Microsoft Authenticator: Managing Sign-In Methods

This article provides instructions for managing enrolled Microsoft Authenticator devices & alternate email address verification factors on your Oakland University account. You may find this article useful if you would like to do the following: 

• Remove an old mobile device enrolled with your mobile device/Microsoft Authenticator for the purposes of enrolling a different or new device. 
• Deleting/changing an old alternate secondary email address to replace it with a new one. 
• Pre-enrolling Microsoft Authenticator & a secondary email address prior to enrollment being enforced on October 30th, 2026.

Table of Contents

Procedures

• Microsoft Security Information Portal
• Manually Adding Security Factors
  • Add a Microsoft Authenticator Factor
  • Add an Alternate Email Address
• Manually Removing Security Factors

Procedures

Microsoft Security Information Portal

You can use the Microsoft Security Information website to get started with managing any devices, alternate email addresses, and other verification factors for your Oakland University account:

1. Navigate to mysignins.microsoft.com/security-info and sign in with your Oakland University email and account password.
2. When prompted, approve the Microsoft Authenticator push notification on your device when received. 

On this page, you will see any verification factors enrolled on your account. If there are no additional verification factors (e.g., your account has not been set up with Microsoft Authenticator), there will be no options present.

Manually Adding Security Factors

You can manually add an alternate email and enroll a phone in Microsoft Authenticator from this website. This can be useful for pre-enrolling in Microsoft Authenticator prior to Oakland University officially enforcing Microsoft Authenticator on October 30th, 2026, for adding a new mobile device in the event that you have purchased a new phone, or for changing your alternate email address. 

We require that Microsoft Authenticator and an alternate email address be added as additional security factors on all accounts. Steps to complete this process are below:

Add a Microsoft Authenticator Factor

1. On a computer/second device, open the Security Info page, click Add sign-in method, then Microsoft Authenticator.

2. Install the Microsoft Authenticator application on your mobile phone (download the application from the Apple App Store on iOS/iPhone devices, or the Google Play Store on Android) and click the Next button once Microsoft Authenticator has been installed.

3. On your phone, open Microsoft Authenticator. When ready, tap Accept or Continue on any on-screen prompts until you reach a Secure your Digital Life screen or a Welcome to Microsoft Authenticator screen. Tap Add a work or school account, then Scan QR code. Allow camera access if prompted. Your phone's camera will now be open. 
   • If this is not your first time opening the Microsoft Authenticator application, and you previously had it installed, you will need to tap the + (plus) button in the upper-right corner of the Microsoft Authenticator main page and then tap Add a work or school account, then Scan QR code. 

4. On your computer, click the Next button if you are on a Set up your account in app screen. A QR code will be displayed on-screen at this point. Scan the QR code with your mobile device's camera. 

5. Once the QR code has been scanned with your phone, click Next on your computer. The application should send a test push notification to your device. Enter the number displayed on your computer in the application's pop-up window. The website will inform you that you have successfully enrolled in Microsoft Authenticator at this point.

Add an Alternate Email Address

It is required to have a secondary, non-Oakland University alternate email address added to your account to reset your password using the Self-Service Password Reset utility in the future. You may reference the steps below to add a secondary email after October 30th, 2026. Otherwise, you will be prompted to do so upon signing-in to your account.

You can use any secondary, non-Oakland University email address for this purpose. If you would like to create a new email account specifically for this, you can use the instructions below to create a new, non-Oakland University email account with Google: 

• Google Support: Instructions for Creating an Email Account with Google

Once you have a secondary email ready, take the following steps to add it to your account:

1. Open the Security Info page, click Add sign-in method, then Email.

2. Enter your own alternate email in the text field when prompted and click Next.

3. You will now receive an email from Oakland University / Microsoft with a one-time verification code. Enter the code that was sent to your email into the text-field:

4. After entering the one-time code and clicking Next, you should see a verification screen indicating your alternate email address has been added. 

Manually Removing Security Factors

To remove an old Microsoft Authenticator-registered phone, or an old alternate email address you would no longer like on file, take the following steps:

1. Open the Security Info page in a web browser.
2. Click the Delete button to remove any unused Microsoft Authenticator-registered device, email address, or any other factor you may not want present. 
3. Follow the steps above to re-register an up-to-date phone with Microsoft Authenticator/alternate email address.  

Please reference the following article to see an overview of all other articles pertaining to Microsoft Authenticator and the new Self-Service Password Reset (SSPR) solution: 

• OU Support: Microsoft Authenticator & SSPR - All Support Articles

Additional Support

The OU Technology Center can provide support for any issues you may encounter with SSPR & Authenticator. Their contact information is below: 

• 44 Oakland Center
• Rochester, MI 48309-4479
• (248) 370-4357
• Office Hours: M-F 8:00am - 5:00pm