Questions about the behavior after Entra ID Join

Question

1. After logging in with the company account and creating the new profile, will the applications currently installed on the PC remain available, or will they need to be reinstalled?
2. If some applications are installed only under the local user profile, should we manually reinstall them in the new Entra ID profile?
3. Does the company environment automatically install required applications (such as MS365 or other corporate tools) after the device is joined, possibly through device management?

Answer 1

Hello 이재희

Thank you for reaching out to Microsoft Q&A.

It sounds like you’re getting ready to join your Windows PC to Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD) and want to know what happens to your apps and how you’ll get the corporate tools you need. Here’s the rundown:

1. Will my existing apps stay on the PC or do I need to reinstall?
   • When you switch sign-in from a local account to an Entra ID account, Windows actually keeps all the applications installed on the machine. System-wide apps (those installed for “All Users,” like most MSI or .exe installers that don’t target a single user) remain intact in C:\Program Files or C:\Program Files (x86).
   • What changes is the user profile. You’ll get a brand-new user folder (C:\Users<your–company–user>), so any shortcuts or per-user settings in your old profile won’t automatically carry over.
2. What about apps that were installed only for the local user?
   • If an application was installed “just for me” under your old local account (for example, per‐user Microsoft Store apps or setups that only wrote to your old user’s registry hive), you won’t see them in your new Entra ID profile. You’ll either need to re-run the installer under your new sign-in or—if it’s a Store app—re-install it from the Microsoft Store.
3. Can the company auto-push corporate apps once the device is joined?
   • Absolutely. Once your device is Entra ID joined and enrolled in your company’s MDM (like Microsoft Intune) or co-managed with Configuration Manager, IT can automatically deploy anything from Office 365 to custom line-of-business apps. As soon as device-management policies and app assignments scope to “All Entra ID joined devices” (or to a specific security group), users will see corporate apps populate in Company Portal (Intune) or the Windows Start menu.

Please let us know the above steps helps.

Reference links:

• Entra ID joined devices overview: https://learn.microsoft.com/entra/identity/devices/concept-directory-join
• Deploying apps with Intune: https://learn.microsoft.com/mem/intune/apps/apps-overview
• Managing apps via Configuration Manager: https://learn.microsoft.com/mem/configmgr/apps/deploy-use/manage-apps-from-the-windows-store-for-business

Answer 2

1. Applications already installed on the PC are not automatically removed by Microsoft Entra join itself. However, availability per user depends on how the apps were installed:
   • Machine-wide installs (for all users) typically remain available to the new Entra account profile.
   • Per-user installs tied to the old local profile may not appear or function correctly under the new Entra profile and may require reinstallation.
2. If applications were installed only under the local user profile (per-user install), they generally need to be reinstalled or reconfigured for the new Entra ID user profile so that shortcuts, user-specific settings, and registry entries exist for that account.
3. Yes, if the organization uses device management (for example, Intune with Microsoft Entra joined devices), required applications can be automatically deployed after the device is joined and enrolled:
   • For Windows Autopilot device preparation with Entra join, after sign-in and join, Intune enrollment occurs and then:
     • The Intune management extension installs.
     • Line-of-business and Microsoft 365 apps selected in the Autopilot device preparation policy are installed.
     • PowerShell scripts configured in the policy run.
     • Win32, Microsoft Store, or Enterprise App Catalog apps selected in the policy are installed.
   • If all required steps succeed, the user reaches the desktop and a further sync delivers any additional configurations and apps defined by the organization.

So, in a managed corporate environment, core apps like Microsoft 365 and other corporate tools are typically pushed automatically via MDM policies after Entra join and enrollment.

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References:

• Step by step tutorial for Windows Autopilot device preparation user-driven Microsoft Entra join in Intune
• Microsoft Entra joined devices
• How to: Plan your Microsoft Entra join implementation
• Add Your Work or School Account to a Windows Device
• Frequently asked questions about co-management