Microsoft Authenticator app sign-in method types for Microsoft 365 account | Office 365

In case you are setting Authenticator app for accessing your Office 365 account, you have 2 options of authenticating using the Authenticator App from you phone – Notification based and Code based. And see how you can change the preferred method to either of these types!

Notification Based

Here’s how the notification based authentication works –

When you enter your username and password, you’ll see this on your browser intimating that the Approval request has been sent to your phone.
On the phone, you’ll receive the below
And upon opening the notification, the Microsoft Authenticator App will be opened and the permission to Approve or Deny the authentication request for your account will pop-up.
Once you click on Approve, you’ll be able to login.

Code Based

And when Code based method is selected, you’ll see the below –

On the browser when you enter your username and password, you’ll see the below waiting for you to refer to the Authenticator App and enter the same from your phone.
Once you open the Authenticator App and open the Account which you are trying to log in, you’ll see a code in bold letters which refreshes after a time frame.
Once you enter this code, you’ll be able to log in.

Changing the Authentication Method

Here’s how you can change the type of authentication method when you log into your Office 365 –

Navigate to the menu on the top right.
Now, on the left hand side, look for Security Info.
You can then see the different authentication methods you’ve entered like phone, authenticator app etc.
For simplicity, I only have 1 entered i.e. Authenticator App [Microsoft Authenticator].

And now, since Microsoft Authenticator is set as the default method, I’ll also get an option to change the type of authentication set.
I’ll get two options –
“App based authentication – notification” – This will show a pop-up on the phone in the form of a notification which you can choose to Approve or Deny.
“App based authentication or hardware token – code” – This will need you to open the Microsoft Authenticator Apps in your phone and then look for the code in the account and enter it when asked as seen in this post above.
So, you can select the other method apart from the one you have selected and you should be good to go.

Hope this helps!

Here are some Power Automate posts you want to check out –

Thank you!

Delete App Passwords created by other users in Office 365 | Multi-factor authentication

October 18, 2021 priyeshwagh777 Microsoft Azure app passwords, azure ad, azure app passwords, multi factor authentication, office 365

Now, let’s say you have enabled your users to create their own App Passwords to use in non-browser applications. But, you want to clear the same for a particular user citing there are some security concerns and they needs to be cleared before you start fresh for that user.

Here’s how you can delete App Passwords created for a selected User. Example: Priyesh is a user who has created an App Password since MFA is enforced.

Office 365 Admin Center

In Office 365 Admin Center, go to Users

Once you see all the Active Users, you can simply click on Multi-factor Authentication
Now, you’ll be able to see all the users who use MFA and if they have been enforced and hence, must’ve created their App Passwords. (Only Enforced Users can create app passwords – Allow users to create App Passwords in Office 365 | Multi-factor Authentication)
Now, let’s select Priyesh’s user settings by selecting the user and then going to Manage User Settings.
In manage Settings for this user, you’ll see the option ‘Delete all existing app passwords generated by the selected user‘

Select the same and then Save.
Now, if Priyesh checked the App Passwords / Sign-In (https://mysignins.microsoft.com/security-info), the App Password would be gone!

Hope this was useful! Here are some more Azure / O365 posts you might want to check –

Thank you!

Allow users to create App Passwords in Office 365 | Multi-factor Authentication

October 17, 2021 priyeshwagh777 CRM with .NET Web Applications app passwords, azure app passwords, mfa, multi factor authentication, Office 365 Administration

If you are an Admin User who wish to create App Passwords so that you can use them in your code/web applications so that you don’t have to store credentials in your application? Example: Azure Function you are developing shouldn’t store the password of the User.

At times, you must’ve noticed that why you can’t create App Passwords even when you are having MFA enabled for yourself!

Here’s why –

Scenario

Let’s say the users are logged in and they go to their Office 365 Account where they can add multiple Authentication Methods. Shortcut for that is https://mysignins.microsoft.com/security-info

Once they are in Security Info in order to add new method of Authentication as below
And they don’t get to create an App Password by default.

Let’s enable users to be able to create their own App Passwords from Azure Portal.

Enforce Users to use MFA

Let’s say the Conditional Access above is already set. Now, you need to enforce users to use MFA.

In O365, go to the User in Active User whom you want to allow creation of Azure App Passwords.

Select the user and click on Multi-factor Authentication.
Now, in the multi-factor authentication page, you’ll see the users as whether they are using MFA or not.
As you see below, CRM Admin is Enabled for Multi-Factor Authentication, but not Enforced.

So, you have to click on Enfore button to enforce the MFA.
Now, when you click on Eforce, you’ll see the below message
After enforcing, you’ll get a success message as below.
Once enforced, you’ll see the below status is updated on whoever this is enforced on.

Create App Passwords from My Sign-ins page

Now that we have enforced the User to use MFA, here’s how you can create App Passwords

As shown in the beginning, try to Add a new method
This time, you’ll be able to see App Passwords as an option to select. Select it and click on Add
Next, you can give a name to the App Password you are setting. You can give it a suitable name keeping in mind the purpose of the App Password you are creating.

I’ll just give a sample name here since I want to use it in Azure Functions which I’m working on.
And once it is created in a few moments, make sure you copy it before clicking on Done. Else, you can’t retrieve this later and it will be created without you noting it down.
And it’ll be listed among other authentication methods