How to add your accounts to Microsoft Authenticator (2024)

There are three ways you can use Microsoft Authenticator with your accounts:

Add Authenticator as a way to verify sign-in. This lets you sign in even if you forget your password.
Add Authenticator as a way to sign in every time. Using a one-time password code increases account security. This is called two-step verification.
Add Authenticator as the only way to sign in - just tap an approval on your phone to sign in. This is called going passwordless.

Tips:

You can use Microsoft Authenticator for multiple accounts, including Microsoft personal accounts; work/school accounts; and non-Microsoft accounts, such as Amazon, Facebook, Instagram and Google.
Before you add an account,download the app.

Microsoft personal accountWork or school accountsNon-Microsoft accounts

Choose how you'd like to add Authenticator:

Add Authenticator as a way to verify sign-in

On your computer, go to Advanced security options in your Microsoft account dashboard.
Sign in
Select Add a new way to sign in or verify.
Choose Use an app.

Tip:If you don't yet have Authenticator installed, select Get it now. If you do have the app already installed, click Set up a different Authenticator appand select Next to reveal the QR code.
Open Authenticator on your phone and select the plus icon
Select Personal accountthen tap Scan a QR Code.

Note:If you can't use your camera to scan a QR Code, click I can't scan the bar codeon your PC and tap Enter code manually on your mobile.

Add Authenticator as a way to sign in every time

On your computer, go to Advanced security options in your Microsoft account dashboard.
Sign in
Scroll down to the Two-step verificationsection and choose to turn the feature On.
Follow the instructions shown on the screen.

Note:As part of setting up this account, you’ll be given a QR code to scan with your device; this is one way we ensure you are in physical possession of the device you are installing the Authenticator app on.

Add Authenticator as the only way to sign in

On your computer, go to Advanced security options in your Microsoft account dashboard.
Sign in
Scroll down to the Passwordless accountsection and choose to turn the feature On.
Follow the prompts to verify your account.
Approve the request sent to Authenticator.

If your organization supports two-factor verification or multi-factor authentication sign-in, you can set up your work or school accounts to use Authenticator as one of the verification methods.

Choose one of the following:

Add a work or school account using a QR code

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

On your computer, go to the Security infopage of your account dashboard.
Sign in

Note:If you don't see the Security infopage, go to Additional security verification, thenselect the checkbox next to Authenticator app, and then select Configureto display your QR code.
Select Add sign-in method.
Choose Authenticator app from the dropdown and select Add.
If you already have Authenticator installed on your phone, select Next to display a QR code.
Open Authenticator on your phone and select the plus icon and select Add account.
Select Work or school accountthen tap Scan a QR Code.
Notes:
- If you can't use your camera to scan a QR Code, click Can't scan the image on your PC and tap Enter code manually on your mobile.
- If youareallowed by your admin to use phone sign-in using Authenticator, you'll be able to go through device registration to get set up for passwordless phone sign-in and Azure AD Multi-Factor Authentication.
- For US government organizations, the only way that you can add a phone sign-in account is by adding it using the Sign in with your credentialsoption above.

Add a work or school account using your credentials

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

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

Open Authenticator and select the plus icon on the top menu bar.
TapWork or school account. SelectSign in.
Enter your work or school account credentials.

Note:If you have a Temporary Access Pass (TAP) you can use that to sign in.
On your device, tap the account and verify in the full-screen view that your account is correct.

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 Authenticator 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 Authenticator 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 Authenticator, 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.

If you have non-Microsoft accounts, such as for Amazon, Facebook, or Google, you can add them to Authenticator for two-step verification, or if your site or service supports adding an account using a QR code, you can set up Authenticator as a way to sign in.

Generally, for all your personal accounts, you must:

Sign in to the accountand turn on two-step verification.
Add the account to Authenticator following the steps below. You might be asked to scan a QR code as part of this process.

If this is the first time you're setting up Authenticator, you might receive a prompt asking whether to allow the app to access your camera (iOS) or to allow the app to take pictures and record video (Android). Allow the app to use the camera so that you can take a picture of a QR code in one step.