Setup Guides

Email, Microsoft 365, OneDrive, Teams and remote support

← Back to all guides

Phone only, no computer

Set up MFA using nothing but the phone in your hand.

You cannot scan a QR code with the same phone that is displaying it, so this method uses a sign-in link instead. It works, it is just a few more taps.
  1. Install Microsoft Authenticator from the Play Store as described in the other guide on this page, and open it once.
  2. Open your phone browser and go to aka.ms/mfasetup. Sign in with your Microsoft 365 email address.
  3. On the Security info page, tap Add sign-in method, choose Microsoft Authenticator, then tap Add.
  4. Tap Next until you reach the QR code screen, then look for Can't scan image? and tap it.
  5. You are shown a code and a URL. Copy both, or write them down.
  6. Switch to Authenticator, tap +, then Work or school account, then Enter code manually. Paste the two values in and tap Finish.
  7. Switch back to the browser and tap Next. Approve the test prompt when Authenticator asks, entering the two-digit number shown.
  8. Tap Done.
If this gets fiddly, ring us. We can walk you through it in a couple of minutes, or connect with AnyDesk to a computer and do the fiddly part for you.
Add a second method while you are on the Security info page, usually your mobile number for a text message code. It costs nothing and it is what saves you when your phone is flat, lost or being repaired.
Only ever approve a request you triggered yourself. If a notification appears when you are not signing in to anything, tap No or Deny, change your password straight away, and contact us. An unexpected prompt means somebody else already has your password and is trying to get in.
Getting a new phone? Set Authenticator up on the new phone before you wipe or hand back the old one. If the old phone goes first you can be locked out of your own email, and getting back in is slow. Turn on cloud backup in Authenticator (Settings → Backup) and add a mobile number as a second method to make this painless.
Stuck on any step? Open a support ticket with support@diskman.net and we will walk you through it.