How to assign licenses to groups in Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD)

Assigning licenses to groups is a critical aspect of managing user access and permissions within an organization's digital ecosystem. The steps mentioned below can be used to assign licenses to groups in Microsoft Entra ID. ManageEngine M365 Manager Plus, an extensive tool used for reporting, managing, monitoring, auditing, and creating alerts for critical activities in your Microsoft 365 environments, can also be used for this purpose.

The following table is a comparison how to assign licenses to groups in Microsoft Entra ID using the native admin center and M365 Manager Plus.

Entra ID

Steps to assign licenses to groups using the native admin center

1. In the Microsoft Entra admin center, navigate to Identity > Billing > Licenses > All products.
2. Choose one or more licenses by selecting the checkbox next to each desired license.
3. After selecting the licenses, click on Licensed groups to proceed with the assignment.
4. Use the search function to find the specific group you intend to add the license(s) to.
5. Upon locating the group, click Assign to initiate the assignment process.
6. Within the Assign license pane, you'll find assignment options that allow you to adjust the service plans included in the licenses you've selected. Take your time to review and make any necessary changes.
7. After adjusting the assignment options, remember to click OK to save your changes.
8. Finally, to complete the assignment, scroll down to the bottom of the Assign license pane and click Assign. This final step ensures the allocation of the selected license(s) to the chosen group.

M365 Manager Plus

Steps to manage groups and group memberships using M365 Manager Plus

1. Log in to M365 Manager Plus and navigate to the Management tab> Azure Active Directory >License Management > Group Based License Modification.
2. Select Assign selected licenses.
3. Select Licenses from the drop-down and choose the Usage location.
4. Select Groups from the displayed list to filter users based on their group membership.
5. Select the Microsoft 365 Tenant and Virtual Tenant to which you want to apply the selected settings.
6. Select the users and click Apply to execute.

Limitation of using Entra ID for assigning licenses to groups

Administrators will require at least a Groups Administrator role to perform this operation.

Using M365 Manager Plus for assigning licenses to groups in Entra ID

M365 Manager Plus is an extensive Microsoft 365 tool used for reporting, managing, monitoring, auditing, and creating alerts for critical incidents. With M365 Manager Plus, you can enhance the administration of your entire Microsoft 365 environment.

• Delegate specific tasks, access to selected reports, or control over specific objects in your environment via Virtual Tenants to your help desk, ensuring tasks are performed without elevating their Microsoft 365 privileges.
• Manage mailboxes, users, groups, sites, and contacts effortlessly in bulk.
• Gain a thorough understanding of your environment in Exchange Online, Azure Active Directory, SharePoint Online, OneDrive for Business, and other Microsoft 365 services with detailed reports.
• Keep tabs on even the most granular user activities in your Microsoft 365 environment.
• Monitor the health and performance of Microsoft 365 features and endpoints around the clock.