How to set up 2-Factor on your Office 365 email account?
You can use the instructions below to enable Office 365 two factor authorisation (2FA) and how to use the Microsoft Authenticator App for 2FA.
You will need your:
Company Email Address: [email protected]
Password: Login password for your Office 365 mailbox
Computer: To access your Office 365 mailbox via a web browser
Mobile phone: To host the Authenticator app, and a mobile phone number for additional security purposes
These instructions take you through the following steps, it is important that all these steps are followed.
Step 1 – Download Microsoft Authenticator app to your mobile device
Step 2 – Access Office 365 user account online
Step 3 – Configure the Microsoft Authenticator App
Step 4 – Save Microsoft Authenticator App Password
Step 5 – Login to Office 365 account using 2FA
Questions provide additional information and how to sort out things when they go wrong.
Step 1: Download Microsoft Authenticator app to your mobile device
1. Navigate to your phones App Store and search for Microsoft Authenticator app. The search results should have found the following app
2. Download the app to your phone
3. Once download is complete, a new icon will have appeared on your phone called Authenticator
You will need this later in Step 3.
Step 2 – Access Office 365 user account online
1. Using your computer, open a browser and navigate to https://login.microsoftonline.com
2. Log into Office 365 online with your company email address and password
3. Your IT Administrator will already have enabled 2FA on your company user account, so you should receive the following prompt asking you to setup 2FA
4. Click on Next
5. You will then arrive on the page called Additional Security Verification asking you which security method you would like to use.
6. Select the option Mobile App from the dropdown list and select Receive notification verification from the list of choices, click Set up
7. Once this has been completed you will be displayed with the message below
This contains the QR Code (black square) which you will need to scan with the Authenticator app downloaded in Step 1 to setup your account
Step 3 – Configure the Microsoft Authenticator App
1. With your mobile phone in hand, open the Microsoft Authenticator app
2. Skip any Intro screens the app may present to you until you get to the Ready to add your first account? screen or similar
3. Select Add account or “+” icon in the top right corner of the app screen
4. Select the option -> Work or school account
5. You may be asked to allow the app to use your phone’s camera, click OK to allow this
6. You will be presented with a screen called Scan QR code with a square camera box in the middle of the screen
7. Lift the mobile device so that the QR code on your computer screen sits inside the Scan QR code camera square
8. Once the Authenticator app has scanned the QR code. The set up button is greyed out and the Next button is highlighted
9. Click Next on your computer screen. In case you cannot access you mobile , your partners phone number is good as you can all them if you need a code, Select the country from the drop down list and then enter a telephone number. Click Next
Step 4 – IMPORTANT STEP: Save the App Password
1. An Authenticator App password will be presented to you. please make a note of this and keep it safe. Write it down or use the copy tool paste the password into notepad, so that you can save it to your machine.
You will need this for your iPhone mail, or alternatively install Microsoft Outlook on your iPhone which supports 2-factor, if you don’t make a note of this we will need to re-do the procedure.
2. Select Finished when you are sure you have a copy of the password stored.
You will then be prompted to APPROVE or NOT APPROVE from the Authenticator app click APPROVE and the login will continue your computer screen. If you ever get this pop up and it is not you trying to login DON’T APPROVE someone has hacked your account and is trying to login.
Step 5 – Using your office 365 2-factor
If you have outlook open might be worth closing and re-opening eventually you will get the login box enter your password and hit approve on the phone, it won’t bother you again for a while. This will effect One Drive, Sharepoint and logging in via the web after a few times it will be second nature.