You can resolve problems with Microsoft Authenticator by checking the tips in this article and reviewing some of the known errors.

Restore account credentials from Microsoft Authenticator You can restore or recover your account credentials saved by Microsoft Authenticator. Note: You can only backup and restore on the same device type. For example, accounts backed up using an iOS device cannot be restored on an Android device.

Messages that have the encrypt-only policy applied can be read directly in new Outlook, Outlook on the web, Outlook for iOS and Android, Outlook for Windows versions 2019 and newer, and Microsoft 365.

Important: With two-step verification, you always need two forms of identification. This means that if you lose your phone, your password alone won't get you back into your account. For that reason, we strongly recommend you have three different sign-in methods associated with your account.

Using Authenticator as a way to sign in If you have turned on passwordless, two-step, or multi-factor authentication for your account, use the following steps to sign-in: Go to the site where you want to sign in. Enter your username at the sign-in prompt and select Next. Select Send notification.

Learn how to remove passwords from your Microsoft account to increase security.

Learn how you can use Outlook for Android or iOS to sign into your Microsoft personal or work/school account.

Get answers to some basic questions about what two-step verification is, and how to set it up and use it to help keep your Microsoft account more secure.

If this is the first time you're setting up Authenticator, you might receive a prompt asking whether to allow the app to access your camera (iOS) or to allow the app to take pictures and record video (Android). Allow the app to use the camera so that you can take a picture of a QR code in one step.

Outlook apps are available for free and can be downloaded directly from the Microsoft Store on Windows, the Mac App Store, iOS App Store, or the Google Play Store. After your download the new email app, add your accounts and they will all be configured to use Modern Authentication and sync properly, helping keep them safe.