If the tech giant can save you that time, it’s going to do it. Microsoft isn’t so sure about those extra seconds, though.

It’s a minor chore, but the protection it offers far outweighs the couple of extra seconds it takes to access your account. The process is often made quicker by using a biometric login like your fingerprint or face ID. Security codes can also be sent via SMS text message, by a phone call, or you might be given a special USB key to plug into your computer. It’s usually sent to an authenticator app on your phone that you have to download and set up first. It works by generating a second, single-use passcode every time you log into an account. MFA is a vital tool to help protect your online accounts from cyber criminals. This is only used as a backup but it’s very useful if you change your phone or lose the app.Microsoft is planning to enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) directly in its Outlook app for many 365 business users. An example of what you will see is below.įinally, enter your mobile number and be sure to select United Kingdom. Watch out for the notification and approve it. It will now ask you to verify your app, click Next again and it will send a test approval to your mobile phone, for you to approve it in the Microsoft Authenticator app. Once the app displays a six-digit code, click Next. An example of the QR code you will see is below, but ensure you scan your own QR code on your screen and NOT the one in this article.

If the App asks for camera permission please grant this. Open the Microsoft Authenticator app on your mobile phone, add a “Work or school account” and with your phone camera scan the QR code that you will see on your screen. You can choose SMS if you wish and enter your mobile number but we recommend using the Microsoft Authenticator app, especially if you are already using it for MFA to login to your office workstations remotely. You will need to choose to use the “Mobile app” and “Receive notifications for verification” to receive the 2-Step verification requests. On your computer browser visit aka.ms/MFASetup and sign in with your Office 365 work email address and password.

Ms setup mfa