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Introduction to MFA
MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication) is now required to increase the login security of your Student Email and Microsoft 365 account. By using MFA, spammers and hackers won’t have access to your email account if your credentials get compromised, since they will not have your mobile device to approve the sign in.
Each time you login to your Titans email address, such as to view your Outlook inbox or access Microsoft 365 products, you will be prompted to acknowledge a mobile app notification (recommended) or a text message to continue. Keep in mind this MFA setup is different than what is used to access myEFSC (Titan Sign In).
For the best security and reliability, EFSC IT recommends setting up the Microsoft Authenticator app as the default option for MFA.
This article’s goal is to provide a comprehensive guide on how to setup MFA for the first time. These are the sections of this article in order:
General Information and Tips
1. While following the steps below, double check that you are signing in with your Titans email address (@titans.easternflorida.edu).
2. If you are receiving errors after entering your Titans email address and password, ensure you are using the same information you use to login to myEFSC. When necessary, resetting the password for your Titans email address can help regain access. Reset the password via the myEFSC (Titan Sign In) login page options for the best results.
3. Try visiting office.com or outlook.com and use the sign in option there if you receive errors.
4. If you use more than one Microsoft account, utilize a separate browser to avoid issues. Switching to a different browser or device can temporarily work around random errors as well. Clearing cache and cookies may also be necessary.
5. Try to complete all steps in the same session, as stopping in the middle of the process and resuming can lead to timeouts and various errors to occur. When this does happen, starting from the beginning is generally the best way to resolve most errors.
6. Always ensure to keep the MFA setup page(s) open. At many points during the process, you will need to use your mobile device to access the Microsoft Authenticator and navigate to different screens (this will be detailed in the setup instructions below).
7. If a specific MFA setup isn’t working, try another for the time being. Additional methods can be placed on your account later.
8. When setting up MFA from a mobile device, ensure that Airplane mode is disabled. Setup and retrieval of verification codes will not work if it is on.
9. Removing and reinstalling email applications on mobile devices may be necessary to clear up some issues that arise.
MFA Setup using Microsoft Authenticator
This section will demonstrate how to setup the Microsoft Authenticator app during the MFA setup process. This is the recommended method for the best security and reliability. For details on how this will work when logging in to your account, see the MFA Verification Process section further below.
1. Begin by logging in to your Student Email account. For the best results, log in to your myEFSC account first and then click the Student Email icon.
2. You should now be directed to the Microsoft Sign in page. Log in using your Titans email address (@titans.easternflorida.edu) to proceed.
3. With MFA now required, you should now be on the More information required page. Click on the Next button.
4. The next page will begin the MFA setup steps. On the first Keep your account secure page, Microsoft Authenticator will be recommended. At this point, download the Microsoft Authenticator app to your phone or mobile device that you have access to most. You may select the Download Now option on the setup page or navigate to the appropriate app store on your device (ex. App Store for iOS or Google Play for Android). After you have successfully installed the Microsoft Authenticator app, click on Next.
Note: You will notice the “I want to set up a different method” link on this page. This can be utilized to choose setting up MFA using a phone number for text verification. See the instructions for MFA Setup using Phone Number (Text) in the next section of this article for details. It is recommended to install the Microsoft Authenticator in this section as your primary MFA method.
5. There are two possible screens that should show up next depending on if you are on a Desktop/Laptop (A) or Mobile Device (B) during the MFA setup process.
A. If you are setting up MFA while on a Desktop/Laptop device, you should be prompted with the screen below. If necessary, ensure notifications are enabled for the Microsoft Authenticator on your mobile device. After opening the app, there should be an option to Add an account (you may also see a + sign) and then an option to select Work or school. At this point, return to the Desktop/Laptop device on the MFA setup page in the image below, and click Next.
You should now be on the screen that contains a QR code to scan as seen below. Using your mobile device and the Microsoft Authenticator, select the Scan a QR code option to open the device’s camera and then hover your mobile device over the QR code that is displaying on the Desktop/Laptop device.
The Microsoft Authenticator app should then show an Activating prompt briefly and then switch to a screen that will display an Account added successfully prompt. Your Titans email address should now be listed as an account.
At this point, return back to the Desktop/Laptop device where you are setting up MFA (seen in picture below), and then click Next. To continue, proceed to step 6 of these instructions.
Note: If scanning the QR code with the mobile device is not working, but you have the camera opened on the Microsoft Authenticator app, there will be another option for Or Enter Code Manually. This will display two fields for Code and URL. The Code and URL to input can be found on the MFA setup page below the QR code by clicking the Can’t scan image? button. Although the Code and URL are long and not too easy to type in quickly, these can be entered into the Microsoft Authenticator app to activate in the same way the QR code would. This should only be needed if there are issues scanning the QR code with the camera.
