How to add group members in bulk in Entra ID

Members and owners can be added or removed from Entra ID groups. The steps mentioned in the table below can be used to add group members in bulk to Entra ID groups using CSV file export. ManageEngine M365 Manager Plus, the comprehensive tool for management, reporting, monitoring, and auditing, can also be utilized to accomplish this task.

The table is a comparison on how to add group members in bulk to an Entra ID group using the native admin center and M365 Manager Plus.

Entra ID

Steps to bulk add group members to a group in Entra ID using the native admin center

Log in to the Microsoft Entra admin center as at least a Groups Administrator.
Select Microsoft Entra ID.
Click the Identity tab from the left pane and navigate to Groups > All groups.
Select the group to which you want to add members and select Members.
Select bulk operations and choose Import members.
Select the Download option on the Bulk import group members page to get the CSV file template with the necessary group member properties.
Open the CSV file and add either the Member object ID or User principal name for each group member you want to add and save the file.
Under Upload your csv file, browse the file to upload it.
When you select the file, the validation of the CSV file begins. Once the contents of the file are validated, File uploaded successfully is displayed on the page.
Select Submit to start the bulk operation to import the group members to the group.

M365 Manager Plus

Steps to generate a report on Teams user activity using M365 Manager Plus

Log in to M365 Manager Plus and navigate to the Management tab > Group Management.
Under the Group Member Management section, select Add / Remove Group Members using CSV.
Select the CSV Import option from the Select Groups(s) / Members(s) field.
In the CSV file, include a column Operation and specify the operation as Add.
Browse for the file and click Import Group(s) / Member(s).
Click Apply.

Limitations of using Entra ID admin center

Administrators need to be assigned the necessary role and permission to create and manage Entra ID groups.
Administrators have to shift between different Microsoft 365 admin centers to perform various management tasks, which can be complex and time-consuming.
If the group has custom attributes or extensions associated with it, administrators need additional permission to handle them accordingly during the removal process.
Managing a large number of groups can be cumbersome within the admin center, potentially leading to inefficiencies and difficulty in organizing and tracking groups effectively.
While the admin center provides some automation features, it may not offer the level of automation required for complex group management tasks.

Benefits of using M365 Manager Plus to bulk add group members

Assign tasks to technicians without the need to elevate their native privileges to the level of Groups Administrator or above.
M365 Manager Plus offers a wide range of management capabilities for Microsoft 365 environments, including user management, group management, license management, security management, and more, all from a single interface.
Create groups, add members to these groups, and manage them all in one go.
Group creation templates let you simplify the process of creating groups in bulk.
Highly customizable features that allow organizations to tailor their platform to their specific needs and requirements. Additionally, it is scalable, capable of supporting organizations of all sizes.
Management actions come built-in with M365 Manager Plus and can be performed at the click of a button.

Hassle-free Entra ID group management.

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