How get a code from the Authenticator for MFA authentication if I'm trying to configure it?

Question

How get a code from the Authenticator for MFA authentication if I'm trying to configure it?

Enrico Rossini 241

I'm trying to login into my account in Microsoft Entra ID. I lost my old phone. Now, I have my account and my password but the MFA authentication is required (although in Entra ID I removed the MFA for this user).

When I try to configure the Microsoft MFA authenticator, after the login, it asks me to insert a code that I have to generate with the MFA authenticator that I try to configure.

How can I skip the MFA or get the code via email or SMS? (I added email and phone in the user profile).

VEMULA SRISAI 13,025 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-05-07T16:31:49.1233333+00:00
Hello Enrico Rossini,

The verification code requested during Microsoft Authenticator setup must come from an already registered MFA method, not from the authenticator app you are currently trying to configure. Since the previous phone (and its authenticator registration) was lost, there is no existing method available to generate or approve the code, which results in this circular prompt.

Even if per-user MFA was removed, MFA can still be enforced due to Conditional Access policies, Security Defaults, or existing authentication method registration.

How to resolve this

One of the following actions is required to resolve the issue:

Reset MFA methods for the user

Navigate to Microsoft Entra ID → Users → Select the user → Authentication methods

Delete all existing authentication methods (Authenticator app, phone number, etc.)

Use Temporary Access Pass (Recommended)

Generate a Temporary Access Pass (TAP) for the user

Ask the user to sign in using TAP and re-register the Microsoft Authenticator app

Use break-glass admin account (if needed)

If the affected account is an admin and cannot sign in, use a break-glass admin account to reset MFA methods

No admin access available

If there is no admin access in the tenant, please let us know so we can guide on recovery options
VEMULA SRISAI 13,025 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator

2026-05-12T11:30:45.62+00:00

Enrico Rossini I’m following up on my previous response to see if it helped. Please feel free to reach out if you need any further assistance—I’m happy to help.