B. If you are setting up MFA while on a Mobile Device (the same device Microsoft Authenticator is installed on), you should be prompted with the screen below. Select the link for Pair your account to the app by clicking this link.
Since you are using the same device to setup MFA that you have the Microsoft Authenticator installed, this should automatically bring up the Microsoft Authenticator app and show an Activating prompt briefly. This will switch to a screen that will display an Account added successfully prompt. Your Titans email address should now be listed as an account. At this point, return back to the MFA setup page as seen in the image below and click Next.
Note: This MFA setup page will have a Show QR Code link as well but it should not be needed as using the Pair your account link will perform the same function automatically. The QR code may only be needed if you started the MFA setup on a device that you are not using the Microsoft Authenticator app.
6. Following adding the account to the Microsoft Authenticator app, a prompt will appear on the setup page to Approve the notification. The MFA setup page will display a two digit number. At the same time, your mobile device should receive a notification to approve the sign in. Open this notification to proceed.
Note: The image below displays what the Approve notification will look like on a mobile device as well as the MFA setup page for the two digit number when setting up MFA while on a mobile device.
After selecting the Approve sign-in? notification, this will open the Microsoft Authenticator to a screen that will say “Are you trying to sign in? Eastern Florida State College (your email) Enter the number show to sign in.” Enter the number you see on the setup page into the blank field on the app and then select Yes.
7. As long as the numbers matched in the previous step, you should then be prompted to a Notification approved screen. Click Next to continue.
8. The next screen should say Success! and include the Microsoft Authenticator as the Default sign-in method. The phone or device model that was setup with the Microsoft Authenticator may be listed. Click on Done to conclude the main setup process.
9. Finally, you should then be prompted to the Stay signed in? page. You may select Yes to proceed into your Student Email / Microsoft 365 account.
Notes: Choosing Yes on this page does not guarantee that you will not need to log in to your account next time. This will usually timeout, so expect to log in each time with your Titans email address and confirm your identity with MFA. Keep in mind that if you have multiple email addresses that utilize this Microsoft platform set to sign in automatically that conflicts may arise accessing one or the other.
10. MFA has now been setup and you should be all set! The next time a login is required you will be prompted to verify your identity with MFA similar to step 6 above. For more information, please see the MFA Verification Process section of this article further below.
MFA Setup using Phone Number (Text)
While the best option is to use the Microsoft Authenticator, MFA using text messages to your phone is currently available. This section will detail how to setup MFA with a phone number during first time setup. For details on how this will work when logging in to your account, see the MFA Verification Process section further below.
1. Begin by logging in to your Student Email account. For the best results, log in to your myEFSC account first and then click the Student Email icon.
2. You should now be directed to the Microsoft Sign in page. Log in using your Titans email address (@titans.easternflorida.edu) to proceed.
3. With MFA now required, you should now be on the More information required page. Click on the Next button.
4. The next page will begin the MFA setup steps. To setup MFA with Text message, click on the link for I want to set up a different method (located at the bottom of this section). A small prompt should appear that says Choose a different method with a dropdown to select Phone. Click on Confirm to proceed.
5. On this next Phone setup page, begin by confirming the Country in the dropdown (default should be United States). Then, enter your phone number into the field (format example: 321#######). Text me a code should already be selected as that is the only option for the phone MFA method. Below this is a note that states that “Message and data rates may apply while using text messaging for MFA”. To proceed, click Next.
6. You will be prompted to enter a randomly generated 6-digit code (######). This code can be found in a text message that was sent to your phone with the content of the text stating “Use verification code ###### for Microsoft authentication.”. After entering this code into the field on the setup page, click Next.
7. After successfully providing the code from the text message, the SMS verified page should appear. Click on Next.
8. Finally, the Success! page should appear. The Default sign-in method should display Phone and include the number MFA was setup for. Click on Done to proceed.
9. You may be prompted to the Stay signed in? page if you are not automatically signed into your account. You can select Yes to proceed into your Student Email / Microsoft 365 account.
Note: Choosing Yes on this page does not guarantee that you will not need to login to your account next time. This will usually timeout, so expect to log in each time with your Titans email address and confirm your identity with MFA. Keep in mind that if you have multiple email addresses that utilize this Microsoft platform set to sign in automatically that conflicts may arise accessing one or the other.
10. MFA has now been setup and you should be all set! The next time a login is required you will be prompted to verify your identity with MFA similar to step 6 above. For more information, please see the MFA Verification Process section of this article below.
After your verification option(s) have been successfully set, your Titans email address will be even more secure with MFA enabled. What is expected now that MFA is setup? Each time you log in to your student email, you will be prompted to verify your identity, which happens immediately after entering your password. The verification is required before you may proceed to log in to the account.
