Multifactor Authentication
Securing your accounts
Multifactor authentication adds an extra layer of security to your university account by requiring an additional verification step during sign-in. Illinois students, faculty, and staff must enroll in MFA before accessing many university services.
Log in
U of I is moving away from Duo for MFA towards Microsoft Authenticator. Enroll your account for MFA by downloading the Microsoft Authenticator app or following these step-by-step instructions.
Self-help guides
Learn how to use the service by reading the following Answers KnowledgeBase articles:
Service information
Read more about this service in the Enterprise IT Service Catalog.
More information about the service
Can I use Duo for MFA?
The university’s multifactor authentication is moving from Duo to Microsoft Authenticator starting October 19, 2026. This will eventually affect everybody. Microsoft Authenticator is part of the Microsoft 365 suite the university already uses, and it aligns with our password-less strategy. If you haven’t yet, switch to Microsoft Authenticator asap to avoid disruption.
Why is this important?
Bad actors have unfortunately been targeting Illinois students with troubling frequency lately. This change will help you and our great university minimize the disruptions and phishing attacks we see so often these days. It can help protect both your personal data and University data from being accessed and used by unauthorized parties who may have discovered or stolen a password.
What if I have questions?
Find answers to many FAQs in this Answers KnowledgeBase article. If you need assistance or additional information, contact the IT Service Desk by emailing consult@illinois.edu or submitting a ticket at help.illinois.edu.
Select different option instead of SMS for Multifactor Authentication
The university is removing the SMS passcode option when using Multifactor Authentication because it’s the least secure option. If you use SMS passcodes when signing in to university resources with the Duo Mobile App, you will need to select a different option by visiting the NetID center and selecting Manage my 2FA. The goal of this change is to help better protect university resources from cyber criminals.