Microsoft 365 · Account security
Set up Microsoft Authenticator on your phone
Welcome to your new Ice Fish work account. This guide helps you sign in for the first time, create your own password, and set up the Microsoft Authenticator app — the app that confirms it is really you when you sign in. One step at a time.
- About 15 minutes
- Free apps from Microsoft
- You only do this once
1Which phone do you have?
Tap your phone type. The guide will show the right instructions for it.
2Do you have a computer to use?
You can do the whole setup on your phone. A computer is not needed.
Before you start
Have these two things ready.
Have these three things ready.
- Your phoneCharged and connected to the internet (Wi‑Fi or mobile data).
- A computerWith a web browser, such as Edge or Chrome.
- Your user name and temporary passwordYou received these from IT. You will create your own password during setup.
Get the app
Install Microsoft Authenticator. It is free.
Install the free Microsoft apps you need.
-
Open the app store on your phone
Tap the green button below. It opens the Google Play Store on the correct app.
Tap the button below. It opens the App Store on the correct app.
Reading this on a computer? Open the Play Store app on your phone and search for Microsoft Authenticator.
Reading this on a computer? Open the App Store on your iPhone and search for Microsoft Authenticator.
Check the name before you installThe app is called Microsoft Authenticator and the maker is Microsoft Corporation. Do not install look‑alike apps. -
Install the app
Tap Install. Wait until the green bar is finished.
Tap Get, then confirm with Face ID, Touch ID or your Apple ID password. Wait until the circle is finished.
-
Open the app for the first time
- Tap Open in the store, or tap the new Authenticator icon on your home screen.
- A privacy message appears. Tap Accept and then Continue.
- If the app asks you to sign in or add an account, you can skip it for now. We will add your account in Part 3.
Important: when your iPhone asks "Authenticator would like to send you notifications", tap Allow. Without this, the sign‑in requests cannot reach you.
Important: if your phone asks whether Authenticator may send notifications, tap Allow. Without this, the sign‑in requests cannot reach you.
-
Install Microsoft Edge
Install Microsoft Edge and Company Portal
Ice Fish only allows work sign‑in on phones through Microsoft apps. For the web pages in this guide you need the Microsoft Edge web browser. Safari will not work. Chrome and other browsers will not work.
Microsoft Edge
Intune Company Portal
Company Portal only needs to be installed. You do not need to open it or sign in to it. It works in the background to keep your work data safe. It does not give Ice Fish control of your phone, your photos or your personal apps.
On iPhone, the Authenticator app you already installed does the background security work, so nothing else is needed.
- Install the same way as before: tap InstallGet and wait until it is finished.
- If Edge asks you to sign in or sync when you open it, you can skip that. You will sign in in Part 2.
Start the setup
You will use Microsoft Edge on your phone for this part.
Use Microsoft Edge on the computer. Keep your phone next to you — you will need it in a moment.
-
Go to the Microsoft setup page
Tap the Open in Edge button below. The Microsoft sign‑in page opens in Microsoft Edge.
On your computer, open Microsoft Edge and type this address in the address bar at the top:
This is an official Microsoft address. It takes you to the Microsoft sign‑in page.
Button not working? Open the Edge app yourself, tap the address bar, type aka.ms/mfasetup and tap Go. This guide stays open in the app you are reading it in, so you can switch back to it at any time.
If the Open it button opens a different browser, copy the address into Microsoft Edge instead.
Do not use a private window (InPrivate). It will be blocked.
-
Sign in with your user name and temporary password
Use the user name and temporary password you received from IT.
- Type your user name and press Next. It looks like an email address.
- Type your temporary password and press Sign in.
Type the temporary password exactly as you received it. Capital and small letters matter. It is easy to mix up 0 (zero) and O, or l (small L), I (capital i) and 1.
-
Create your own password
Because this is your first sign‑in, Microsoft shows "Update your password". The temporary password only works once, so you now choose your own.
- Current password: type the temporary password again.
- New password: type the new password you want.
- Confirm password: type the same new password once more.
- Press Sign in.
