Microsoft Authenticator alternative: 2FA codes on your PC, and how to switch

No PC or Mac version. Microsoft says Authenticator is made for phones on purpose: a second factor on a separate device is harder to steal together with the password. That is a fair argument — and it also means there is no way to get its codes on the computer you are signing in on.

Autofill is gone. Microsoft's FAQ says autofill in Authenticator was discontinued in mid-August 2025, and the Microsoft Autofill extension for Chrome was retired on December 14, 2024. Microsoft's notice about the change now leads to Microsoft Password Manager in Edge. Authenticator is back to being an app for codes and sign-in approvals.

The backup is tied to an account and a platform. On Android, Authenticator backs up to a personal Microsoft account — Microsoft says that moves to Google One backup from January 2027 — and on iPhone it needs iCloud. A backup made on an iPhone cannot be restored on Android, and for work or school accounts only the account name is backed up.

Push approvals only help Microsoft accounts. Sign-in notifications work only for personal Microsoft accounts and work or school accounts. For Google, Amazon, GitHub and everything else, Authenticator shows the same standard six-digit codes any authenticator app makes — so those accounts lose nothing by moving.

You want codes on your computer and your phone, synced: Proton Authenticator or Ente Auth. Both are free and open source, run on Windows, macOS, Linux, iPhone and Android, and work without an account unless you turn on sync.

You sign in mostly in Chrome: a browser extension puts the code where you type it. Ours inserts the code into the page with a right-click or Ctrl+Shift+Y, scans a setup QR code straight off the screen, keeps automatic local backups, and exports your accounts whenever you like — to a password-protected file, or to otpauth:// links almost any other app can read. It checks the time on its own, so a computer clock that is off does not break the codes.

You want to stay on your phone: 2FAS and Bitwarden Authenticator are free, open source and need no account; Google Authenticator is free and can back up to your Google Account. All three can export your codes if you move again.

Whichever you choose, keeping Microsoft Authenticator for a work account that requires it is fine — the other accounts do not have to stay with it.

For a Microsoft 365 work or school account, your IT administrator chooses which sign-in methods are allowed, for everyone or for particular groups. Microsoft Authenticator offers push approvals with number matching — you type the number shown on the sign-in screen into the app — and Microsoft's documentation says third-party apps that generate standard (OATH TOTP) codes can be used as well, if the administrator allows them.

In practice: when you add a sign-in method in your Security info (mysignins.microsoft.com), look for I want to use a different authenticator app. If it is there, any TOTP app works, ours included — the Microsoft 365 guide shows the steps. Microsoft allows up to five authenticator apps or hardware tokens on one account, so you can add the new app before removing the old one.

If the option is missing, or your organization requires push approvals, passwordless phone sign-in or a passkey in Microsoft Authenticator, those are features only Microsoft's app provides. Keep it for the work account; your IT help desk can tell you what is allowed.

A personal Microsoft account — Outlook.com, OneDrive, Xbox — is simpler: Microsoft's setup page offers Set up a different Authenticator app for any account. Step by step: Microsoft account guide.

1. Install the new app and keep Microsoft Authenticator for now. Find each site's backup or recovery codes before you start.

2. Sign in to one account on your computer and open its security or two-step verification settings. Add a new authenticator app, or — if the site allows only one — turn authenticator-app 2FA off and on again. Our setup guides show where this is for 108 services.

3. Scan the new QR code with the new app. Ours reads it straight off the screen, so you do not need your phone; if the site shows a text key instead, paste that.

4. Enter the code the new app shows to confirm, and save any new backup codes the site gives you — the old ones may stop working.

5. Remove that account from Microsoft Authenticator only once the new code has worked. Repeat for the next account.

Leaving Microsoft Authenticator for your Microsoft account too? Remove it in the account's security settings as well as deleting the app — Microsoft says deleting the app alone does not stop sign-in requests going to it. Its cloud backup can be deleted by turning off Cloud Backup in the app's settings.