Authentication transfer
Authentication transfer is a Microsoft Entra flow that transfers authentication claims from a signed-in PC application to a supported Microsoft mobile application through a QR-code interaction.
Signing into a phone from a PC
In a supported Microsoft app, a user starts the transfer on their PC and scans its QR code with the mobile app. Entra evaluates the target app’s Conditional Access policies before transferring authentication claims. If those requirements fail, the user has to sign in manually on the phone.
The phone does not inherit the PC’s compliance or management state. It must meet applicable device requirements itself. This is the useful distinction when someone asks whether a trusted laptop can make an unfamiliar phone trusted too.
Check the mobile-management limits
Microsoft lists authentication transfer as preview and supports it only in participating Microsoft apps. Its documentation also warns that the flow bypasses non-Microsoft MDM solutions. Teams relying on those controls should review that limitation before allowing it.
A QR code alone does not identify the mechanism. Authentication transfer differs from the OAuth device authorization grant. In Entra sign-in logs, Original transfer method identifies the transfer origin; protocol tracking can carry that origin into later token refreshes.