{"id":3086,"date":"2021-09-01T07:05:04","date_gmt":"2021-09-01T12:05:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lg-staging.lougcloud.com\/?p=3086"},"modified":"2026-02-10T17:20:51","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T22:20:51","slug":"how-to-setup-microsoft-authenticator-app-authentication","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lg-staging.lougcloud.com\/?p=3086","title":{"rendered":"How To Setup Microsoft Authenticator App Authentication"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<style type=\"text\/css\" data-created_by=\"avia_inline_auto\" id=\"style-css-av-85bp3-f856194ef33e7bc72ec0d3bf98278fce\">\n.flex_column.av-85bp3-f856194ef33e7bc72ec0d3bf98278fce{\nborder-radius:0px 0px 0px 0px;\npadding:0px 0px 0px 0px;\n}\n<\/style>\n<div  class='flex_column av-85bp3-f856194ef33e7bc72ec0d3bf98278fce av_one_full  avia-builder-el-0  avia-builder-el-no-sibling  first flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding  '     ><p><br \/>\n<section  class='av_textblock_section av-k0pon615-114d01afa1a8988881100bbf49ddc8fc '  ><div class='avia_textblock' ><h1><strong>Setup Microsoft Authenticator App Authentication<\/strong><\/h1>\n<\/div><\/section><br \/>\n<section  class='av_textblock_section av-k0pop9td-399c35357da9cf26107da9a57de824c5 '  ><div class='avia_textblock' ><p>When it comes to Two-Factor Authentication methods, using an authenticator app to generate your Two-Factor login codes is far more secure than text message. The reason? It\u2019s more difficult for a hacker to gain <em>physical<\/em> access to your phone and generate a code without you knowing about it.<\/p>\n<p>Alex Weinert, Microsoft\u2019s Director of Identity Security, recently <a href=\"https:\/\/techcommunity.microsoft.com\/t5\/azure-active-directory-identity\/it-s-time-to-hang-up-on-phone-transports-for-authentication\/ba-p\/1751752\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">wrote<\/a> \u201cI want to do what I can to convince you that it\u2019s time to start your move away from SMS and voice Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) mechanisms.\u201d SMS messages are open to compromise in a way that other forms of MFA are not.<\/p>\n<p>There are plenty of authenticator apps available for free (Authy, Evernote, or Google Authenticator to name a few) and all offer similar functionality. If you frequently use Microsoft applications and services, the Microsoft Authenticator is a handy tool. Microsoft Authenticator supports password-less logins for all Microsoft apps. If you&#8217;re ready to install the Microsoft Authenticator app, follow the instructions below.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Step 1. Download and install the Microsoft Authenticator app<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Visit the <a href=\"https:\/\/apps.apple.com\/us\/app\/microsoft-authenticator\/id983156458\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Apple app store<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/apps\/details?id=com.azure.authenticator\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Google play store<\/a> on your device and install the Microsoft Authenticator app. Alternatively, visit <a href=\"http:\/\/aka.ms\/authapp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Microsoft Mobile Authenticator App<\/a> and download the Microsoft Authenticator app.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Step 2. Add your account to the app<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>On your desktop, visit <a href=\"https:\/\/aka.ms\/mysecurityinfo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Microsoft Account<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Select <strong>Add Method &gt; Authenticator\u00a0app<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>Follow the\u00a0wizard\u00a0experience to\u00a0setup the app<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Scan the QR Code in the app and\u00a0test the push notification flow as part of this experience. For more information, see <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.microsoft.com\/azure\/active-directory\/user-help\/security-info-setup-auth-app\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">this guidance<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Step 3. <\/strong><strong>Change <\/strong><strong>default sign-in<\/strong><strong> settings to the Authenticator app<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>To ensure that you are prompted to sign-in using push notifications:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Visit\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/aka.ms\/mysecurityinfo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Microsoft Account<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Select <strong>Default sign-in method &gt; Change&gt; Authenticator \u2013 notification<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>Once you are setup with the Microsoft Authenticator app, you are able to receive push notifications for multifactor authentication verification.<\/p>\n<h2>Ready to strengthen your Microsoft 365 security?<\/h2>\n<p>If your team needs help setting up Microsoft Authenticator or improving your identity protection strategy, Louisville Geek can guide you. We help organizations get meaningful business value from Microsoft 365 by improving productivity, strengthening security, and simplifying daily work.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/lg-staging.lougcloud.com\/contact-us\/\">Start the conversation with our team and see how we can support your next steps.<\/a><\/p>\n<h3>About Louisville Geek<\/h3>\n<p>Louisville Geek helps organizations get meaningful business value from Microsoft 365 by improving productivity, strengthening security, and simplifying daily work. We support leaders who want Microsoft tools to deliver reliable, measurable results across their teams. These efforts are guided by our role as a trusted <a href=\"https:\/\/lg-staging.lougcloud.com\/it-services\/enterprise-it-services\/vendor-relationship-management\/microsoft\/\">Microsoft solutions partner<\/a>, ensuring that Microsoft technologies align with your business goals.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Improve your account security by switching from SMS codes to the Microsoft Authenticator app. This guide walks you through installation, setup, and enabling push notifications.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3075,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,5],"tags":[24,47],"class_list":["post-3086","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-microsoft","category-tech-tips","tag-microsoft","tag-microsoft-authenticator"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How to Set Up the Microsoft Authenticator App | Louisville Geek<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn how to install and set up the Microsoft Authenticator app for stronger MFA security. 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