You might have surely heard about Two Factor Authentication. There are a lot of Authenticator applications that are available to ensure the higher level of security to your account through the Two-Factor authentication. These include Google Authenticator, Authy, LastPass Authenticator, and manymore.
One such app we are introducing in this article is the Microsoft Authenticator app for all Microsoft accounts. If you are worried about any kind of security issues then you are at the right place, we got you covered.
In this article, we will tell you what Microsoft Authenticator is and how to use it to ensure higher security to your accounts.
What Is Microsoft Authenticator And How It Works?
Microsoft Authenticator is a two-factor authentication application just like Google Authenticator. It generates codes faster than email or text codes that are used for signing in quickly across various platforms.
It works in the similar fashion like the other authenticator applications. The app usually generates 6-digit codes every thirty seconds. You will receive these codes at the time you sign in to a platform and it asks for two-factor authentication.
Moreover, Microsoft Authenticator allows you to login to your Microsoft account without password.
It can be used for any platform that uses time based OTP mechanism. However, it can not be used for the platforms which uses HOTP (code is generated only for a single time) mechanism like Twitter and banking platforms.
Here Is How You Can UseThe Microsoft Authenticator:
First thing you need to do is to download and install the Microsoft Authenticator app and then follow the steps mentioned below.
For Microsoft accounts:
- Open the app and login with your Microsoft account credentials.
- Select ‘Personal account/work/school account’ to login.
- After login, authenticate the sign in with a code which can be received via email or text.
- Fill in the received code and voila! You’re done.
From the next time onwards, you can simply login and input the code generated by your Microsoft Authenticator.
For non-Microsoft accounts:
You can use the Microsoft Authenticator for multiple accounts. It’s a quick as well as easy process.
- Open the app and go to menu.
- Select “add account” to add your different accounts.
- Go to the website you want to sign in, and select the application option when it ask if you want two-factor authentication via text and email or with an application.
- After that, you will find a QRcode of a six digit code, scan the QR code using Microsoft Authenticator app.
- You can also select the option “Or Enter Code Manually” to enter a six digit code you find.
- Congratulations, you’re done!
You can add all your accounts across multiple platforms using the same procedure. It is simple and easy.
Once you’veset up your Microsoft Authenticator account, you can just login your non-Microsoft accounts with your credentials and simply input the 6-digit code from the Microsoft Authenticator app when ask for two-factor authentication. Similarly, for the Microsoft accounts, you only need to enter your username and the 6-digit code from the Microsoft Authenticator app, no need to enter the password.
