Constant Microsoft Authenticator Requests? Here’s What to Do

Microsoft Authenticator adds a layer of two-factor authentication (2FA) so that simply entering your password isn’t enough to gain access to your Microsoft account. Some users report excessive, constant Microsoft Authenticator requests, which are both annoying and alarming, as they appear to indicate that someone is trying to access their account.

Learn why this happens and what you can do to try to prevent this below.

What Is Microsoft Authenticator?

Many online accounts recommend using 2FA or MFA (multi-factor authentication) to protect your personal information. In addition to entering a password, you’re prompted to verify your identity using another device, app, or authentication method.

The Microsoft Authenticator app offers exactly that level of security for your Microsoft account and other supported accounts. Depending on how you’ve configured it, you may receive a notification on your smartphone asking you to approve or deny a sign-in attempt, or you may be asked to provide a verification code.

Why Am I Getting Constant Microsoft Authenticator Requests?

Malicious actors use bots to trawl lists of email addresses and send access requests via the Microsoft account login pages. In most cases, they won’t have access to your password, although changing your password is always a smart first step and part of good online security hygiene.

Their goal is that at least some of these requests will prompt someone to hit the “approve” button, allowing them access to the victim’s account to steal data and more.

Securing Your Account: Steps to Try

Step 1. Change your Microsoft account password. Regular password changes make your account more secure. Head to https://account.microsoft.com/account and click Sign in.

Sign in, then head to Account > Change password. Follow the on-screen prompts to complete this process.

Step 2. Sign out on every device. One of the reasons requests continue is if someone is partially signed in on a device, i.e., they obtained your password, but can’t get past the 2FA layer of security. Even after you change your password, they can keep requesting access. Start by heading to your Microsoft account again, and this time clicking on your own profile picture. Select the option for My Microsoft account.

Click Security, then click Security dashboard.

You’ll be asked to sign in again.

Under Account Security, click Manage how I sign in.

On the next page, scroll down until you see Sign out everywhere. Click the blue link to confirm you want to do this. It can take 24 hours to complete the sign-out process, and it won’t sign you out of any Xbox sessions.

Step 3. If you continue to receive constant Microsoft Authenticator requests, you can try setting up a different type of 2FA security. On the same page you accessed via Step 2, you can choose to switch on two-step verification or add another way to sign into your account.

When you click Add another way, it brings up options to use a passkey, a third-party app, or to receive a code via email. Choose the method that suits you best, and delete the Microsoft Authenticator app.