To transfer Microsoft Authenticator without getting locked out, keep the old phone available, create or confirm a backup, restore it only to the same phone platform and test every important account before erasing the old device. Restored verification codes may work immediately, but personal Microsoft accounts using push notifications must be re-registered on the new phone. Passwordless personal accounts and work or school accounts also require you to sign in and complete registration again.
Prepare your accounts and old phone
Keep the old phone charged, connected to the internet and fully usable throughout the move. Do not reset, sell, trade in or remove Authenticator from it until you have confirmed that the replacement phone can generate codes and receive sign-in requests.
Complete these preparations before starting:
- Update Microsoft Authenticator through the phone’s app store. Microsoft recommends using the latest version.
- Confirm that backup is enabled. The required settings differ between Android and iPhone.
- Check your backup account. Under the Android system in use before January 2027, you need access to the personal Microsoft account selected for Cloud Backup. On iPhone, you need the Apple Account used for iCloud.
- Add another verification method wherever possible. Options may include a passkey, security key, recovery email address, telephone number or saved recovery code.
- Store recovery codes away from both phones. A password manager or securely stored printed copy is safer than a screenshot kept only on the device being replaced.
- Review workplace or school requirements. Your organisation may require device-management enrolment, administrator approval or registration through a company portal.
If you are moving your mobile service as well, finish the authentication transfer before making changes that might interrupt text messages or telephone access. Our guide to transferring an embedded SIM between iPhone and Android explains that separate process.
Authenticator backups cannot move between Android and iPhone. An Android backup can be restored only on Android, while an iPhone backup can be restored only on iPhone. When changing platforms, add the accounts individually through each service’s security settings, usually by scanning a quick response code, commonly called a QR code. Make sure you have an alternative sign-in method before removing the account from the old phone.
Transfer Microsoft Authenticator on Android
These instructions reflect Microsoft’s published guidance on October 17, 2026. For an Android-to-Android transfer under the current system:
- Open Microsoft Authenticator on the old Android phone.
- Open the app menu, select Settings and turn on Cloud Backup.
- Select the personal Microsoft account where the backup will be stored. This recovery account does not have to be one of the accounts displayed in Authenticator, but you must be able to sign in to it later.
- Install Microsoft Authenticator from Google Play on the new Android phone.
- Before manually adding or signing in to accounts, select Restore from backup or Begin recovery.
- Sign in with the same personal Microsoft account selected on the old phone.
- Review every restored entry. Open any account marked Action required and follow the prompts to recover it.
If the recovery option is missing, remove or sign out of all accounts already added to Authenticator on the new phone, then start recovery again. Recovery must be selected before you sign in or add accounts normally.
If you chose the wrong recovery account on the old phone, open Authenticator settings, turn off Cloud Backup and confirm that the existing backup should be deleted. Turn Cloud Backup on again and select Continue or Change account to create a fresh backup under the correct personal Microsoft account.
Microsoft has announced a change beginning in January 2027. Android users will no longer use a personal Microsoft account to enable Authenticator backup. Instead, they will enable Microsoft Authenticator in Google One backup. Android backup settings are generally found under Settings, Google, All services and Backup, although labels vary by manufacturer and Android version.
A Google One backup can take up to 24 hours, and Android does not guarantee that every app will back up or restore all data. If you move phones during or after the January 2027 transition, follow the instructions shown in the current Authenticator version and inspect Android’s Backup details before resetting the old phone.
Transfer Microsoft Authenticator on iPhone
On the old iPhone, Authenticator recovery depends on several iCloud settings. Open Settings, tap your name and select iCloud. Confirm that iCloud Drive, iCloud Keychain and iCloud Backup are enabled. Under Saved to iCloud, select See All, find Authenticator and turn it on. Then open Authenticator, go to its settings and enable the app’s iCloud backup option.
Microsoft also advises updating Authenticator to version 6.8.33 or later and opening it at least once before changing phones. Newer versions are preferable if an update is available.
On the new iPhone:
- Sign in with the same Apple Account used on the old iPhone.
- Install Microsoft Authenticator from the App Store.
- Follow the recovery prompt when it appears.
- Sign in to every account that requests further verification.
- Re-register accounts that use notifications, passwordless sign-in or organisational access.
If the backup does not appear, recheck iCloud Drive, iCloud Keychain, iCloud Backup and the Authenticator setting under Saved to iCloud on the old phone. After confirming those settings, Microsoft recommends uninstalling and reinstalling Authenticator on the new iPhone. Do not remove the working app from the old iPhone while troubleshooting.
Re-register and test every account
A restored account name does not prove that all its sign-in features are ready. The result depends on the account type and how Authenticator was configured.
| Account type | What is restored | Required next step |
|---|---|---|
| Personal Microsoft account using only rotating codes | The account and its codes, which refresh every 30 seconds | Test a code before removing the old phone |
| Personal Microsoft account using push notifications | The displayed account may return, but notification approval is not automatically transferred | Add the personal Microsoft account again and sign in to re-register the new device |
| Personal Microsoft account using passwordless sign-in | Only the account name | Sign in again and register the new phone |
| Work or school account | Only the account name | Sign in and register the new device; administrator help may be required |
| Third-party account using rotating codes | The account and its verification codes | Test a code directly with that service |
To restore push notifications for a personal Microsoft account, open Authenticator, choose Add account, select Personal account or Personal Microsoft Account and sign in with the account’s username and password. This re-registers the replacement phone. Simply seeing the account after backup recovery is not enough.
For work or school accounts, complete any Action required or Sign in to restore your account prompt. Your organisation may also require Microsoft Intune Company Portal, device compliance checks or help-desk approval.
Test the new phone in a private browser window or on another device so that an existing session does not hide a problem. Enter a rotating code, request a Microsoft sign-in notification, confirm that the request reaches the new phone and open important work services such as Outlook or Teams. If codes are rejected, set the phone’s date and time to update automatically.
After everything works, remove the old device from the relevant account security settings. For a personal Microsoft account, use the two-step verification area of the account security page. For a work or school account, use your organisation’s security information page, My Apps area or company portal as directed by its information technology team.
Deleting Authenticator from the old phone does not by itself unregister that device. Notifications may continue going to the former phone until its registration is removed. Only after testing the replacement and removing the old registration should you delete the app, erase the device or hand it to someone else.
If the old phone is lost, broken or already erased, install Authenticator on a replacement using the same platform and attempt recovery from the existing backup. Without a usable backup, recover accounts individually through saved recovery codes, another verification method or each provider’s account-recovery process. Contact your organisation’s help desk for a work or school account because an administrator may need to reset your authentication methods or issue temporary access.
