Microsoft Is Retiring SMS & Voice MFA: What You Need to Do Before 2027, by VSL Computers on YouTube. 4 min.
- Video length
- 4 min
- Time to do it
- 10 minutes
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Steps
- 8
What you need
Steps
Install Microsoft Authenticator from the App Store on iPhone or Google Play on Android. Open the app once so it is ready to receive your account.
On your computer, sign in to your account security settings. For a personal account go to account.microsoft.com/security, for work or school use the security info page your admin gave you.
Choose Add sign-in method, then pick Authenticator app from the list. Select whether you are setting it up on Android or iPhone.
A QR code appears on screen. In the app, tap the plus button, choose Add account, pick Work or school account or Personal account, then point your camera at the code.
Approve the test notification the app sends. On newer setups you type the two digit number shown on your screen into the app to confirm it is really you.
Make Authenticator your default sign-in method and keep your old phone number listed until you have signed in successfully at least once.
If an older app or device cannot show a sign-in prompt, create an app password from the same security page and enter that instead of your normal password.
Sign out of Outlook, Word or Excel and sign back in to confirm the new method works before you remove SMS or voice.
Tips and common mistakes
Do not delete your old SMS or voice method until the authenticator approval has worked at least once.
App passwords are only for apps that cannot show a modern sign-in prompt, so avoid using them everywhere.
Turn on cloud backup in the Authenticator app so you can restore your accounts if you lose or replace your phone.
Microsoft will not switch everything off on February 1, 2027 at once, but setting this up early avoids being locked out.
Questions
Will Outlook stop working on February 1, 2027?
No. The date is when Microsoft retires its own SMS and voice verification, not when your mailbox shuts down. You just need another method such as the Authenticator app in place by then.
What if I do not have a smartphone?
Ask your IT admin about other options such as a hardware security key, or about an app password for older apps. Microsoft is pushing phone-based approval, so a smartphone is the simplest route.
What is number matching?
Instead of just tapping Approve, you type the two digit number shown on your sign-in screen into the app. It stops someone approving a sign-in they did not start.
This guide was drafted from the video's details and general task knowledge. It has not been checked against the full video. Check the video and relevant product instructions before following a procedure. Report a correction.
