Add your work or school account to the Microsoft Authenticator app (2024)

If your organization uses two-factor verification, you can set up your work or school account to use the Microsoft Authenticator app as one of the verification methods.

Important:Before you can add your account, you must download and install the Microsoft Authenticator app. If you haven't done that yet, follow the steps in theDownload and install the apparticle.

Add your work or school account

You can add your work or school account to the Authenticator app by doing one of the following:

• Sign in with your work or school account credentials (preview)

• Scan a QR Code

• Sign in with your credentials

Sign in with your credentials

Note:This feature is usable only by users whose admins have enabled phone sign-in using the Authenticator app for them.

To add an account by signing into your work or school account using your credentials:

1. Open the Authenticator app and select to the+button and tapAdd work or school account. SelectSign in.

2. Enter your work or school account credentials. If you have a Temporary Access Pass (TAP) you can use that to sign in. At this point, you could potentially be blocked from proceeding by one of the following conditions:

   • If you don’t have enough authentication methods on your account to get a strong authentication token, you can'tadd an account.You’ll see an error in the Authenticator app that says “To set up Microsoft Authenticator, you'll need to go to aka.ms/mfasetup on a web browser.”

   • If you receive the message "You might be signing in from a location that is restricted by your admin,"your admin hasn't enabled this feature for you and probably set up a Security Information Registration Conditional Access policy. You might also receive messages that block registration of the Authenticator app because your admin has Conditional Access policies set up. In these cases, contact the administrator for your work or school account to use this authentication method.

   • If you are allowed by your admin to use phone sign-in using the Authenticator app, you'll be able to go through device registration to get set up for passwordless phone sign-in and two-step verification. However, you'll still be able to set up two-step verification whether or not you are enabled for phone sign-in.

3. At this point, you could be asked to scan a QR code provided by your organization to set up an on-premises multi-factor authentication account in the app. You're required to do this only if your organization uses on-premises MFA Server.

4. On your device, tap the account and verify in the full-screen view that your account is correct. For additional security, the verification code changes every 30 seconds preventing someone from using a code multiple times.

   See Also

   Manually add an account to the Microsoft Authenticator app

Sign in with a QR code

To add an account by scanning a QR Code, do the following:

1. On your computer, go to theAdditional security verificationpage.

   Note:If you don't see theAdditional security verificationpage, it's possible that your administrator has turned on the security info (preview) experience. If that's the case, you should follow the instructions in theSet up security info to use an authenticator appsection. If that's not the case, you will need to contact your organization's Help Desk for assistance. For more information about security info, seeSet up your Security info from a sign-in prompt.

2. Select the checkbox next to Authenticator app, and then selectConfigure.

   

3. Open the Authenticator app, select the plus iconand selectAdd account, and then selectWork or school account,followed byScan a QR Code. If you don't have an account set up in the Authenticator app, you'll see a large blue button that saysAdd account.

If you aren't prompted to use your camera to scan a QR Code, in your phone's settings, ensure that the Authenticator app has access to the phone camera. After you add your account using a QR code, you can set up phone sign-in. If you receive the message "You might be signing in from a location that is restricted by your admin," your admin hasn't enabled this feature for you and probably set up a Security Information Registration Conditional Access policy. Contact the administrator for your work or school account to use this authentication method. If youareallowed by your admin to use phone sign-in using the Authenticator app, you'll be able to go through device registration to get set up for passwordless phone sign-in and Azure AD Multi-Factor Authentication.

Note:For US government organizations, the only way that you can add a phone sign-in account is by adding it using theSign in with your credentialsoption, instead of upgrading from a QR-code based account.

Signinonaremotecomputer

ManyappsallowyoutoauthenticatebyenteringacodeonanotherdevicesuchasaPC.Ifyouwanttosigninonaremotecomputertoinstallthe Authenticatorapp, follow these steps.

1. Openthe Authenticatorapp, and then select>Addworkorschoolaccount>Signin.

2. SelectSigninfromanotherdevice.

3. Ontheremotescreen,openthe Signintoyouraccount pageandenterthecodethatyouseeinyourAuthenticatorapp.

4. Onyourremotescreen,signinusingyourworkorschoolaccountcredentials.IfyouhaveaTemporaryAccessPass(TAP), youcanusethattosignin.

5. Afteryoucompleteyourauthenticationontheremotescreen,returntotheAuthenticatorapptocompletesetup.

Next steps

• After you add your accounts to the app, you can sign in using the Authenticator app on your device.

• For devices running iOS, you can also back up your account credentials and related app settings, such as the order of your accounts, to the cloud.