Your new phone is ready. Then a sign-in asks for a code that’s still on your old one. To complete your Microsoft Authenticator new phone setup, back up your accounts, restore them on another phone of the same type, and sign in again wherever required.
On iPhone, you’ll use iCloud. On Android, you’ll save the backup through a personal Microsoft account. Your work or school accounts need another sign-in after restoration. If you have neither your old phone nor a usable backup, you’ll need account recovery instead.
Before you erase anything, check what the transfer can actually bring across.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| iPhone backup | Uses iCloud with Authenticator enabled for storage |
| Android backup | Uses a personal Microsoft account |
| Minimum iPhone app version | 6.8.33 or newer |
| iPhone to Android | Requires adding accounts manually |
| Work or school accounts after restore | Names return, but you must authenticate again |
| Passkeys | Those held in Authenticator stay tied to the original phone |
| Saved passwords | Available through Edge and your Microsoft account |
| Old phone | Keep it until you’ve tested your new phone |
Before You Switch Phones
You see, having your accounts listed on the new phone doesn’t mean every sign-in is ready. A few checks before the transfer can save you from finding that out when you need access. Start with these preparations.
- Update your app. Install the latest Authenticator release. For an iPhone transfer, you need version 6.8.33 or newer.
- Open it once. Launch the updated app on your old iPhone before moving across.
- Check your backup. Confirm that account backup is enabled before relying on it.
- Keep your old phone. Hold off on erasing or trading it in until your important accounts work on the replacement.
- List your accounts. Note which personal, work, school, and third-party accounts you’ll need to check afterward.
- Prepare a recovery code. For your personal Microsoft account, consider generating a code through Manage how I sign in > Recovery code > Generate a new code. Print it and keep it offline.
How to Move Microsoft Authenticator to a New iPhone
Moving between iPhones depends on your iCloud preparation and a final check of the restored accounts. Don’t assume installing the app completes everything. Work through your old phone first, then finish on its replacement.
On your old iPhone
- Under Settings > Apple Account > iCloud, enable cloud file storage, keychain syncing, and device backups.
- Go to Apple Account > iCloud > Saved to iCloud > Authenticator and enable its toggle.
- Check that your Authenticator version is at least 6.8.33.
- Open Authenticator at least once before switching phones.
On your new iPhone
- Sign in to the iCloud account holding your backup and enable cloud file storage, keychain syncing, and phone backups.
- Install Authenticator so it can recover your saved account entries.
- If your backup doesn’t appear, remove Authenticator from the new iPhone and install it again.
- Open any account requiring verification and complete its sign-in. You may need your password and an additional email or phone check.
Before retiring your old iPhone, test the accounts you use most. A restored name alone doesn’t confirm that access works.
How to Move Microsoft Authenticator to a New Android Phone
On Android, your backup belongs to the personal Microsoft account you choose for recovery. Remember which account you use, especially if you have several. Here’s how to carry the entries across.
- On your old phone, open Authenticator > menu > Settings > Cloud Backup and enable the toggle.
- Choose the personal Microsoft account that will hold your backup, then confirm through Cloud Backup > OK.
- Install Authenticator on your new Android phone.
- Use the same personal Microsoft account to recover the backup.
- Restore your saved entries, then complete any additional account verification.
- Test your usual sign-ins before removing anything from the old phone.
Picked the wrong recovery account? Delete the existing backup and make another using the account you intend to keep. Signing into a different account on the replacement won’t retrieve the original backup.
What Moves Over and What Doesn’t
Your backup carries different information for different account types. Some verification codes return ready to use, while other entries still need your attention. Check each row before deciding that your transfer is finished.
| Item | Moves to the new phone? | What you need to do |
|---|---|---|
| Third-party code accounts, including Google, Amazon, and Facebook | Your rotating verification codes can return | Restore the backup and test a code |
| Personal Microsoft account used only for codes | Your verification code returns | Check that you can sign in |
| Personal Microsoft account with passwordless access | Your account name returns | Authenticate again to finish |
| Work or school accounts | Your account name returns | Complete another sign-in |
| Passkeys held in Authenticator | No, they remain bound to your original device | Register a replacement and test it before removing the old one |
| Saved passwords and addresses | You access these through Edge following the 2025 autofill changes | Sign into Edge with your Microsoft account |
| Payment details | No, these were deleted | Don’t expect them in your restored app |
| Account order and app preferences | These are included in the backup | Check the restored arrangement |
Finish Setup for Work or School Accounts
Your work account may appear on the new phone before it can approve anything. See the name and assume you’re finished? That’s where you can get caught out. Complete the account verification, then check whether your organization requires a new passkey.
Sign in again on each account
After restoration, your work or school entry can show a red message asking you to authenticate again. That’s expected because the backup brings back the account name without completing its registration.
Open the entry and follow the sign-in instructions. Enter your password and complete any additional verification requested.
Add the new phone in Security info
Open your organization’s verification page, then follow Security info > Add sign-in method. If your company requires an Authenticator passkey, continue through Add sign-in method > Passkey in Microsoft Authenticator.
Use your old phone to authenticate if needed. Finish registering the replacement, then try signing in with it before deleting the previous passkey.
Test first. Remove afterward.
When your IT team has to reset it
If you cannot complete verification or your employer prevents you from registering a passkey yourself, contact your help desk. Explain whether you still have the old phone and which other verification methods remain available.
If you’re the only administrator and cannot access the account, contact Microsoft support.
Switching From iPhone to Android or Back
Your backup cannot cross between Apple and Android phones. You’ll need to register your accounts individually on the replacement. While your old phone still works, use it to help authorize those changes.
- Make a list of the accounts you need to transfer.
- Sign into each service and open its account security controls.
