Account access

Change phones without losing access to university accounts

A new phone can be ready for messages while still being unprepared for university sign-in. The authenticator used for email, coursework and the student portal needs its own transition plan. If the old phone still works, use that opportunity to complete the change before wiping or trading it in.

Microsoft's work and school account guidance makes clear that available verification methods depend on the organisation. Its Authenticator instructions describe adding an account through the supported security-information process. Your university may use another provider or a different policy, so start with its current instructions rather than assuming a consumer account guide applies.

Tailored Deals · Researched guidance · 5 September 2026

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Make an account transition list

List the university services that depend on the phone: email, learning platform, remote desktop, library access and any placement systems. Note the sign-in provider and the support route for each. Several services may share one account, but a placement organisation can use a separate system that needs its own change.

Do not put passwords or recovery codes in this ordinary planning list. Record only the service and the transition status. Keep the list accessible on a trusted device while you set up the phone. This prevents the process from becoming a series of surprises when the first assignment or library login is attempted later.

Keep the old method available

Choose a time when you can use both devices and contact university support if necessary. Charge them and use a reliable connection. Avoid beginning the account change immediately before a deadline or while the old device is already being packed for return. Keep its existing sign-in method until the replacement has been tested.

Follow the university's official route to security settings. Do not approve unexpected sign-in prompts simply because you are changing devices. Every prompt should correspond to an action you intentionally started. If the process asks for an unavailable method, use the published recovery route rather than looking for an unofficial way around the requirement.

Add the new method correctly

Install the required authenticator from the official source and follow the organisation's registration process. For Microsoft work or school accounts, the supported process may involve adding the account from the security-information page and scanning a setup code. Read the university's instructions for the exact options it permits.

Keep setup codes private and do not store screenshots in a shared project folder. A phone backup restoring an app icon does not prove that every account inside it is ready. Check the state of each institutional account deliberately, especially when your university and placement use similar-looking login screens.

Test the services that matter

Use a fresh sign-in to a university service from another trusted device and confirm that the new method completes it. Then test any separate placement or research account using its approved process. Keep track of what you have actually verified. Seeing an account name in the authenticator is not the same as a successful sign-in.

Where the university permits an additional recovery method, configure it according to its guidance. Make sure you understand how to request assistance if the new phone is lost. Do not assume a personal phone number will always be an available recovery option; institutional methods can differ and may change over time.

Retire the old device after confirmation

Once the replacement works and the organisation's instructions say it is appropriate, remove obsolete sign-in methods and prepare the old phone for transfer using the manufacturer's process. Keep the account transition list until every relevant service is checked. A careful handover prevents an apparently successful phone upgrade from becoming a coursework access problem.

If the old phone is already unavailable, contact university IT through verified details and follow its identity-checking process. Be ready to describe the account and lost method without disclosing secrets. A new smartphone purchase alone cannot repair registration that the institution needs to reset, so resolve access before making further hardware decisions.

Your next steps

List every separate institutional sign-in.
Keep the old method until testing is complete.
Register through the official security settings.
Test a fresh login before removing obsolete methods.

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Sources and further help

Sources were consulted on 5 September 2026. Provider terms and services can change; check your exact booking, product or university service.

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