What is Microsoft Authenticator used for?

Microsoft Authenticator is a free Microsoft mobile app for approving sign-ins, generating one-time codes and storing passkeys to secure personal and work accounts. It is a good fit for adding two-factor authentication to Microsoft accounts and staff sign-in verification in Microsoft environments.

Is Microsoft Authenticator free?

Yes. Microsoft Authenticator is free to use.

Is Microsoft Authenticator open source?

No. Microsoft Authenticator is proprietary (closed-source) software. Open-source alternatives to Microsoft Authenticator include Aegis Authenticator, 2FAS Auth and 2FAuth.

What are some alternatives to Microsoft Authenticator?

Microsoft Authenticator competes with Duo Security, Google Password Manager and IBM Verify. For open-source options, see Enlisted's ranked list of open-source Microsoft Authenticator alternatives.

Microsoft Authenticator: features, pricing and alternatives

About Microsoft Authenticator

Microsoft Authenticator is a mobile app that adds a second step to account sign-ins. It can approve push notifications, produce one-time codes and hold passkeys, which helps protect personal Microsoft accounts and work accounts from being accessed with a stolen password.

Microsoft promotes it as a way of using simple, fast two-factor authentication across all of a person's apps and accounts. It sits in Microsoft's security portfolio next to Entra identity products, so organizations that use Microsoft sign-in can adopt it for staff.

Microsoft Authenticator is proprietary and distributed as a free download for mobile phones, so it does not need to be hosted by the user. Sign-in approvals depend on Microsoft's own identity services, and the Microsoft Security site describes related paid products.

Key features

Push approvals for sign-ins
One-time passcode generation
Storage for passkeys
Two-factor authentication for many accounts

Good fit for

→Adding two-factor authentication to Microsoft accounts
→Staff sign-in verification in Microsoft environments

Tags: authenticator; mfa; passkeys; microsoft; security; mobile; free

Microsoft Authenticator: questions and answers

What is Microsoft Authenticator used for?: Microsoft Authenticator is a free Microsoft mobile app for approving sign-ins, generating one-time codes and storing passkeys to secure personal and work accounts. It is a good fit for adding two-factor authentication to Microsoft accounts and staff sign-in verification in Microsoft environments.
Is Microsoft Authenticator free?: Yes. Microsoft Authenticator is free to use.
Is Microsoft Authenticator open source?: No. Microsoft Authenticator is proprietary (closed-source) software. Open-source alternatives to Microsoft Authenticator include Aegis Authenticator, 2FAS Auth and 2FAuth.
What are some alternatives to Microsoft Authenticator?: Microsoft Authenticator competes with Duo Security, Google Password Manager and IBM Verify. For open-source options, see Enlisted's ranked list of open-source Microsoft Authenticator alternatives.