How to update user profiles in Entra ID (formerly Azure AD)

Keeping your user accounts updated is paramount for any organization's productivity and security. Users will have to be updated when their roles are changed, updating contact details, or modifying group memberships. The steps mentioned below can be used to update user profiles in 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 table is a comparison on how to update user profiles in Entra ID using the native admin center and M365 Manager Plus.

Entra ID

Steps to update user profiles in Entra ID using the native admin center

• Log in to the Microsoft Entra admin center with at-least an User Administrator account.
• Navigate to Identity > Users > All users.
• Search for the user you want to edit.
• Select Edit Properties.
• Select the Save button at the bottom of the page to save any changes.

M365 Manager Plus

Steps to update user profiles in Entra ID using M365 Manager Plus

• Log in to M365 Manager Plus and navigate to the Management tab> Azure Active Directory > User Management > create users in bulk
• Under Create users in bulk, fill in the required details and click Find to generate a list of matching users.
• Check the users that you want to delete and click Apply.

Limitations of using Microsoft 365 native tools to update user profiles in Entra ID

• Administrators must be assigned the required role to access individual native admin centers and execute tasks in them.
• Assigning granular permissions to execute individual tasks in a broad category is not possible.
• Updating users in bulk using the native admin center is not possible and can be difficult to achieve with PowerShell scripting.
• Generating reports and conducting management tasks on services in Microsoft 365 have to be carried out in their respective admin centers, which can be exhausting and time-consuming.

Benefits of using M365 Manager Plus to update user profiles in Entra ID

• Manage users, mailboxes, groups, sites, and contacts effortlessly in bulk without PowerShell scripting.
• Delegate granular permissions to technicians without elevating their Microsoft 365 privileges and create custom roles with any combination of reporting, management, and auditing tasks.
• 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 from a single console.
• 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.
• Create custom roles with any combination of reporting, management, and auditing tasks and assign them to non-administrative users to reduce the workload of Microsoft 365 admins.