Your new password must:- be at least 8 characters long (longer is safer)
- use 3 of these 4: capital letters (A–Z), small letters (a–z), numbers (0–9), symbols (such as ! ? # %)
- be different from the temporary password
Tip: a short sentence is easy to remember and hard to guess, for example Blue-Boat-Sandgerdi-7. Do not use this example — make your own.
Remember your new password — you will use it every time you sign in. Do not share it with anyone, not even colleagues or IT.
-
Go forward to the QR code page
You may see one or two extra security screens first. This is normal on work phones. For example:
• Register your device or Help us keep your device secure → tap Register or Continue. Company Portal may open for a moment — then come back to Edge.
• Your organization is now protecting its data in this app → tap OK. If Edge closes, open Edge again and continue.Next you will see "More information required". This is expected — Microsoft now helps you set up Authenticator. Press Next.
The "Keep your account secure" setup opens:
- Screen "Start by getting the app": you already have it, so press Next.
- Screen "Set up your account": press Next.
A black‑and‑white square appears. This is a QR code. You do not need to scan it — the next step shows an easier way.
A black‑and‑white square appears. This is a QR code. Leave it on the screen.
Connect your phone
One tap links the app to your work account.
Your phone scans the code on the computer screen.
-
Tap the pairing link
Below the QR code there is a link that says:
Pair your account to the app by clicking this link
Tap it. The Authenticator app opens by itself and adds your Ice Fish account. You will see your email address in the app.
- If the phone asks to open the link in Authenticator, tap Open.
- If the app asks to send you notifications, tap Allow.
-
Go back to Edge and press Next
Tap ◀ Edge in the top‑left corner of the screen. Or swipe up from the bottom edge, pause, and choose Edge.
Tap the Back button, or open your recent apps (swipe up from the bottom edge and pause) and choose Edge.
On the setup page, press Next. Microsoft now sends a test request to your phone.
-
Remember the number and approve
The web page shows a two‑digit number. Remember it. A notification from Authenticator appears at the top of the screen: "Are you trying to sign in?"
- Tap the notification. Authenticator opens.
- Type the number you saw in Edge.
- Tap Yes.
- Confirm with Face ID, Touch ID or your iPhone passcode if asked.
- Confirm with your fingerprint, face or phone PIN if asked.
Missed the notification? Just open the Authenticator app — the request is waiting for you there. Forgot the number? Go back to Edge to look, then return to Authenticator.
The number above is only an example. Always use the number on your screen.
-
Finish in Edge
Go back to Edge the same way as before. The page says "Notification approved". Press Next.
You will see "Success!". Press Done.
If Microsoft asks "Stay signed in?" on your own phone, you can tap Yes.
-
Add your work account in the app
- Open Authenticator on your phone.
- Tap the + sign at the top right. (On the first screen you may also see Add work or school account — you can tap that instead.)
- Choose Work or school account.
- Choose Scan QR code.
If the iPhone asks for access to the camera, tap OK.
If the phone asks for access to the camera, tap While using the app or Allow.
-
Scan the QR code
Point your phone's camera at the QR code on the computer screen. Hold it still for a second. You do not need to press anything.
Your account now appears in the app with Ice Fish and your email address.
Not working? Move the phone a little closer or further away, and make the browser window bigger so the code is larger.
-
Click Next on the computer
Go back to the computer and click Next. Microsoft now sends a test request to your phone.
-
Type the number and approve
The computer shows a two‑digit number. At the same time your phone shows "Are you trying to sign in?"
- Type the number from the computer into your phone.
- Tap Yes.
- Confirm with Face ID, Touch ID or your iPhone passcode if asked.
- Confirm with your fingerprint, face or phone PIN if asked.
The number above is only an example. Always use the number on your screen.
-
Finish on the computer
The computer says "Notification approved". Click Next.
You will see "Success!". Click Done.
If Microsoft asks "Stay signed in?": on a computer that other people also use, click No. Only click Yes on your own computer.
You're all set
Your work account is ready and protected. From now on, sign in with your user name and your new password. When you sign in to Outlook, Teams or other Microsoft 365 apps, your phone may ask you to approve the sign‑in.
