MS Authenticator experts

[the-photographer]

Hello, my company use MFA with their Office/SharePoint setup, everyone uses the MS Authenticator app, no problem.

We also use other companies SharePoint setups, they also implement MFA.

Now, I have two phones:

Phone one

Company profile
Supplier A profile

Phone two

Company profile
Supplier B profile

Is there anyway to merge/copy profiles from one app to the other?

[JoshSm]

Export then import?

[Youreterriblemuriel]

If it's just one account you want to move you can add it to another device by going to aka.ms/mfasetup , that should work unless they've locked down mfa

[the-photographer]

Thanks, let me try those out

[extraT]

You can have more then one company profile on the app, you just need the QR code.

You can also try logging into Microsoft to access your profile and set up mfa.

[Actual]

I have been waiting for a thread on MS Authenticator...

How easy is it to restore MS Authenticator with my keys if I break or lose my phone?

I think I tried it once and the install of MS Authenticate on my new phone synced with the backup from the old phone but as the new MS Authenticator was new it immediately blanked the backup.

It would be nice to know for next time.

[mattley]

Actual said:

I have been waiting for a thread on MS Authenticator...

How easy is it to restore MS Authenticator with my keys if I break or lose my phone?

I think I tried it once and the install of MS Authenticate on my new phone synced with the backup from the old phone but as the new MS Authenticator was new it immediately blanked the backup.

It would be nice to know for next time.

It works now, pretty much as always should have done.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/account-billin...

[Actual]

mattley said:

It works now, pretty much as always should have done.
https://support.microsoft.com/en-gb/account-billin...

The backup works but somehow I failed on the restore.

To restore I had to sign in to my account and somehow before I could restore the new account backed-up an empty version over my backup.

Also is there a problem if 2 devices have backup enabled?

[the-photographer]

Youreterriblemuriel said:

If it's just one account you want to move you can add it to another device by going to aka.ms/mfasetup , that should work unless they've locked down mfa

I tried going through "add a device" in the security portal, that just seems to add your home profile again, not any guest accounts.

[Xenoous]

Get in touch with your supplier and ask them to click this on your 'Guest' account in EntraID. These backups and restores regularly work as intended in Authenticator.

[JoshSm]

I just realised how bad this is as I never looked at it previously, luckily my MS Authenticator only has 4 different accounts on it. I use something else for most 2FA.

Typical MS that they take something simple then make a locked in special version that can't transfer or use the backup that the other apps do.

[drmotorsport]

Actual said:

I have been waiting for a thread on MS Authenticator...

How easy is it to restore MS Authenticator with my keys if I break or lose my phone?

I think I tried it once and the install of MS Authenticate on my new phone synced with the backup from the old phone but as the new MS Authenticator was new it immediately blanked the backup.

It would be nice to know for next time.

I changed phones a few months ago and was terrified that this migration process would be a PITA as i've got a lot of accounts in the app that are used multiple times per day. Fortunately it was suspiciously easy and just really involved signing in with the backup account which is another MS account, and restoring. It didn't work instantly but seemed ok when i next checked an hour or two later. I did keep my old phone just in case though

[theboss]

You'll find that some registrations depending on device-based keys e.g. MS Work accounts will prompt a re-enrolment via a new QR code.

Simpler one-time passcode registrations can restore intact.

It's the one real phone dependency I can't do without these days!