Adding cloud users to synced distribution groups

Question

Hi all,

My question is that, is it possible to add a cloud user to a synced distribution group?

I've found an article which says: "Distribution groups that are created in Office 365 through directory synchronization must be managed in the on-premises environment." - https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/2417592 - Does that statement answer my question as "no" already?

My second question is, if we create the distribution group in cloud instead of syncing it from AD, can we add synced users as well to that?

Thanks in advance,

Bruce

Answer 1

As your on-prem AD has no knowledge of cloud-only accounts, and as you need to manage synced groups on-prem, the answer is no. You have some options there, you can import the objects on-prem or even use the writeback features that come with Azure AD Premium, but the easiest way is to go with your second question. For which the answer is yes :)