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Intune Win32 app requirement rules decide whether a Windows device is eligible to install an app. Use built-in operating-system and hardware checks when they match the installer’s prerequisites, then add file, registry, or PowerShell rules only when needed. Keep these eligibility checks separate from detection rules, which report whether the app is already installed.
What Intune requirement rules decide
A requirement rule answers: “Is this device eligible for this app?” Intune evaluates configured requirements before installation. A detection rule answers a different question: “Is the app installed?” Configure detection separately; at least one detection rule is required.
This distinction matters in troubleshooting. A device can fail an eligibility check before the installer runs, while a detection failure means Intune does not recognize the app as installed. The two rule types also interpret script results differently.
Choose the simplest rule that matches the prerequisite
On the app’s Requirements step in the Intune admin center, set the supported operating-system architecture and minimum operating-system version. Optional built-in thresholds include system-drive free space in MB, physical memory in MB, minimum logical processor count, and minimum CPU speed in MHz. Set only thresholds that reflect actual installer prerequisites; arbitrary limits can exclude otherwise compatible devices.
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For additional conditions, choose a file, registry, or PowerShell rule. Microsoft Learn recommends a script when the requirement cannot be expressed with file, registry, or another method available in the admin center. (Microsoft Learn: Add and assign Win32 apps)
File rules
A file rule can check a file or folder, including its presence or a property such as date, version, or size. Configure the folder path, target file or folder, and property or comparison method. This is useful for a stable prerequisite artifact—for example, a runtime executable—when its presence or property reliably indicates readiness. Avoid checking a file created by the app’s own installer: that can turn an eligibility condition into an accidental post-install check.
Registry rules
A registry rule can evaluate a key or value using a value, string, integer, or version method. Provide the key path and value name. If the value name is blank, Intune evaluates the key itself; when the selected method requires a value, a blank name means the key’s default value is used.
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On 64-bit Windows, the rule can use the 32-bit registry view for a 32-bit app; otherwise, the default view is 64-bit. Confirm that the prerequisite’s installer writes to the same registry view your rule reads.
PowerShell requirement rules
Use a PowerShell rule when the condition is not adequately represented by the built-in, file, or registry options. Configure the script, process bitness on 64-bit clients, whether it runs with logged-on credentials, signature checking, and the output type used for comparison. Keep the script focused on reading the state needed to decide eligibility rather than making unrelated changes.
The script must return data compatible with the selected output type. Microsoft Graph documents these types for script requirement rules: string, dateTime, integer, float, version, and boolean. It also documents equal, not-equal, greater-than, greater-than-or-equal, less-than, and less-than-or-equal operators. In the admin center, select the type, comparison, and comparison value that represent the prerequisite; Graph’s resource model describes the available rule properties rather than replacing tenant configuration in the UI. (Microsoft Graph: win32LobAppRequirementRule resource)
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Choose bitness and execution context deliberately
Bitness affects which parts of the system a rule sees. On 64-bit clients, file-path expansion and registry lookup can use a 32-bit-app context. PowerShell requirement rules separately let you choose 32-bit or 64-bit process execution. The documented default is 64-bit on 64-bit clients; 32-bit Windows clients always use 32-bit context.
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For a script requirement, select 32-bit execution on 64-bit clients only when the check depends on a 32-bit view or component. Use logged-on credentials only if the prerequisite genuinely depends on that user’s state; otherwise, use the intended system or user execution context for the app. Microsoft Graph represents the requirement rule’s execution account as system or user.
Requirement rules and detection rules are not interchangeable
| Decision | Requirement rule | Detection rule |
|---|---|---|
| Question | Is the device eligible for this app? | Is the app installed? |
| Available methods | Architecture, minimum OS, optional hardware thresholds, file, registry, or script | MSI, file, registry, or custom detection script |
| Script result | Typed output is compared with the selected type, operator, and value | Requires exit code 0 and nonempty STDOUT; any STDERR data means Intune evaluates the app as not installed |
| Bitness | PowerShell can use 32-bit or 64-bit execution on 64-bit clients; file and registry rules also have a 32-bit-app context setting | Choose 32-bit execution on 64-bit clients or use the default 64-bit context |
| Context | The UI offers logged-on credentials; Graph represents the account as system or user | Graph documents that detection runs in the same context as the associated app install context |
For detection, all configured detection rules must be met for Intune to identify the app as installed. Microsoft says a required app may be offered again within approximately 24 hours if Intune detects that it is absent. These detection behaviors do not change how a requirement script’s typed output is evaluated. (Microsoft Learn: Add and assign Win32 apps; Microsoft Graph: win32LobAppRequirementRule resource)
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Write custom detection scripts for installed-state reporting
Custom detection has a strict success contract: the script must exit with code 0 and write some data to STDOUT. Intune does not require a particular STDOUT string. Any data written to STDERR makes Intune evaluate the app as not installed, even if the script also exits 0 and writes to STDOUT. Keep diagnostic output off STDERR and emit a simple nonempty STDOUT value only when the app is present; use a nonzero exit code when the check fails.
Microsoft recommends UTF-8 BOM encoding for custom detection scripts. That recommendation concerns the documented detection-script behavior; it should not be assumed to apply to every other Intune script feature.
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Requirement-rule settings sit within the broader Win32 app deployment system. Microsoft documents support for 32-bit Windows, 64-bit Windows, and ARM64, and says Win32 apps must install silently. Supported Windows editions are Enterprise, Pro, and Education; the documented app-size limit is 30 GB. These are management constraints, not special behaviors of requirement rules. The Intune Management Extension installs automatically when a Win32 app or PowerShell script is assigned. (Microsoft Learn: Win32 app management in Microsoft Intune)
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PowerShell scripts used as installers have a separate contract: Microsoft says they run in the same context as the app installer, should run silently, are limited to 50 KB, and use return codes to determine installation success or failure. Do not apply those installer-script limits or return-code semantics to requirement scripts, whose job is to return typed data for comparison.
Microsoft’s Win32 app overview also notes a Multi-Admin Approval caveat: when MAA is enabled, scripts cannot be uploaded during app creation and must be added or modified afterward. The documentation describes some script-property edits as currently possible without MAA requests and says that behavior is expected to change. Check current Microsoft Learn guidance and tenant behavior before relying on that time-sensitive detail.
Quick Recap
Troubleshoot a rule that behaves unexpectedly
- Installation never starts: Check whether the device meets each configured requirement, including OS, architecture, hardware thresholds, and additional rules.
- A file or registry prerequisite appears present but fails: Verify the path or registry view used by the rule, especially whether the check is running in a 32-bit or 64-bit context.
- A PowerShell requirement returns the wrong result: Confirm that the script’s output matches the selected data type and comparison value, and verify its execution bitness and account context.
- The app installs but Intune reports it absent: Review detection separately. For custom detection, confirm exit code 0, nonempty STDOUT, and no STDERR output.
- The app is offered again: Check whether all detection rules are satisfied; required apps detected as absent may be offered again within approximately 24 hours.
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