“The Authenticator” and what is MFA?

A debit card and pin code are perfect examples of MFA! Your card pin code is something you know, while the debit card is something you have. In order to withdraw money from your account at the ATM, you need both methods of authentication, therefore, you have have Mutli-Factor Authentication at an ATM when you withdraw money!

To achieve MFA with our technology, we use something to verify ourselves in addition to our password. For Microsoft Company Accounts, the best and most secure way to achieve this is using our mobile devices with the Microsoft Authenticator app.

Watch a quick, 2 minute video of this process!

Step 1: Install the Microsoft Authenticator

You’ll need:

1. Your Phone. This can be an Apple or Android device, with up-to-date software.
2. A computer or another device with a web browser.

Scan the QR code to begin the process for your device!

Download and install the app, but don’t try to sign in yet! If you already have the Microsoft Authenticator installed on your phone, you can skip to Step 2. There are specific instructions for signing in depending on your use-case.

Authenticator for Android Users (Google Play Store)

Important Note – If you’re an Android user and you would like to use Outlook, OneDrive, or other work Apps on this phone as well, you may need to install Intune Company Portal

Authenticator for Apple / iOS Users (Apple App Store)

Follow all prompts and allow all permissions for the app.

• Accept the App Terms and Conditions of the App
• Allow Permissions to access and send Notifications
• Allow permissions to use Camera (for scanning the QR Code)

The Authenticator will not alert you with useless notifications or use your location unless it’s absolutely necessary to verify your identity when someone tries to sign in to your account. If you do not enable all permissions, you may encounter issues signing in.

Step 2: Set Up the Authenticator

If you’re logging on to your computer for the first time, you should see the prompt to get started with Authenticator right away. If you’re logged in, try opening a web browser and logging on to your Microsoft Account page: https://myAccount.microsoft.com

You should see a prompt that reads “More Information Required” that looks like:

If you are setting up the authenticator for the first time and you’re not seeing that prompt, open your web browser, navigate to: https://aka.ms/mfasetup and sign in to manually trigger the enrollment process.

Authenticator Enrollment

If you already have the app installed, click next. Otherwise, download and install the app as described in Step 1. Click Next again, ensuring you have notifications enabled on your phone.

Select Next until you see a QR code appear on the screen.

You should now be ready to scan the QR Code and link your phone to your account. On your phone, Click the option that says “Scan a QR Code”

Ensure you’re using the camera within the Authenticator App to scan the QR Code! Not your normal camera QR Code Scanner. On your phone, it should look like this with “Add Account” at the top:

Once you scan the code you should see a notification on the phone that says “Account Added Successfully”. Click Next on the web browser to test the login notification.

You may see something like this – where you only need to click the “Approve” button on your phone

Or you may see something like this – where you need to choose the correct number displayed:

Once you approve the correct notification, you should see the green checkmark meaning you have successfully enrolled the device with your account. Click Next to continue.

If the organization allows, you may be prompted to set up a secondary method such as your phone number, for sending an SMS (Text Message) as a failover in case the Authenticator isn’t available.

Once you’ve successfully enrolled all your security methods, you should see this message.

You may be asked now to update your password.

Authenticator Issues / Troubleshooting

If you encounter something unexpected in the above steps, the quickest and easiest thing to do is just start over from Step 1.

Lost your phone or have a new Phone?

Getting a new phone means we need to set up a new device enrollment. Sometimes, phone migration tools (copying apps from an old phone, or restoring apps from backup) can cause issues with the Authenticator. They try to bring over apps and settings from your old phone, but the Authenticator needs to be set up for each phone, because it won’t allow copying the data from somewhere else. If you have no other codes saved in there, it’s best to delete the old Authenticator app and start with a fresh install. See the steps below to configure Authenticator on an account where you’ve used the authenticator before.

Uninstall and try again

This typically solves 90% of issues people have. Sometimes the enrollment / registration bugs out and sometimes the phone does. The easiest thing to do is start from scratch.

1. Delete and Uninstall the Authenticator app from your phone.
   • On iPhone, you can hold down the icon until it wiggles, then click the trash icon.
   • On Android, you can hold down on the app, click App info, and then Uninstall.
2. Go back to Step 1 and re-install the correct application.
3. Follow Step 2 to set up the Authenticator again.

Try to be quick about this process and don’t let the QR codes sit idle! The codes within them expire and they may cause errors if they’re scanned too late.

Not getting notifications?

Check your notification and permission settings on your phone.

Advanced Permissions Settings for Android

Advanced Permissions Settings for iOS

“My” Company Account & Security Info

You can find all of your personal account and security settings for your by going to:

https://myaccount.microsoft.com

Alternatively, if you’re already signed in to Microsoft in your browser, you can find your account settings by clicking on your name in the top right.

If you’re logged in to Windows, you can also find your account settings in Windows, by going to Settings > Accounts > Email & Accounts

Update Security Info

Once you’re logged into Microsoft My Account Settings, click on the Security Info tab on the left. From here you can set your security info and authentication methods, devices, locations, and more.

Here you should see a list of authentication methods and devices you have previously set up, and the option to set up new methods. You will need to remove your old devices and add any new ones before your phone can receive new email and data.

• Verify that you recognize all devices listed. If you see any unfamiliar devices, delete them.
• Ensure your primary/default sign-in method is set to Microsoft Authenticator.
• Click “Add sign-in method” to add your new device and follow the instructions, same as Step 2.

It is recommended to check this page every now and then to make sure your information, security methods and devices are up to date. You can use this page to Sign Out of Everywhere in case you have lost one of your devices or believe your account may be compromised.

New Phone, who this?

When you get a new mobile device, use the Microsoft “My Account” page to delete your old device!

Remove or Delete any authentication methods you no longer use to ensure your account is safe and secure.

Go through each item, deleting unused ones until each method is active and current.

Click the button “Add Sign in Method” to add a new device once everything is current.

Choose the Microsoft Authenticator option, following the instructions as described in Step 2.

Ensure the following message at the top of the methods and devices:

Change the method to be Microsoft Authenticator if it’s not already.