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Set up Microsoft Authenticator

Install the app and connect it to your Microsoft 365 account.

This is easiest with two things in front of you: your phone, and a computer to display the QR code. If you only have the phone, use the Phone only, no computer guide on this page instead.
  1. On your phone, open the Play Store and search for Microsoft Authenticator. Check the publisher is Microsoft Corporation, then tap Install.
  2. Open the app. Accept the privacy notice and allow notifications when asked. Notifications are how the approval prompts reach you, so do not skip this.
  3. On your computer, go to aka.ms/mfasetup and sign in with your Microsoft 365 email address.
  4. On the Security info page, click Add sign-in method, choose Microsoft Authenticator, then click Add.
  5. Click Next until a QR code appears on the computer screen.
  6. Back on your phone, in Authenticator, tap the + at the top, then Work or school account, then Scan a QR code. Allow camera access.
  7. Point the phone at the QR code on the computer screen. The account is added straight away.
  8. The computer now shows a two-digit number and your phone asks you to enter it. Type the number into the app and tap Yes.
  9. Click Next, then Done. Your account now shows on the Security info page.
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.