- Add an authenticator method for your new phone. Where the service provides a QR code, scan it using Authenticator on the replacement.
- For a personal Microsoft account, follow Manage how I sign in > Add a new way to sign in or verify > Use an app. Continue until you receive the registration instructions.
- Complete a sign-in using your new phone.
- Remove the previous phone’s registration only after the replacement works.
Repeat this for each account. One successful transfer doesn’t confirm that the rest are ready.
Microsoft Authenticator New Phone Without the Old Phone
Losing your old phone changes what you can do next. A usable backup may return supported entries on another phone of the same type, but accounts requiring fresh verification still need another way to confirm your identity. Follow the recovery route for the account you cannot access.
Personal Microsoft account
If you know your password and still have another verification method, use that method to get into your account. Add a replacement method before removing the one you lost.
If none of your verification methods remain available, follow Verify your identity > I don’t have any of these to replace them. Microsoft applies a 30-day waiting period before you can use the replacement information. Using the previous information during that period cancels the change.
Already have a Microsoft recovery code? You can use it during recovery. With two-step verification enabled, changes may still require the waiting period.
If you’ve forgotten your password, the account recovery form may be an option. However, it cannot help when two-step verification is enabled and you have no alternative verification method.
Be wary of emails or texts that promise to restore your account for you, since fake recovery messages are a common trick in phishing emails. If your email account was taken over too, our guide on what to do when Gmail is hacked and the password is changed walks you through getting it back.
Work or school account
Contact your organization’s help desk if you cannot approve a sign-in through another registered method. Tell them that your previous phone is unavailable and you need help registering its replacement.
Your organization controls which verification methods you can use.
Third-party accounts
For accounts outside Microsoft, use the backup codes or recovery process offered by that particular service.
Recovery differs between providers. Follow that service’s instructions rather than assuming your Microsoft account can restore access to it.
Restore Problems and Quick Fixes
Your accounts might be missing, incomplete, or still sending approvals elsewhere. Before you start adding everything again, match what you’re seeing to the checks below.
| Problem | What to try |
|---|---|
| You cannot find a recovery option | Confirm that you previously enabled backup, chose the correct recovery account, and stayed on the same phone platform |
| Your backup seems out of date | Some users report refreshing Android backups by switching Authenticator > menu > Settings > Cloud Backup off and on. Treat this as a reported fix |
| You see account names without working approvals | Open the affected entry and complete its requested authentication |
| Approval requests reach your previous phone | If you still have it, approve there while completing the transfer. Otherwise, use another registered method |
| Your passkeys are missing | Create replacements for passkeys held in Authenticator. Enable a screen lock, and check Bluetooth and internet access when using another device to sign in |
| Recovery fails because of iCloud | Contact Apple Support for the cloud issue. For other restoration failures, you may need to register accounts manually |
Remove the Old Phone the Right Way
Installing Authenticator on your replacement doesn’t unregister your previous phone. Deleting the old app doesn’t complete that job either. Once your new sign-ins work, finish the cleanup at the account level.
- Personal Microsoft account. Open your account’s security page and remove the previous phone’s verification registration.
- Work or school account. Use your organization’s account verification page to remove the old registration. Ask your help desk if you cannot make that change yourself.
- Old passkeys. Delete the previous phone’s passkeys after you have confirmed that their replacements work.
- Final check. Try your important accounts again using the new phone. Once access is confirmed and the previous registrations are removed, you can erase the old handset.
Noticed anything strange on the old phone before you retired it? Our checklist on how to know if your phone is hacked can help you rule out a bigger problem.
How to Avoid a Lockout Next Time
Your next phone replacement will be easier if you prepare another way into your accounts now. Give yourself options before you need them with these checks.
- Keep backups active. Leave account backup enabled and check it before replacing your phone.
- Store your recovery code offline. Print your personal Microsoft recovery code and put it somewhere safe. Generating another code makes the previous one unusable.
- Add alternative methods. For work or school access, Microsoft recommends registering at least three different ways to verify yourself.
- Check synced passkeys. Where your organization permits them, passkeys in a syncing password manager can be available across devices. Authenticator’s own passkeys remain tied to one phone.
- Delay the erase. Keep your previous handset intact until you’ve tested access through its replacement.
Ready to Sign In on Your New Phone
You don’t need to finish every account at once. Start with the ones you depend on most, complete any remaining verification, and try a real sign-in using your new phone. Then work through the rest of your list.
“Your transfer is finished when your sign-ins work.”
Once you’ve checked your accounts, remove the previous phone’s registrations and retire it. Before you put this task behind you, confirm that your backup and alternative verification methods are ready too. A little preparation now gives you more options if your next replacement happens without warning. You’ll have a plan ready when you need it.
FAQs
Your supported code entries can return if you enabled Authenticator’s iCloud backup before changing phones. You’ll still need to authenticate again for work, school, and personal Microsoft accounts that use passwordless access.
You can use Authenticator on your new Android phone, but you cannot load your iPhone backup onto it. Register each account separately, using your previous phone to authorize changes while you still have it.
You need to authenticate again because restoration returns your work account’s name without completing verification on the replacement phone. Open that entry and finish the requested checks. If your organization requires an Authenticator passkey, you’ll need to register one for the new device.
You can try a compatible backup or another verification method already registered with the account. For work or school access, contact your help desk if you cannot verify yourself. For other services, use their recovery process or backup codes.
You should unregister the previous phone after confirming that your replacement works. Simply deleting Authenticator leaves the account registration behind. Remove old passkeys too, once you’ve tested their replacements.
You can access passwords and addresses previously synced to your Microsoft account by signing into Edge. Authenticator stopped providing access to that saved information in 2025. Your payment details were deleted rather than transferred.
