IT Helpdesk

Two-factor Authentication Using a Mobile App

There are two options for using the Microsoft Authenticator app:

• Receive notifications for verification. This option pushes a notification to the authenticator app on your smartphone or tablet. View the notification and, if it is legitimate, select Authenticate in the app. Your work or school may require that you enter a PIN before you authenticate.
• Use verification code. In this mode, the authenticator app generates a verification code that updates every 30 seconds. Enter the most current verification code in the sign-in interface.

Using this method requires that you install an authenticator app on your phone or tablet. The steps in this article are based on the Microsoft Authenticator app, which is available for Android and iOS.

1. Select Mobile app from the drop-down list.

2. Select either Receive notifications for verification or Use verification code, then select Set up.

   
3. On your phone or tablet, open the app and select + to add an account. (On Android devices, select the three dots, then Add account.)
4. Specify that you want to add a work or school account. The QR code scanner on your phone opens. If your camera is not working properly, you can select to enter your company information manually. For more information, see Add an account manually.
5. Scan the QR code picture that appeared with the screen for configuring the mobile app. Select Done to close the QR code screen.
6. When activation finishes on the phone, select Contact me. This step sends either a notification or a verification code to your phone. Select Verify.
7. We recommend that you enter your mobile phone number in case you lose access to your mobile app. Specify your country from the drop-down list, and enter your mobile phone number in the box next to the country name. Select Next.
8. At this point, you are prompted to set up app passwords for non-browser apps such as Outlook or mobile email apps. This is because some apps don't support two-factor verification. If you do not use these apps, click Done and skip the rest of the steps.
9. If you are using these apps, copy the app password provided and paste it into your application instead of your regular password. You can use the same app password for multiple apps.
10. Click Done.

Add an account manually

If you want to add an account to the mobile app manually, instead of using the QR reader, follow these steps.

1. Select the Enter account manually button.
2. Enter the code and the URL that are provided on the same page that shows you the barcode. This info goes in the Code and URL boxes on the mobile app.
3. When the activation has finished, select Contact me. This step sends either a notification or a verification code to your phone. Select Verify.

Return to Email Configuration.