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JulieWoodcock-1247 asked DSPatrick commented

Authenticator app stopped working

I got a new iphone -- the telephone number is the same. I have an Office 360 subscription and the authenticator app with two factor turned on. I backed up my old phone to icloud, but I had no idea the Authenticator info wouldn't copy over. That phone is gone now, so I have no access to it. When I tried to log in with the new phone, I discovered Authenticator was no longer working. I tried to get it to send me a text code, and I put in the last four of my phone number, but no text was sent. As a result, I couldn't log into my account. I tried repeatedly and got locked out. My email still works, and I was able to enter a code from that, but because I have two-factor on, it won't let me in.

I have Office 360 Home. I have OneDrive. I was able to back up my one drive because it's still working on my computer, so I copied it to an external drive. I finally asked the system to reconnect me or whatever, but I'm told it will be 30 days before I hear back. Look, I'm paying a good bit for that 360 Subscription, and I NEED Word. I'm a wreck because I don't know if I'm going to lose access to Word. I'm a novelist and I need the program for my job. I have no idea what happens after the 30 days. Do you give me the account back or what? Why is it 30 days? I don't understand this. I've been using Word for 20 years. How do I get my account back? I'm only able to post here at all by creating a new account under my secondary email.

I don't understand why the text message never arrived. It worked with THIS email address, but not the one I use for my 360 Account. Exact same number.

I should NEVER have started using Authenticator, and I wouldn't have if I'd known you'd lock me out of my own data.

Julie Woodcock

microsoft-authenticator
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4 Answers

DSPatrick avatar image
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DSPatrick answered

Try signing in to your account but select the Sign in another way link (assumes you set one up) on the Two-factor verification page.
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/account-billing/common-problems-with-two-step-verification-for-a-work-or-school-account-63acbb9b-16a1-47b9-8619-6a865e8071a5

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DSPatrick avatar image
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DSPatrick answered DSPatrick commented

You can restore from backup (assuming there was one) but make sure no accounts have been added to the newly install app. Then sign on with recovery account to do the restore.

You can recover your account credentials from your cloud account, but you must first make sure that the account you're recovering doesn't exist in the Microsoft Authenticator app. For example, if you're recovering your personal Microsoft account, you must make sure you don't have a personal Microsoft account already set up in the authenticator app. This check is important so we can be sure we're not overwriting or erasing an existing account by mistake.
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/account-billing/back-up-and-recover-account-credentials-in-the-authenticator-app-bb939936-7a8d-4e88-bc43-49bc1a700a40

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DSPatrick avatar image DSPatrick ·

Just checking if there's any progress or updates?

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JulieWoodcock-1247 avatar image
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JulieWoodcock-1247 answered

I attempted to do restore on the Authenticator app, but when I did, it said there was no data stored in iCloud. Where would I look for other codes? Filtering was turned on, so I turned it off. I'll try again. It may not let me, though, since I have the account in Recovery Mode. I'm posting with my other email address, rather than the one the Microsoft 360 account is under.

I noticed when I opened Word that it shows a yellow warning label around my user name, and I'm worried I'm going to lose Word. In that case, I was thinking of buying another copy of 360, which I'm not going to use the Authenticator on. But what would that do? I thought when I get the account back in 30 days, I'd cancel one of the accounts. Would that create more of a problem?

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JulieWoodcock-1247 answered DSPatrick commented

THANK YOU!!!! I was able to get it back! Consider this a virtual hug of gratitude!

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DSPatrick avatar image DSPatrick ·

That's great news, glad to have helped.


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