Need to remove authenticator app from phone but screen is broke

Hi @Michaiah Moala 

Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Q&A forum. 

To better understand your situation, I would like to clarify the following: 

1. What type of account are you using? Is it a personal account (such as hotmail.com or outlook.com) or a work or school account? 
2. Besides Microsoft Authenticator as your verification method, have you set up any additional options such as receiving a code by email or phone? 

If you have another verification method configured, please select “I can't use my Microsoft Authenticator app right now” when the prompt appears. You can then use the alternative method available to confirm your identity. 

After you successfully sign in, you can add the Microsoft Authenticator app on your iPad as a new sign-in method through: My Sign-Ins | Security Info | Microsoft.com 

This will allow authentication prompts to appear on your iPad going forward. 

If Microsoft Authenticator is your only verification method: 

For personal accounts 

Step 1: Sign in to the Contact - Microsoft Support using a second Microsoft account 

Step 2: Describe your issue and select "Get Help", for example:

Step 3: Choose the “Contact Support” option 

Step 4: Select the category that best matches your situation. 

Step 5: Choose an available support plan 

For work or school accounts 

Please reach out to your organization’s IT administrator. They can help you re-register MFA for the affected account. For reference, they may review: Manage authentication methods for Microsoft Entra multifactor authentication - Microsoft Entra ID |… 

Please note that this forum does not directly support sign‑in issues. With that in mind, please review the information above carefully and identify which option best fits your situation. 

I hope this information helps you move forward. If you have any updates or additional questions, please feel free to share. 

Note: Please follow the steps in our documentation to enable e-mail notifications if you want to receive the related email notification for this thread.

To use Microsoft Authenticator again when the original phone screen is broken and codes are not visible, the accounts must be removed from that device and re‑set up on a working device (such as the iPad), or the sign‑in methods must be reset from the account side.

Use the following options, depending on what access is still available:

1. Remove accounts from the broken phone (sign out of Authenticator)

• On the broken phone (if touch still works or via screen mirroring), remove each account from Authenticator:
  1. Open Microsoft Authenticator.
  2. Select each account.
  3. Tap the Settings gear.
  4. Tap Remove account.
• If the phone is usable enough, on Android you can also clear all Authenticator data:
  1. Open Settings > Apps > Authenticator.
  2. Tap Storage or Storage & cache.
  3. Tap Clear data > OK.
• On iOS you can remove all Authenticator data by offloading the app:
  1. Open Settings > General > Storage.
  2. Select Authenticator.
  3. Tap Offload App.
• After removal, the device will no longer be usable for sign‑in approvals, and the accounts can be re‑added on the iPad or another phone using each account’s security settings.

2. Reset sign‑in methods from the account security page If sign‑in to the accounts is still possible using another method (password, backup email, SMS, etc.):
3. Go to the account’s security info page (for work/school accounts this is typically at https://aka.ms/mysecurityinfo).
4. Delete the existing Authenticator app sign‑in method(s) associated with the broken phone.
5. Add a new sign‑in method and choose Authenticator app, then follow the QR‑code setup on the iPad.
6. If locked out of a work/school tenant and only one admin If this is a Microsoft 365/Entra work or school account and there is no way to sign in (no backup methods, only the broken Authenticator), and especially if this is the only administrator account, the Microsoft Data Protection team must reset MFA:

• Call Microsoft support using the regional Customer service phone numbers - Microsoft Support page.
• Clearly state that access to the tenant admin account is lost because the Authenticator device is broken and there is no other admin.
• Ask the frontline agent to open a ticket with the Data Protection team to reset the MFA/sign‑in methods.

Once MFA is reset or the old Authenticator registrations are removed, Authenticator can be installed on the iPad and each account added again using the normal “add account”/QR‑code process from the account’s security settings.

References:

• How to sign out from Authenticator
• Troubleshoot problems with Microsoft Authenticator
• Can't set up MFA because five devices are already registered to use an authenticator app
• Common problems with two-step verification for a work or school account
• How Do I Regain Access to My Account After Losing Access to Microsoft Authenticator? (Urgent Request). - Microsoft Q&A
• Microsoft Authenticator app doesn't show 6-digit OTP code - Microsoft Q&A
• I have a Micrsoft business account and I am the admin and the only user registered under this account. I can't log in because i have replaced my phone and the authenticator doesn't work. - Microsoft Q&A
• Requesting a Tenant Admin MFA Reset - Microsoft Q&A
• Download Microsoft Authenticator