To manually join an existing Windows 10 PC to an organization, open Settings → Accounts → Access work or school → Connect, then choose Join this device to Microsoft Entra ID (older Windows screens may say “Azure Active Directory”). Sign in with your work account, verify the organization shown, and select Join. Choosing the ordinary work-account connection instead can register the device without joining Windows to the organization.
What a manual join does—and what it does not
Azure AD Join is now called Microsoft Entra join. Windows 10 screens and older documentation may still use “Azure Active Directory” or “Azure AD”; these labels refer to the same general cloud-directory join workflow.
A successful join associates the PC with the organization’s Microsoft Entra tenant. Subject to tenant policy, organizational users can sign in to Windows, and the organization can use device-based access controls. The join itself does not move a local user’s files or settings into a work-account profile, and it does not by itself prove that the PC is fully managed.
Intune enrollment is a separate management outcome. It may happen automatically during or after joining when the tenant has configured automatic MDM enrollment and the user and device meet applicable licensing and policy requirements. Otherwise, a separate enrollment may be needed. See Microsoft’s MDM enrollment guidance and automatic enrollment setup.
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Join, register, or hybrid join?
These states are not interchangeable. In the Settings flow, the decisive choice is the alternate action to join the device, rather than simply adding a work account. Microsoft distinguishes these outcomes in its Windows device enrollment guide.
| Choice or state | What it means |
|---|---|
| Join this device to Microsoft Entra ID | Creates a Microsoft Entra joined device, typically used for organization-owned cloud-first PCs. |
| Add/connect a work or school account | Can register the device for work access without making it a full Microsoft Entra joined Windows device; common for personal-device scenarios. |
| Microsoft Entra hybrid joined | The PC remains joined to on-premises Active Directory and is also joined to Microsoft Entra ID. It requires on-premises identity and synchronization infrastructure, not just the manual cloud-join steps here. |
For more context on hybrid deployment, see Microsoft’s device enrollment deployment guidance.
Check these requirements before starting
- Edition and build: Confirm the Windows edition supports Microsoft Entra join; do not assume Windows Home or every Windows 10 configuration does. Record the version with
winver, since labels and diagnostic fields vary across builds. Windows 10 is listed in Intune’s enrollment guidance, but Microsoft cautions that feature availability can vary. - Work identity and permission: Have an organizational Microsoft Entra account, password, and any required MFA method ready. The tenant must permit the user or an administrator to join devices, and its device limit or device restrictions must not block the join.
- Network and policy: The PC needs internet connectivity for the normal sign-in and registration flow. Conditional Access, authentication, or enrollment policies can affect the result.
- Existing state: Check whether the PC is already joined to a tenant or enrolled in Intune or another MDM. Do not start a second enrollment without an approved transition plan.
- Account type: Do not use the built-in
BUILTINAdministratoraccount for the Settings Connect action; Microsoft documents that it cannot use this join flow. - Data and deployment plan: Back up important local data and decide whether the desired state is cloud joined, hybrid joined, or registered. Plan profile migration separately.
Microsoft’s documented manual workflow and the built-in Administrator restriction are described in Deploy Windows Enterprise licenses.
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Manually join the Windows 10 device
- Sign in to Windows using an appropriate local or existing account—not the built-in Administrator account.
- Open Settings → Accounts → Access work or school.
- Select Connect.
- In the account dialog, select Join this device to Microsoft Entra ID. Some builds still label it Join this device to Azure Active Directory. Do not stop at the standard account-add option if you intend a full device join.
- Enter the organization account, such as
[email protected], and complete the password, MFA, federation, or security-key prompts required by the organization. - Review the organization information carefully, especially if you use accounts from more than one tenant.
- Select Join, wait for the confirmation, and select Done.
- Sign out or restart if prompted, then test sign-in with the organizational account.
Microsoft also documents the Settings path and direct page URI. To open the page quickly, press Windows key + R, enter ms-settings:workplace, and press Enter.
What changes after joining
Windows sign-in and profiles
A join does not necessarily replace or convert the current local Windows account. That account and its profile may remain on the PC. When the user signs in with the work identity, Windows may create a separate profile; desktop files, app data, saved credentials, and settings in the old profile do not automatically migrate. Treat profile and data transfer as a separate, planned task.
If the work user is not immediately visible at sign-in, sign out, choose Other user if shown, and enter the organizational username in the format the organization requires. A join can succeed while interactive sign-in is still constrained by tenant policy.
