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We are using audience targeting on our navigation links with AD Security Groups. Normally, this works flawlessly, but when I tried yesterday afternoon/this morning, the Universal Security Group from AD is not found in the people picker for audience. This group has synced with O365, as I was able to grant permissions to a particular library for that group. Other groups in the same OU in AD are available to choose from for audience, but not this one. I have read online that the security group has to have members for it to display in the people picker, and I have confirmed that this particular group does indeed have members.
Any help will be greatly appreciated.
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Did someone change the group type in AD for the group? If it is not a security group and it is set to Distribution it will not appear in SP.
Hi Mark,
Thanks for your updates.
Given the sitiuation, please have a shot at the below two actions and let us know the results:
a. Manually initiate a Full DirSync.
b. Create a new SG from AD and see if SharePoint Online can pick it up after. Note that, it may take some time for the new SG being retrievable by SharePoint Online.
You can currently create a SharePoint Group instead and add the users into it to workaround.
Then you can configure Audience using this SharePoint Group.
Best Regards,
Rene
sure.
below are screenshots of 2 security groups in question.
both of these show that they are universal security groups in active directory and that they have members. when i try to grant access to a site/list/library, these groups are visible and available.
this demonstrates that o365 sharepoint has synced from ad and it sees the security groups in question. however, when i go to site settings and then navigation, in an attempt to do audience targeting, it is as though the groups do not exist. i have tried clicking the address book, and it fails to find them, as shown in the below screenshot.
hi mark,
appreciate it if you can share the related screenshots if there is message indicating "the universal security group from ad is not found in the people picker for audience" for our references. we would like to make sure we can know the situation properly to determine it.
to insert a screenshot, please click use rich formatting >  insert/edit media > browse... > insert.
currently, please could you have a quick check on whether you can select the groups by  address book?
you can post back at any time and we will follow up on your case.
best regards,
rene
No, it is a security group. Everything about it is identical to other groups that are working, other than the name and the members.