
Now I’m logged into GitHub and ready to cause some trouble.īy default, when you open Microsoft Authenticator you’re greeted with a list of all of the accounts you’ve registered and you select the one you want to log in to. When I need to log into my GitHub account I fire up Your Phone on my computer, switch to the Microsoft Authenticator app and type the secret 6 characters in. If you don’t, you’ll see this on your PC when you open Microsoft Authenticator: Go into Settings and enable Screen Capture:

That saves you fumbling with the UI on your phone, but you’d still need to look at your phone to get the code.įor this to really be helpful you also need to change a setting in the app to allow its screen to be captured. Since web sites (like Microsoft 365) and other services like VPN use codes generated from Microsoft Authenticator it is handy to have quick access to it on your PC. One of those apps can be your friend and mine, Microsoft Authenticator. For instance, you can run phone apps on your PC, via screen sharing. I initially started using it to send text messages but it can do so much more. It’s about using a Windows 10 feature called “ Your Phone.” This feature, along with an app running on your phone, allow you to interact with your Android phone on your Windows 10 machine, or machines. My first tip for using Microsoft Authenticator is not about using Microsoft Authenticator at all. Keep in mind this blog post was written in November of 2020 and the version of the app I’m using is 6.2010.7266 on Android. I thought I’d blog a few of them in case they help anyone else. Over the last few months I’ve moved most, if not all, of the apps and sites I can to MFA using the Microsoft Authenticator app and I’ve picked up a few tricks along the way. I’m sure they’re fine and well loved by their friends and families.

Other companies, like Google, also have authenticator apps. As the majority of the accounts I use can use the Microsoft Authenticator app, that’s what I use the most. I’m an MFA kind of guy, I live the MFA life style, and I’m on board with that. Tips for using the Microsoft Authenticator app for MFAĮarlier this month, Alex Weinert, the Director of Identity Security at a little company called Microsoft, published a blog post begging us to stop using SMS as the second factor for MFA.

Posts: Tips for using the Microsoft Authenticator app for MFA
