Windows 10: Unable to restore Microsoft Authenticator backup due to old phone breaking

HelloI use Microsoft Authenticator for personal and business use. A water bottle leaked on the phone associated with this account, the damage caused the phone to break - it switched itself off, and will not turn on again. When trying to reinstall Authenticator on my new phone I am presented with a message that no backup is associated with my account. I have no option of using my old phone to restore this as it will not turn on. What can I do to port my account to my new phone? I have found similar queries on this thread where users are unable to access old accounts due to loss or breakages, wi

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Microsoft Authenticator won't restore accounts

Hi

Welcome to Microsoft community.

To better determine your problem, you can first try the following steps.

1. Ensure both devices are using the latest version of Microsoft Authenticator from the Google Play Store.
   
2. Check your Microsoft Account settings to confirm that the backup feature is indeed enabled for your Authenticator app.
   
3. Try the backup and restore process again:
   
   • On the original device (Device A), open the Microsoft Authenticator app and go to Settings > Backup.
     
   • Make sure the backup is enabled and wait for it to complete if necessary.
     
   • On the second device (Device B), install Microsoft Authenticator and sign in with the same Microsoft Account used on the first device.
     
   • During the setup process on Device B, select the option to restore from backup and follow the prompts.
     
4. If the restore still fails, try signing out of the app on both devices and then sign in again on the second device (Device B) to see if it triggers the backup restore process.
   
5. Make sure there's a stable internet connection on both devices during the backup and restore process.
   

Regarding the lack of data export options in the app, some authenticator apps don't provide this feature. To mitigate the risk of losing access to your 2FA accounts, consider the following precautions:

• When setting up new 2FA accounts, note down the QR codes or secret keys provided during setup. Store this information securely (e.g., in a password manager or encrypted file) so you can manually re-add the accounts if needed.
  
• For existing accounts, if possible, disable and re-enable 2FA temporarily to obtain the QR codes or secret keys for backup purposes.
  
• Consider using an alternative authenticator app that offers data export/import functionality, or consider using a hardware-based authenticator (like YubiKey) as a backup option.
  
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Always exercise caution when managing 2FA accounts and keep backups of critical information in a secure manner.

Please feel free to let me know if you have any further updates, thanks.

Best regards

Derrick Qian | Microsoft Community Support Specialist

 

Unable restore Microsoft authenticator backup

My old phone has a broken display screen and had to be factory reset to send back to the manufacturer to fix. It is not possible so access Authenticator on it to change the settings. Does this mean that I am just unable to ever recover my account?

 

Unable restore Microsoft authenticator backup

I have been using the same backup on my Microsoft authenticator app for the past few months and every time it has restored successfully my accounts but this time it didn't because I changed my phone I don't know why this happened. I had turned on the cloud backup and it's been on for as long as I could remember but this time it keeps telling me that no backup is associated with my account if I lose my account it's game over for me I'm not able to log into Instagram and many other accounts please help me as soon as possible