Microsoft Entra ID to Retire SMS and Voice MFA as Passkeys Become Default
Brief
Microsoft will make passkeys the default authentication experience in Entra ID beginning September 1, 2026, while retiring its native SMS and voice multifactor authentication delivery on February 1, 2027.
According to Microsoft, the move reflects a broader push to eliminate phishable credentials as enterprises scale cloud and AI adoption.
Under the new policy, Entra tenants with users enabled for SMS or voice authentication will have those users automatically enabled for passkeys in the Authentication Methods Policy .
Microsoft Entra ID to Retire SMS and Voice MFA
During a subsequent sign-in that requires MFA, eligible users will be prompted to register a passkey. Microsoft will set the Registration Campaign to the Microsoft Managed state and automatically target affected users.