I've been reinstalling computers with Windows 11 and enrolling them in Entra only for a while now. Recently, I decided to run a quick test on a hybrid device by keeping it in the domain, then enrolling it via the work or school account option in Settings. Now, when I run 'dsregcmd /status', it shows as Entra joined, and Intune reflects the same instead of hybrid. I thought this process would be complicated, and everything I read suggested a reinstall. Are there any potential drawbacks to this approach? We have about ten machines left to process, which are remote, so I thought this could be a practical solution.
3 Answers
Profile migration is definitely a big part of this. Most users are logged into their browsers, so favorites transfer over nicely. Just be sure to check their desktop and downloads folders because you need to copy anything important from there. Honestly, it really can be that easy! If more places could just translate their old GPO policies to Intune formats, I think they’d find it a smooth transition.
When you're transitioning devices like that, the key thing is whether the user profiles migrate correctly. I've done this on many machines by first migrating profiles to local ones then adding them to Entra, which usually goes smoothly except for things like saved passwords in browsers. If your users keep their bookmarks synced and have OneDrive set up well, most of the changes will be undetectable for them. Some users might get upset about minor changes, though. Just keep that in mind!
Exactly! We find it all pretty seamless as long as sync options are set properly.
Many legacy domains carry a lot of outdated tech and GPO baggage. If you're doing what you described, it might be a great chance to start fresh and move to Autopilot and Entra join. Cleaning up those old policies can make a huge difference!
Yep, we did a similar process. It worked pretty well since we focus on having users sync their important data.