How to Register Azure Devices into Intune

For organizations and managed service providers (MSPs), registering Azure AD (now Microsoft Entra ID) devices into Microsoft Intune enables modern endpoint management. This allows IT teams to centrally control

• security policies,
• application deployment,
• compliance monitoring, and
• device health

Intune enrollment for Windows devices also supports various deployment models, from corporate-owned Azure AD joined and hybrid joined devices to personal BYOD scenarios.

If you want to know how to register Azure devices into Intune, this article will discuss multiple methods, including GUI-based steps, command-line utilities, scripting approaches, and enterprise-wide automation through Group Policy.

Before you begin Intune enrollment for Windows devices

First, it’s important to mention end of support for Windows 10—effective October 14, 2025—and consider its implications for Intune enrollment. If you plan on registering Windows 10 devices into Intune, keep in mind that they may face limitations or degraded support after the mentioned date.

According to Microsoft’s official Intune documentation, “Windows 10 becomes an ‘allowed’ version in Intune. Devices running this version can still enroll in Intune and use eligible features, but functionality won’t be guaranteed and can vary.”

As such, we encourage migrating these devices to Windows 11 to prevent further issues and missing features during Intune enrollment.

Methods to enroll Azure AD devices in Intune

There are several methods that offer different levels of automation and user interaction, depending on the deployment scenario, organization size, and device management policies.

💡 Note: This guide focuses on Azure AD joined and hybrid Azure AD joined devices and outlines various methods for enrolling them into Intune. For more information about these devices, proceed to the section Understanding Azure device registration states.

📌 Prerequisites:

• Active Azure AD tenant with Intune licenses (including Microsoft 365 Business Premium, EMS E3/E5, M365 E3/E5, Microsoft Intune Suite, and standalone Intune plans)
• Device running Windows 10 or 11 Pro, Enterprise, or Education edition (for more specific builds, click here)
• Intune MDM enrollment must be enabled under Mobility (MDM and MAM) in the Azure portal
• AAD user account with necessary permissions
• Internet connectivity to Microsoft endpoints
• Local admin access (for manual enrollment and scripting)

💡Tip: Check the section Things to look out for before proceeding.

📌 Recommended deployment strategies:

Method 1: Manual registration and enrollment via Settings (GUI)

Users or IT administrators can use the device’s built-in Settings interface if they want to register and enroll Azure/Entra joined devices into Intune manually.

📌 Use Cases: Small deployments, testing, and one-off device provisioning

📌 Prerequisites:

• The device must not be domain-joined (neither on-prem Active Directory nor Azure AD)
• User permission to join devices to Azure AD

1. Open the Settings app. Press Windows + I.
2. On the left pane, click Accounts.
3. Find Access work or school on the right pane and click the Connect button beside it.
4. In the pop-up window, select Join this device to Microsoft Entra ID (it may appear as Join this device to Azure Active Directory on devices with older operating systems).
5. Enter credentials for a Microsoft Entra ID user with an Intune license.
6. Complete the guided prompts to finish enrollment (including signing in with a password and accepting the Terms of Use).
7. After joining, return to the Access work or school section, click the connected account, and select Info to view MDM enrollment status.

Method 2: Enrollment using the Company Portal app

This method is designed for BYOD and personal Windows devices that shouldn’t be fully Azure AD joined and should only have limited management access and control. It allows users to enroll their own devices using the Microsoft Company Portal. This is also the only method supporting Windows 11 Home edition enrollment.

📌 Use Cases: Supporting personal devices without requiring admin rights and enforcing MDM policies while maintaining user ownership

📌 Prerequisites:

• Azure AD registered device (not joined)
• MDM user scope set to “Some” or “All” in Azure AD
• Microsoft Intune license assigned to the user

1. Download and install the Company Portal app from the Microsoft Store.
2. Launch the app and sign in with corporate Azure AD credentials.
3. Follow the on-screen steps to allow device registration and MDM enrollment.

Method 3: Command Prompt enrollment via the dsregcmd tool

This method uses the built-in dsregcmd tool to force device registration or troubleshoot existing join or enrollment problems.

📌 Use Cases: Repairing failed or partial joins and manually triggering Azure AD join without reimaging

📌 Prerequisites:

• Device must be domain joined and SCP configured (for hybrid join)
• Azure AD Connect must be syncing devices from on-prem AD
• Internal network connectivity
• Local or domain administrator privileges (for join)

1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator. Press Windows + R, type “cmd,” and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter.
2. To trigger registration, copy and paste this command before pressing Enter (for devices joined to local AD and SCP configured):

dsregcmd.exe /join

3. To check the status of registration, copy and paste this command before pressing Enter:

dsregcmd.exe /status

4. Confirm device state, such as:
   • AzureAdJoined: YES
   • MDM Enrollment: YES

Method 4: PowerShell enrollment via DeviceEnroller.exe

This scriptable and remotely executable method triggers MDM enrollment using PowerShell for devices that have already been Azure AD joined. This allows devices to be enrolled in Intune as well as third-party MDM platforms like VMware Workspace ONE, MobileIron, and IBM MaaS360, integrated through Microsoft’s MDM bridge.

