Lost Access to Authenticator; can't complete MFA

Hi @Josh K,

Sorry to hear you're dealing with this.

You mentioned that Microsoft Support has been slow to respond. May I ask whether you've already managed to create a support ticket and get it routed to the Microsoft Data Protection Team?

If not, that's the team you should focus on reaching. In situations like this, the Microsoft Data Protection Team has specific tools and processes to verify ownership of the tenant and help administrators regain access to their accounts.

Please contact Microsoft Support directly by phone: Contact Microsoft customer support | Microsoft Support

Here are some tips and an example of a prompt to help you navigate the IVR more effectively:    

(When you call the support number, you may hear an introduction of about 30 seconds such as "you can visit the link...". You can ignore this introduction and wait until you are presented with the options. Then press "1" as a business email user, and again "1" for technical help.)      

In some regions, the initial interaction may be automated, so here’s a general idea of how the conversation might go to help you prepare:        

What kind of problem are you experiencing?           

Answer: Authenticator           

What products do you use?           

Answer: Office 365 for business           

Is this for an education or company account?           

Answer: For companies           

Are you an administrator?           

Answer: Yes           

Are there any other administrators in your organization?           

Answer: No. I am the only admin in my tenant            

Do you need a... Service request?            

Answer: Yes. I need to create a ticket. Please send me direct to the Data Protection Teams.        

During the phone call, you will need to provide the information you have received through your subscription, such as: Your company name, billing information, phone number, alternate email address, etc. Therefore, our privacy team can help you reset your multi-factor authentication, and after the reset, you can add your account back to your authenticator app on your phone and set it up from scratch or choose a different authentication method to log in to your account.   

If you have already opened a ticket but have not received a response yet, please post an answer or leave a comment on this thread and let me know. I'll do my best to help escalate this thread to the appropriate team for further attention.

Thank you so much for your understanding.