setting?

Savchenko, Maksym 0 Reputation points

2024-02-26T20:44:16.6+00:00

Thanks,
this advice helped me for Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra.

Simone Iannacone 0 Reputation points

2024-03-06T15:40:43.4633333+00:00

it looks like somehow authenticator app (or ms ecosystem) is adding back the grayed account in the android settings accounts list after i remove it. i am sure it is a bug

FC 0 Reputation points

2024-04-25T12:47:50.9566667+00:00

@Sebastien Menard this hasn't worked for me. When you said, edit my phone parameter, do you mean edit my phone settings? Everytime I tried to remove the account on my phone settings, it keeps reappearing.
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Martin Ng 136 Reputation points

2021-10-21T06:29:21.443+00:00

I have a Xiaomi Android phone. I finally located the Settings/Accounts & Synch/Authenticator where the work account is stored. I deleted the work account there and pressed the Synch button and the obsolete/greyed out work account in Authenticator is gone!
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27 people found this answer helpful.
Anthony Grey 1 Reputation point

2021-12-06T16:57:11.563+00:00

Nice one Martin, that worked for me

JamalyusufIbrahim-1368 0 Reputation points

2023-04-14T17:22:22.3933333+00:00

Thanks

Ravikiran Nutalapati 0 Reputation points

2023-07-05T06:57:40.0933333+00:00

Excellent Martin.

It worked for me in flash time and thank you.

Kaushik Kalyanapu 30 Reputation points

2023-07-18T07:25:57.2433333+00:00

Thanks a lot Martin. This helped.

Anonymous

2023-11-20T13:47:11.8966667+00:00

Thank you Martin this helped me on my Samsung Phone.

Ed Hendershot 0 Reputation points

2024-02-09T14:26:22.4233333+00:00

This worked perfectly for me. Thank you.

Subrata 0 Reputation points

2024-03-12T05:44:22.1633333+00:00

This worked for me
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Jeroen Burgerhout 36 Reputation points

2021-02-21T08:37:57.203+00:00

Thanks Seb,

This worked like a charm!

Have a nice weekend.
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4 people found this answer helpful.
Shefali Gupta 0 Reputation points

2023-04-25T05:33:01.87+00:00

For Redmi phone , go to Accounts & Sync -> click on Work Account -> Select the Account-> click on the three dots below-> remove account-> Sync now
Thanks
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George Velez 11 Reputation points

2021-06-14T06:24:47.107+00:00

Thank you Seb, that worked for me
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2 people found this answer helpful.
Humaid almansoori 1 Reputation point

2021-06-23T06:33:45.647+00:00

Thank you Seb
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Pavlo Khokhlov 6 Reputation points

2021-08-04T22:19:16.94+00:00

Thank you! Who could ever think that it is so easy.
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1 person found this answer helpful.

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