How to use it every day
It is the same as the test you just did.
You sign in with your user name and your own password. A number appears on the screen.
Your phone shows a notification. Tap it, type the number and tap Yes.
You are signed in. That's it.
Using work apps on your phone: use the Microsoft apps — Outlook, Teams and Microsoft Edge for web pages. Work sign‑in in other apps or browsers, such as the phone's own mail app, Chrome or Safari, is blocked.
Stay safe: only approve a request when you are signing in at that moment. If your phone asks you to approve something you did not start, tap No, it's not me and tell the IT department. Never share the number or a code with anyone who calls or emails you — IT will never ask for it.
Something not working?
Tap a question to see the answer.
The pairing link does nothing, or opens the wrong page
- Check that the Authenticator app is installed (Part 1), then tap the link again.
- If it still does not work, press and hold the link and choose Open.
- Still stuck? If you can borrow a computer, choose at the top and follow those steps instead.
I don't have a computer after all
No problem — you can do everything on your phone.
It says "You can't get there from here", or asks me to use another browser or app
You are probably not using Microsoft Edge, or you are in a private (InPrivate) window.
- Close the page and open Microsoft Edge (a normal window, not InPrivate).
- Go to aka.ms/mfasetup and sign in again.
- Check that Company Portal is installed from Google Play (step 4). You don't need to sign in to it.
- Check that Microsoft Authenticator is installed (step 1).
- If the message says to install an app, install it and try again.
Edge says my organization is protecting data, or asks me to restart it
This is normal. Ice Fish protects work data inside Microsoft apps. Tap OK. If Edge closes, open it again and carry on where you were. Your personal browsing and data are not affected. You may also be asked to set a PIN for work data — choose one you can remember.
My temporary password does not work
- Check capital and small letters, and look out for look‑alike characters (0 and O, l and I and 1).
- Check that you typed the user name correctly, including everything after the @.
- Temporary passwords can expire. If it still does not work, contact the IT department and ask for a new temporary password.
My new password is not accepted
It probably does not meet the rules. Make sure it:
- is at least 8 characters long,
- uses 3 of these 4: capital letters, small letters, numbers, symbols,
- is not the same as the temporary password, and does not contain your name or user name.
Also check that New password and Confirm password are exactly the same.
It says "Your password was successfully updated, but our servers take a little time to catch up"
Your new password was saved. Wait a few minutes, then go to aka.ms/mfasetup again and sign in with your new password. Continue from the "More information required" step.
I already changed my password, but stopped before setting up Authenticator
That's fine. Go to aka.ms/mfasetup and sign in with your user name and your new password (not the temporary one). You will not be asked to change it again. Continue from the "More information required" step.
If you don't see "More information required", press + Add sign-in method, choose Microsoft Authenticator, and continue from there.
I don't get a notification on my phone
- Open the Authenticator app. Waiting requests often appear when the app is opened.
- Check that your phone is connected to the internet.
- Open Settings → Apps → Authenticator → Notifications and turn notifications on.
- Open Settings → Notifications → Authenticator and turn on Allow Notifications.
- On the setup page, press Resend notification or try signing in again.
The camera does not open when I tap "Scan QR code"
The app needs permission to use the camera.
- Open Settings → Apps → Authenticator → Permissions → Camera and choose Allow only while using the app.
- Open Settings → Authenticator and turn on Camera.
- Go back to the app and try again.
The QR code disappeared or expired
No problem. Refresh the setup page, or go to aka.ms/mfasetup again. You will get a new QR code. If your account already appears in the app, remove the unfinished one first so you don't have two.
I made a mistake with the number, or I tapped "No"
Nothing is broken. On the computer, click Resend notification or Back and try again.
I'm getting a new phone, or I lost my phone
Contact the IT department before you reset or give away your old phone if you can. If your phone is lost or stolen, contact IT straight away so they can block it and help you set up the new one.
Is the app safe? Does it see my personal things?
Microsoft Authenticator is an official, free app from Microsoft. It only helps you sign in. It does not read your messages, photos or personal files, and it does not track where you are.