Microsoft Authenticator

Moving Microsoft Authenticator to a new phone, without locking yourself out.

The backup brings your app codes across, but not your work account. That still needs signing in again on the new phone, and adding the new phone to your security info. Do it while the old phone still works. Below are the steps for iPhone and Android, what to do if the old phone is gone, and a step finder that gives you your own list.

Steps from Microsoft Learn and Microsoft Support, checked 30 October 2026.

Contact our helpdesk Find my steps 07 3114 2808

iPhone and Android
With or without the old phone
Work accounts covered

Reviewed by Blake Bath, General Manager, on 30 October 2026.

A hand holds a new phone showing a setup screen with a shield and tick, next to an old phone with a cracked screen on a timber desk, with a laptop and coffee behind. — **Keep the old phone**Until every account works on the new one.

The steps

Five steps, in this order.

If you still have the old phone, this takes about ten minutes.

Turn on backup on the old phone

On iPhone, turn on iCloud Drive, iCloud Keychain and iCloud Backup, then turn on Authenticator under Saved to iCloud. On Android, open Authenticator, go to Settings and turn on Cloud Backup with a personal Microsoft account.

Same type of phone only
Android moves to Google One from January 2027
Delete and redo a backup saved to the wrong account

Authenticator step finder

Your steps, for your situation.

Old phone or not, same type of phone or switching, work account or personal. Answer four questions and copy your list.

Four questions. The result is your steps, in order.

Your old phone

Which way are you moving?

Do you use a work or school account in Authenticator?

Do you use it for other apps, like Google or Facebook?

Your steps

Do this before you wipe or trade in the old phone.

On the old iPhone: turn on iCloud Drive, iCloud Keychain and iCloud Backup, then turn on Authenticator under Saved to iCloud.
On the new phone: install Authenticator, choose to restore from backup, and sign in with the same recovery account.
Work or school account: only the name comes across. On the new phone, open the account and sign in again. You may see 'Sign in to add your account'.
Go to aka.ms/mysecurityinfo, add Microsoft Authenticator (or a passkey) for the new phone, test it, then remove the old phone.
Keep the old phone, untouched, until every account works on the new one.

Get help from our helpdesk

If the old phone is gone

Lost, broken or already wiped?

You cannot rebuild a work account's sign-in from a backup. These are the ways back in, in order.

Try 'Sign in another way'Any other method you registered, like a security key, another phone or a passkey, gets you in.
Restore the app codes from backupIf backup was on, codes for Google, Facebook and personal Microsoft accounts come back on a phone of the same type.
Use each service's recovery codesFor third-party accounts with no backup, each service has its own recovery process.
Ask your IT teamThey can reset your sign-in methods, or give you a Temporary Access Pass to register the new phone.

Our view

The lockout to avoid happens on upgrade day.

The common story: a new phone arrives, the old one is traded in at the shop, and the next morning the work account asks for an approval on a phone that no longer exists. The backup did not help, because work accounts are not in it.

Our advice is to treat the old phone as the key until the new one is proven. Do the move at your desk, not at the counter. And register a second sign-in method, like a passkey or security key, so one lost phone is never a lockout.

Real Bytes clients can email or call our helpdesk. We confirm who you are, then get the new phone registered.

iPhone and Android

What is different on each.

iPhone
Backup lives in iCloud. Turn on iCloud Drive, Keychain and Backup, and the Authenticator toggle under Saved to iCloud. Restore only to another iPhone.
Android
Cloud Backup in Authenticator settings, stored against a personal Microsoft account until Microsoft moves it to Google One from January 2027. Restore only to another Android.
Switching platforms
No backup path. Add each account to the new phone while the old one still works, then remove it from the old phone.
Work phones
If your work phone is managed, your IT team may have its own steps for enrolling the new phone before you move Authenticator.

Mistakes we see

Five ways people lock themselves out.

Trading in the old phone firstThe old phone is how you approve the new one.
Trusting the backup for work accountsOnly the account name is backed up.
Switching iPhone and Android with a backup planBackups only restore to the same type of phone.
Forgetting guest accountsAccess to other organisations' tenants needs registering again there too.
Only one sign-in methodAdd a passkey or security key so one lost phone is not a lockout.

For IT teams

Making phone upgrades boring.

Step 1Two methods for everyone
Authenticator plus a passkey or security key, so one phone is never the only key.
Step 2Temporary Access Pass ready
A process to issue one after checking who the person is.
Step 3Check identity properly
A call back on a known number before resetting anyone's methods.
Step 4Review registrations
Old phones removed from security info after an upgrade.

Related guides

New phone sorted. Now make sign-in stronger.

Passkeys and a second method mean the next upgrade is easier.

Get help your way

Six ways to reach us. Pick whichever suits you.

Helpdesk hours are Monday to Friday, 8am to 5pm AEST. On Advantage and above, emergencies get a response within 1 hour and outages within 2, with 24/7 best-effort escalation.

Questions

What people ask about Authenticator on a new phone.

Does Microsoft Authenticator back up my work account?

Only its name. Microsoft says work or school account credentials are not backed up. After restoring, you sign in to the account on the new phone and register it again.

Can I move Authenticator from iPhone to Android?

Not with a backup. Microsoft says you can only back up and restore on the same device type. Add each account to the new phone again while the old phone still works.

How do I move Authenticator without my old phone?

For accounts like Google or Facebook, restore from backup if you had it on, or use each service's recovery codes. For a work account, choose 'Sign in another way'. If you have no other method, your IT team needs to reset your sign-in methods or give you a Temporary Access Pass.

Do passkeys move to the new phone?

Passkeys are handled separately from the Authenticator backup. A passkey saved only on the old phone needs to be created again on the new one. A passkey in a synced manager like iCloud Keychain may already be there once you sign in.

What changes for Android backup in 2027?

Microsoft says that from January 2027, Android backup will no longer use a personal Microsoft account and moves to Google One.

When can I wipe the old phone?

Only after you have signed in to every account you use from the new phone. Microsoft's advice is to keep the old phone until that is confirmed.

Next step