Microsoft Authenticator
Microsoft Authenticator is a free app that secures Microsoft account with single sign-on (SSO) and provides multi-factor authenication (MFA) for other online services.
| Basic Information | |
|---|---|
| Release Year | |
| Product Type | Security, Software |
| In Production | Yes |
| Official Website | https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/security/mobile-authenticator-app |
One of its key functions is generating secure, ephemeral, random six-digit tokens to enable two-factor authentication (2FA) for arbitrary online services.
Consumer-impact summary
editCross-Platform Migration Friction
editA major pain point for users is that Microsoft Authenticator does not support direct cross-platform restore. This means that if a user with many accounts synced on an iPhone purchases an Android device, they have effectively two options to continue using Microsoft Authenticator for MFA:
- Retain possession of the old iPhone for daily MFA needs, or
- Manually reconfigure every service that depends on Microsoft Authenticator for MFA on the new Android device.
For personal power users, manual reconfiguration may be inconvenient but feasible. However, for work accounts, this process is often impractical as it may require administrative privileges beyond the user’s own.
Microsoft’s official documentation acknowledges this limitation, stating:
"Important: You can only backup and restore on the same device type: accounts backed up using an iOS device cannot be restored on an Android device."[1]