How to Reset a Microsoft 365 User’s Two-Factor Authentication (as an Admin)

If you’re a global admin of a Microsoft 365 account with multiple users, you may get in a situation where a user has lost their two-factor device or accidentally deleted their Microsoft Authenticator App, rendering them unable to log into their Microsoft account.

There are two ways to reset a user’s two-factor auth and let them set it up again from scratch.

Method 1: Through the Microsoft 365 Admin Center

• Sign in to Microsoft 365 Admin Center.
• Go to Users > Active users.
• Click the user’s name.
• In the flyout pane, look for Manage multifactor authentication under Security (sometimes under More actions).

• This opens the old per-user MFA portal at entra.microsoft.com. You will need to sign in again.
• In the MFA portal, find the user, select them, and then click User MFA settings.
• Check Require selected users to provide contact methods again and save.

• The wording of this option is not obvious, but it wipes their old Authenticator registration, so they’ll be prompted to set it up again at their next sign-in.

Method 2: Entra Admin Center

This is the “new experience”. This process works for me as well.

• Go to Entra Admin Center.
• Click on Users > All users in the left menu.
• Click the user’s name.

• In the left menu, select Authentication methods. If you don’t see it, click Show more.
• Click the three dots at the top left, then click Require re-register multifactor authentication.
• At their next login, they’ll be asked to register MFA again and can re-scan the QR code.

Conclusion

Did this work for you? Let me know in the comments below! – Brian