To join a Windows 10 PC to Azure Active Directory—now called Microsoft Entra ID—open Settings > Accounts > Access work or school > Connect, then choose Alternate Actions > Join this device to Microsoft Entra ID. Sign in with your organization account and complete any required verification. Windows 10 Home cannot use this join feature, and your organization must permit the join.
Before you join: check these requirements
- Windows edition: Windows 10 Home is not supported. Microsoft supports Windows 10 editions other than Home; an eligible upgrade to Pro, Enterprise, or Education may be needed. Confirm the appropriate edition and organizational licensing with your administrator before upgrading. Microsoft’s device-join overview and enrollment guidance describe the supported editions.
- Administrator access: Sign in to Windows with an administrator account to perform the join.
- Organization permission: Your Microsoft Entra administrator must allow your account to join devices. The tenant can limit joining to selected users and require multifactor authentication (MFA).
- Organization credentials: Use your work or school account. Depending on the organization’s sign-in setup, authentication may redirect to a federation service or request a second factor.
- No conflicting device state: An existing Entra join, on-premises Active Directory domain join, connected work account, or MDM management can block the process. A device can belong to only one Entra directory at a time and cannot be simultaneously joined to Entra ID and an on-premises Active Directory domain.
- For synchronized on-premises users: The user must be synchronized to Entra ID. On-premises and Entra user principal names (UPNs) must match for Entra-joined devices. Windows 10 version 2004 and later supports UPN changes without the older-version single sign-on and Conditional Access issue Microsoft documents.
Microsoft’s overview of the join flow and its caveats is at Microsoft Entra joined devices. Tenant configuration and UPN details are covered in Microsoft’s enrollment guidance.
Join an existing Windows 10 PC
- Sign in to Windows with an administrator account.
- Open Settings > Accounts > Access work or school.
- Select Connect.
- Under Alternate Actions, select Join this device to Microsoft Entra ID.
- Enter your organization’s Entra username and complete the sign-in flow, including MFA if requested.
- Complete any remaining prompts. Then sign out of Windows and sign back in with your organization account.
Use the specific Join this device to Microsoft Entra ID option when you want the PC itself to be Entra-joined. The regular work-or-school account connection is a different path, commonly used to connect an account on a personally owned device; it does not make the same device join. Microsoft documents the Windows steps in its join overview.
Set up a new PC or deploy several devices
You can establish the same Entra-joined state during Windows Out-of-Box Experience (OOBE), before a new user reaches the desktop. Microsoft also documents Windows Autopilot for a configured OOBE experience and bulk enrollment for administrator-led provisioning. The right choice depends on how much setup the user should do and how much preparation IT will handle.
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| Method | Typical flow | User and IT roles | Microsoft’s listed starting version |
|---|---|---|---|
| Self-service | User joins from OOBE or Settings | End user participates in setup; less advance provisioning is required | 1511+ |
| Windows Autopilot | Preconfigured OOBE | IT prepares the deployment experience; user completes the guided setup | 1709+ |
| Bulk enrollment | Administrator-driven provisioning | IT handles enrollment in bulk; the flow can affect local administrator assignment and OEM support | 1703+ |
The version figures are the historical minimums in Microsoft’s deployment-planning comparison, last updated June 17, 2026—not a recommendation to install those old Windows builds. Microsoft recommends using a current Windows release. See Microsoft’s device deployment planning guidance for method details and trade-offs.
Understand what joining changes—and what it does not
An Entra-joined Windows device is associated with the cloud identity directory, and users sign in to Windows with an organizational account. It can access cloud resources and, when appropriately connected, on-premises resources. This is different from simply connecting a work account to a personal device, and from hybrid join, which retains the device’s on-premises Active Directory relationship.
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| Device state | Windows sign-in and directory relationship | Management implications |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Entra join | Organization account signs in to Windows; device is joined to the cloud directory | MDM enrollment depends on provider configuration, user scope, and licensing. Management can be through MDM; co-management with Microsoft Configuration Manager is also possible. |
| Work-account connection / Entra registration | Connects an organizational account on a device without making it the same full device join | Do not assume the device has the same sign-in or management state as an Entra-joined PC. |
| Hybrid join | Device retains its on-premises Active Directory relationship as well as its cloud relationship | Relevant where the organization continues to rely on on-premises domain services and policies. |
Joining does not by itself guarantee that the PC is managed. If the organization has configured an MDM provider, placed the user in MDM scope, and provided the required licensing, MDM enrollment may happen during join. Otherwise, the device may join without MDM or need separate enrollment; a joined device outside MDM scope can remain unmanaged. Ask your administrator which management state is intended. Microsoft explains the relationship between join and enrollment in its device enrollment guidance.
Plan for policy and application changes
Microsoft says Group Policy is not supported for Entra-joined devices because they are not connected to on-premises Active Directory. Management is through MDM, and organizations can also use co-management with Microsoft Configuration Manager. If your organization relies on Group Policy, it should assess policy parity and application and resource compatibility before moving devices. An organization-approved MDM service, such as Microsoft Intune where configured, may be part of that management plan.
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Troubleshoot a join that will not complete
Check the common blockers first
- Verify that Windows is not Home edition and that your current edition supports joining.
- Confirm that you are signed in with a local administrator account.
- Check whether the PC is already Entra-joined or joined to an on-premises domain.
- Look for an existing work or school account connection or MDM management that may conflict.
- Ask your administrator to verify that your account is allowed to join devices and that any required MFA or tenant conditions are satisfied.
- If your organization synchronizes on-premises identities, confirm that your account is synchronized and that the UPNs match.
Run Microsoft’s device troubleshooter
For broader Windows 10 and Windows 11 device issues, administrators can open Entra ID > Devices > All devices > Diagnose and solve problems in the Microsoft Entra admin center, run the Windows 10+ troubleshooter, collect and zip the authlogs folder, and upload the archive for suggested next steps. Instructions are in Microsoft’s device troubleshooting guidance.
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