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Management and access
Joining associates the device with the directory, but check separately whether Intune or another MDM actually enrolled it. A joined status alone does not confirm that policies, applications, compliance evaluation, remote administration, or every resource-access permission is in place. Microsoft’s enrollment guide describes the distinction between device states and management.
Verify the join
Check Settings and the organization
Return to Settings → Accounts → Access work or school and inspect the connected organization. Confirm it is the intended tenant. Where available, also check the organization’s admin center to verify the device is listed as Microsoft Entra joined rather than merely registered; check Intune separately for its management state.
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Check with dsregcmd
Open Command Prompt and run:
dsregcmd /status
Under Device State, a cloud-only Entra join normally shows AzureAdJoined : YES and DomainJoined : NO. A hybrid-joined device normally shows both as YES. A registered-only device generally shows both as NO; its workplace registration is reflected in user-state information rather than an Entra join.
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| Field | What to inspect |
|---|---|
AzureAdJoined |
Whether the device is joined to Microsoft Entra ID. |
DomainJoined |
Whether it is joined to on-premises Active Directory. |
EnterpriseJoined |
Enterprise/on-premises device registration state. |
AzureAdPrt |
Whether the signed-in user has a Microsoft Entra Primary Refresh Token. |
DeviceAuthStatus |
Device authentication status; Microsoft says this field was added in Windows 10 version 21H1. |
TenantName and tenant identifiers |
The tenant associated with the device. |
Microsoft explains the output and diagnostics in Troubleshoot devices by using dsregcmd. Output differs on older Windows 10 builds, so absence of a newer field is not by itself proof that joining failed.
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The “Join this device…” option is missing
Check the Windows edition and build with winver, inspect existing connections under Access work or school, and run dsregcmd /status to see whether the device is already joined or registered. The account may be the built-in Administrator, the organization may have disabled joining, or a restriction or existing device state may be affecting the page. Do not assume that repeatedly adding the account will produce a full join.
“Your device is already being managed by an organization”
This can indicate an existing Intune or third-party MDM enrollment. Stop and identify the current management authority and tenant. Follow the organization’s offboarding or tenant-transfer process; do not remove management blindly. Microsoft lists existing MDM enrollment among causes of Windows connection failures in its Windows device access troubleshooting guide.
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Management endpoint cannot be discovered
If Windows reports it cannot auto-discover a management endpoint, check that the work account and tenant are correct and ask IT whether enrollment discovery is configured or whether a management endpoint URL is required. The user may also be outside the organization’s enrollment scope. Microsoft’s troubleshooting guidance recommends verifying credentials and obtaining the correct endpoint or tenant details from IT.
Windows says the PC is not connected
Confirm Wi-Fi or Ethernet works, complete any captive-portal sign-in, and check DNS, proxy, firewall, system clock, and time zone. Reconnect and retry once the device can reach the required Microsoft identity services. Network access is required for the usual join flow.
The PC joined the wrong tenant or has stale registration
Use dsregcmd /status and the organization shown in Settings to confirm the tenant. If it is wrong, involve the responsible administrator: stale device objects and MDM enrollment may need coordinated cleanup. Microsoft’s specific remediation for an auto-enrollment error uses elevated dsregcmd /leave in a controlled scenario, alongside directory cleanup; it is not a general first-line fix. See Microsoft’s error 80180002b guidance.
The device is joined, but apps or resources still deny access
AzureAdJoined : YES confirms join state, not that every sign-in or access condition is satisfied. Check AzureAdPrt, device authentication diagnostics, Conditional Access, MFA, compliance and MDM status, user licensing, resource permissions, and the account used to join. Microsoft’s dsregcmd documentation covers PRT and device-authentication diagnostics.
When manual joining is the right choice
The Settings method is practical for an already-configured PC, a small number of devices, or a controlled help-desk process where interactive authentication is available. It is less suitable for a large rollout that needs repeatable setup, standard apps and policies from first boot, hardware tracking, or formal wipe-and-redeploy procedures.
| Need | Better direction |
|---|---|
| A few existing PCs need cloud directory join | Manual Microsoft Entra join through Settings. |
| Consistent provisioning at scale, with configuration at first boot | Evaluate Windows Autopilot or Entra join during OOBE and Intune enrollment. |
| Bulk setup for a controlled deployment | Evaluate provisioning packages created with Windows Configuration Designer. |
| Continued dependency on traditional on-premises AD | Plan Microsoft Entra hybrid join with the required synchronization and infrastructure. |
Microsoft’s Windows enrollment guide covers manual, OOBE, bulk, and hybrid deployment paths. A hybrid join is an infrastructure choice, not an extra option in the cloud-only manual flow.
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