Microsoft Authenticator review

Microsoft Authenticator is the app to install if your employer or school uses Microsoft 365, and it doubles as a general authenticator for everything else. For Microsoft accounts you approve a notification instead of typing a code, and you can go passwordless: enter your username, approve on your phone and confirm with fingerprint, Face ID or PIN. For other services it generates standard 30-second one-time codes that work offline, and Microsoft lists Facebook, Amazon, Dropbox, Google, LinkedIn and GitHub as examples. Work and school accounts can register the device and use certificate-based authentication to prove the sign-in comes from a trusted phone. The app is free and available in 42 languages on iOS. Outside the Microsoft world it is a capable but plain code generator, with no desktop or web app, and at 240.9 MB on iOS it is far heavier than Ente Auth or 2FAS.

Who it is for

people with Microsoft work, school or personal accounts

Price

Free.

Microsoft Authenticator Protects your online identity Free
Quoted from the vendor pricing page on November 13, 2026.

Key features

• Approve sign-in notifications or enter 30-second one-time codes
• Passwordless sign-in to a Microsoft account with fingerprint, Face ID or PIN
• Works with non-Microsoft accounts such as Google, Amazon, Dropbox and GitHub
• Certificate-based authentication for work or school accounts
• App lock with Face ID

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Push approval is faster than typing codes for Microsoft accounts
• Strength: Often required for Microsoft 365 work and school sign-ins
• Strength: Available in English and 41 more languages on iOS
• Weakness: No desktop or web app
• Weakness: Largest app here on iOS at 240.9 MB
• Weakness: Push and passwordless extras mainly benefit Microsoft accounts

Key facts

• Price: Free
• Platforms: iOS, iPadOS, visionOS, Android
• Sign-in methods: Push approval, one-time codes, passwordless
• iOS requirement: iOS 17.0 or later

Where it ranks

Microsoft Authenticator is No. 6 in our Best Two Factor Authentication Apps verdict.