First, select an option that is either most convenient for you at the time or is the one you have available to confirm your identity. Then, follow the instructions depending on the option selected to approve the sign-in. Here are some examples for each MFA method:
A. Approve a request on my Microsoft Authenticator app – Choosing this option will be similar to step 6 in the MFA Setup using Microsoft Authenticator section above.
After selecting this option, you will be prompted to the Approve sign in request page which will have a two-digit number. A notification will be sent to your phone to open, and then you will enter the two-digit number here. This should complete the verification.
B. Use a verification code – This will utilize the Microsoft Authenticator app and is an alternative to the approve notification. You will be asked for a code that can be found within the Microsoft Authenticator app on the mobile device it is installed on.
After opening the app, select your Titans email address account and there will be a section for One-time password code. This will be a 6-digit code to enter to approve the sign in request. Please note that the code in the app is on a 30 second timer and will refresh to a new code, so this must be entered quickly. After entering the code and clicking Verify, this should complete the verification.
C. Text – After choosing the Text option, you will be prompted to enter a 6-digit code. This will be similar to step 6 in the MFA Setup using Phone Number (Text) section above.
This randomly generated code can be found in a text message that was sent to your phone with the content of the text stating “Use verification code ###### for Microsoft authentication.”. Enter the code found here and click Verify. This should complete the verification.
Once the verification has been confirmed, you should then receive the prompt if you want to Stay signed in. Please keep in mind that selecting Yes will not guarantee that you will remain signed in, and you will likely need to confirm your verification the next time you log in. Keep in mind that if you have multiple email addresses that utilize this Microsoft platform set to sign in automatically that conflicts may arise accessing one or the other.
As mentioned previously, expect to verify your identity with one of the MFA methods you set up each time you log in to your student email account. What may not prompt you each time are the various Office products available, including Outlook applications. Typically, these will only ask you to sign in and confirm your identity once until either the password has changed on the account or there is an update or issue of some kind that requires you to sign in again.
Once you have confirmed your MFA verification option, you will then have access to your account!
How to Add and Edit MFA Options
This section will detail how to utilize the Security Info area in your Student Email / Microsoft 365 account to make changes to the MFA options available. This could be adding another device to use the Microsoft Authenticator or a phone number for text verification.
This should be available prior to when MFA is required for your account or after setting MFA up for the first time. Multiple options are generally encouraged in case one becomes unavailable, with the Microsoft Authenticator being most preferred overall for its security and reliability.
1. Begin by logging in to your Student Email account. For the best results, log in to your myEFSC account first and then click the Student Email icon.
2. You should now be directed to the Microsoft Sign in page. Log in using your Titans email address (@titans.easternflorida.edu). With MFA required, you should be asked to verify your MFA option before proceeding (see the MFA Verification Process section above for details).
3. Locate and click your initials or profile picture in the top right corner of the page. Confirm you are signed in with your Titans email address. Then select View account.
4. Next, locate the Security info section and click Update Info.
5. There are several items to review on the Security info page that gives you control over the MFA methods on your account. First, the Default sign-in method will show which one is set as the preferred option. It is recommended to have this set to Microsoft Authenticator – notification.
You will see a list of the current options setup including Microsoft Authenticator (may show the device it is installed on) and any phone numbers for text verification. When one of these options are not used, you can click on the Delete link to remove it from your account. Removing all MFA methods will require setup again on next login. A Change link may appear for editing phone numbers. There is also a Sign out of everywhere link that can be selected if a device is lost and/or if you would like to sign out of every current session on every device you are logged into.
To proceed with adding another method, select the button for Add sign-in method.
6. A small prompt for Add a method should now appear. Click the dropdown menu and select the option you would like to setup. Then click the Add button.
7. From this point, you will proceed with the steps to setup that MFA method on your account. For further details, as the steps will be nearly identical, please see either the MFA Setup using Microsoft Authenticator or MFA Setup using Phone Number (Text) sections above. In the image below, this shows how the setup for adding a text message option will appear.
8. After adding another MFA method, it should then appear in the list on the Security info page with a brief confirmation prompt in the top right. You can continue to add or edit MFA methods here or leave the page as your changes will be saved upon completing each MFA setup.
Encountering an error message or issue during setup? Visit the Troubleshooting MFA for Microsoft 365 for assistance.
For further assistance, questions, or concerns, please either create a ticket or call the IT Support Desk at 321-433-7600, open 7am to midnight, 7 days a week.
To create a ticket, login to your myEFSC account and locate the IT Support section as seen in the image below. When creating a ticket, select the Email, Teams & Calendaring category, followed by the Student Email Assistance service to submit a ticket. Please include an alternative contact method (if you cannot access your email). Include details, error messages, and provide screenshots, if possible, of the steps you have taken so we may further assist you.