📌 Use Cases: Standardizing MDM enrollment using remote scripting tools

📌 Prerequisites:

• The device must already be Azure AD joined
• May require Azure AD or Microsoft Graph PowerShell modules for verification
• Administrator privileges

1. Open PowerShell as Administrator. Press Windows + R, type “powershell,” and press Ctrl + Shift + Enter.
2. To initiate MDM enrollment, copy and paste this command before pressing Enter:

Start-Process "C:\Windows\System32\DeviceEnroller.exe" -ArgumentList "/c /AutoEnrollMDM"

3. To verify MDM service URLs, copy and paste this command before pressing Enter:

Get-WmiObject -Namespace "root\cimv2\mdm\dmmap" -Class MDM_DevDetail_Ext01

4. To query the Azure AD device record, copy and paste this command before pressing Enter:

Get-AzureADDevice -SearchString "hostname"

5. Close PowerShell.

Method 5: Auto-enrollment via Group Policy

This method automates MDM enrollment for hybrid Azure AD joined devices using Group Policy for domain-joined systems synced with Azure AD. Aside from Intune enrollment, this is viable for other third-party MDM platforms integrated with Azure AD.

📌 Use Cases: Planning large enterprise deployments and enforcing policy compliance within organizations with existing AD infrastructure and domain-joined Windows devices

📌 Prerequisites:

• Devices joined to on-prem AD and synced via Azure AD Connect
• System Configuration Profile (SCP) must be configured in AD
• GPO access

1. Open the Group Policy Editor. Press Windows + R, type “gpedit.msc,” and press Enter.
2. On the left pane, follow this path:

Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > MDM

3. Find and double-click the Enable automatic MDM enrollment using default Azure AD credentials policy.
4. In the pop-up window, set the policy to Enabled and choose your desired device credential type under Options.
5. Click Apply and OK.
6. Run this command in an elevated Command Prompt or PowerShell to force a policy update:

gpupdate /force

7. After a restart and user sign-in, Intune enrollment should occur.

⚠️ Things to look out for

Understanding Azure device registration states

Before admins can manage devices through Intune, they must first register the device in Azure AD— now Microsoft Entra ID— and then enroll it into Intune for mobile device management (MDM) control. Registration can occur in one of three states, each suited for specific ownership models and management strategies:

Additional considerations for successful enrollment

• Ensure automatic enrollment is enabled in Azure AD > Mobility (MDM and MAM) settings (and set the user scope to “Some” or “All”).
• When troubleshooting hybrid join devices, ensure SCP is configured in AD and Azure AD Connect syncs devices.
• Windows Autopilot can pre-register devices for seamless OOBE-based Intune enrollment.
• The Enrollment Status Page (ESP) provides real-time visibility into the device setup and policy deployment during Intune enrollment. Use this to delay access until the device is fully provisioned, ensuring compliance at first login.
• In multi-user environments, ensure enrollment is scoped correctly (user vs. device credential) for security and consistency.

Intune device registration troubleshooting

Device is Azure AD registered but not Intune enrolled

Verify that the user has a valid Intune license, such as EMS or M365 E3. You can also check Azure AD > Mobility (MDM and MAM) > Microsoft Intune > MDM user scope. Ensure the user scope is set to “All” or the device being enrolled is included in the selected group if set to “Some.” If enrollment keeps failing, remove the device from Azure AD, restart it, and attempt enrollment again.

dsregcmd shows a join error

On a domain controller, review the SCP configuration in Active Directory Sites and Services. Confirm the presence of the SCP and an accurate Azure AD tenant GUID and name. You should also verify that Azure AD Connect sync is working.

Auto-enrollment fails silently

Group Policy might not be applied or incorrectly scoped. Validate your GPO setting and ensure Device Credential is selected.

Other errors

Use Event Viewer to gather detailed error messages during enrollment and troubleshooting. Navigate to:

Event Viewer > Applications and Services Logs > Microsoft > Windows > DeviceManagement-Enterprise-Diagnostics-Provider

You can filter log types by:

• Enrollment failures
• Discovery issues
• Policy application delays
• MDM errors from ESP stage (Autopilot)

You can also use Event ID filters such as:

• 201 — Enrollment initiation
• 301 — Enrollment failure
• 404 — Policy application issues
• 7000s — ESP progress logs

Alternatively, you can use Microsoft’s Device Registration Troubleshooter Tool to determine the registration issue and how to resolve it.

NinjaOne services that can optimize Azure AD and Intune enrollment

Microsoft provides native tooling and infrastructure for device registration and Intune MDM enrollment. That said, for IT teams and MSPs requiring more powerful automation, visibility, and remediation capabilities, NinjaOne can support those needs through the following:

Key takeaways when adding Azure AD devices to Intune

Registering and enrolling Azure AD devices into Microsoft Intune helps organizations achieve secure and policy-driven endpoint management. No matter the registration state, administrators can use various enrollment methods depending on their needs, goals, and environment. Just make sure all prerequisites are met, essential factors are considered, and issues are proactively monitored.

Related topics:

• Microsoft Azure Pros & Cons: Active Directory
• Streamline Microsoft Entra (Azure AD) Connection Checks with PowerShell
• Integrating On-Premises and Cloud with Microsoft Entra Hybrid Join
• Azure Active Directory vs Active Directory: What’s the Difference?