How to Remove All Accounts from Microsoft Authenticator
Removing all accounts from Microsoft Authenticator takes one reset, because the app has no single delete-all button. The quickest way is to wipe the app’s data on Android, or delete and reinstall the app on iPhone. Do this when you sell your phone, move to a new device, or clear out old work and school logins.
Before you start, remove the sign-in method at each service where you use the app, or make sure you have another way in (a backup code, a different phone number or another authenticator). Wiping the app does not tell Microsoft, Google or your employer to stop expecting a code from it. If the app is your only second factor, you can lock yourself out. Work and school accounts may also need your IT admin to reset your sign-in method.
On Android, open Settings Apps Authenticator Storage and tap Clear data to remove every account at once. On iPhone, go to Settings General > iPhone Storage Authenticator and tap Del App, then reinstall from the App Store. Remove each account’s sign-in method at the service first, or you may get locked out.
What Happens When You Remove All Accounts?
After a full wipe, the app is empty and ready for a fresh setup. If you only want to drop one or two accounts, you can remove them inside the app instead. This does not turn off verification at the service, so sign-ins there will still ask for a code from the app until you change the setting at the service itself.
- Open Authenticator on your phone. The list of your accounts appears on the main screen.
- Tap the account you want to remove. Its details screen opens.
- Tap the gear icon. The account’s settings appear.
- Choose Remove account. Confirm if the app asks you to.
That’s it. The account no longer appears in the app, and the other accounts are untouched. The steps below remove everything at once.
Removing All Accounts: The Full Reset
A full reset clears all stored data and returns the app to its default state, as if you had only now installed it. Whether the app can bring accounts back afterwards depends on whether you turned on its cloud backup. If you did, starting recovery in the app and signing in to the recovery account can restore the accounts.
The Microsoft account you used for the cloud backup is required for any restore. On iPhone, the backup is stored in iCloud. Without that backup and its account, the accounts cannot be recovered. If you want a truly clean start, turn off the backup in the app’s settings before you wipe it.
Clearing App Data on Android
Clearing app data on Android is the fastest way to remove every account and all saved sign-in information from the app. It deletes every stored profile at once, and you do it from the phone’s settings without opening the app. Menu names vary a little between Samsung, Pixel and other makers, so use the closest match on your phone.
These steps remove all accounts from Microsoft Authenticator by clearing the app’s data.
- Unlock your phone and open Settings. The app usually looks like a gear icon.
- Tap Apps. On some phones it is called Applications or App Management, and you scroll down to find it. A list of your installed apps appears.
- Tap Authenticator in the list. If you can’t find it, tap See all apps or use the search icon. The app’s info screen opens.
- Tap Storage or Storage & cache. The storage options for the app appear.
- Tap Clear data. On some phones this is under Manage storage and may be called Clear all data. Do not tap Clear cache, because that does not remove your accounts.
- Tap OK or Confirm when the message asks if you’re sure. The message reads Warning: This action is permanent! The accounts are deleted from the app straight away, but each service still expects the app until you remove it there.
You should now have an Authenticator app with no accounts on your Android phone. If Clear data is greyed out, a work profile or device policy may be locking the app. In that case, ask your IT admin, or uninstall the app and reinstall it from the Play Store.
Open the app again. The main screen should show zero accounts, as though it were freshly installed. The app may take you through its first-run screens or offer to restore from a backup. Choose to skip the restore if you want it to stay empty.
Offloading the App on iPhone
On iPhone, Apple does not let you clear one app’s data separately. You have to delete the app, then reinstall it. This removes the app and its stored local data in one step.
Offload App is not enough. Offloading removes the app itself but keeps its documents and data, so your accounts come back when you reinstall. To wipe the accounts, use Delete App instead.
These steps remove all accounts from Microsoft Authenticator by deleting and reinstalling the app.
- Unlock your iPhone and open Settings. The Settings list appears.
- Tap General, then tap iPhone Storage. The list of apps may take a few seconds to load.
- Tap Authenticator in the list. The app’s size and two options appear at the bottom.
- Tap Delete App, then tap Delete App again to confirm. The icon disappears from your Home Screen.
- Open the App Store and reinstall Microsoft Authenticator. Search for the app and tap the download button. A small cloud icon on the Home Screen means the app was offloaded, not deleted, and tapping it brings the old data back.
- Open Authenticator to check that it is empty. Your phone can’t approve sign-ins until you add accounts again.
You should now have a clean copy of the app, the same state as clearing data on Android. If an iCloud backup is available, the app can offer to restore your accounts, so skip that option if you want it empty.
Summary
To get accounts back later, start recovery in the app and sign in to the Microsoft account used for the backup, or add each account again from that service’s security settings. Keep a backup code or a second sign-in method for your important accounts until the app is set up again. If you are selling the phone, the next step is a full factory reset.
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About the Author
Richard
Tech Writer, IT Professional
Richard is a writer at Geek Rewind who turns complex IT tasks into clear, step-by-step guides. He draws on years of hands-on experience in system administration and enterprise IT operations, focusing on Windows, Linux and WordPress: the problems people actually run into, and the fixes that work. His server and WordPress guides come from systems he runs himself. Richard builds and maintains the platform behind Geek Rewind, from its Ubuntu servers and Nginx configuration to its custom WordPress plugins. Many new tutorials start with readers' questions, and he's always glad to answer them in the comments.
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