In the case of two-factor authentication (2FA), an Authenticator app is safer than SMS messages. But what if you change your phone? The following instructions will guide you through the process of transferring your 2FA accounts if you use Microsoft Authenticator. On your new phone, you will need to manually establish your 2FA accounts once more.
Microsoft Authenticator App: what it is?
These days, it is easy to move applications, images, contacts, and other data from your old phone to a new one. However, if you use Google Authenticator, you must manually move your Authenticator account to your new iPhone or Android before wiping your old phone. You will need to manually create your accounts on your new phone if you no longer have your old phone.
Microsoft Authenticator transfers in a very different way from Google Authenticator. With the backup and recovery feature of Microsoft Authenticator, you may move your accounts to a new phone.
What you need to do to transfer Microsoft Authenticator to a new phone?
Follow these instructions to move Microsoft Authenticator to new phone:
- On your previous phone, launch the Microsoft Authenticator app.
- Select Settings by tapping on the three dots symbol in the upper right corner.
- For iPhones, enable iCloud backup; for Android devices, enable cloud backup.
- Install it on your brand-new phone.
- Add a recovery account in next step. Utilize the same email address that you used to back up your old phone.
- On your new phone, go to the Apple Software Store or Google Play Store and open the Microsoft Authenticator software.
- Launch it on your new phone, and then click BEGIN RECOVERY. Fill up the details for your recovery account.
- It will prompt you to log in with the Microsoft account you used to back up the data on your previous phone. Then, on your new device, your accounts will be registered to Microsoft Authenticator immediately.
- To use accounts, re-verify them.
- You’ll need to revalidate some accounts, either by logging into them or scanning a QR code.
Here’s how you should transfer Microsoft Authenticator to new phone. You could discover that the Microsoft Authenticator app on your old and new phones has different personal Microsoft account verification codes once you’ve finished the recovery process. Because each device has a separate unique credential, the codes are different, but both are legitimate and functional when logging in with the appropriate phones.
You should, however, delete the accounts from your previous phone for security reasons. First, verify that you can use it to access these accounts on your new phone.
How to deactivate Microsoft Authenticator from an outdated phone?
Open it on your previous phone to delete an account. After selecting the account you wish to delete, select “Remove Account.”
You may delete the app once you’ve eliminated all of your accounts from Authenticator on your previous phone. From that point on, the only device that can provide you with 2FA codes is your new phone.
Conclusion
That’s all there is to it, and we hope that this article has helped you learn how to move Microsoft Authenticator to a new phone. This is how you can transfer Microsoft Authenticator to a new phone without the need for an old phone.
