Inquiry on Sync Option Availability

Question

Hi All,

We would like to seek your clarification regarding the “Sync” option under Settings > Accounts > Work or School, which is currently not available on our managed devices (Windows Enterprise version)

Could you advise on the following:

• Is there any policy, configuration, or restriction that is preventing the Sync option from being visible or accessible?
• Is this behavior expected within the current environment setup?
• If restricted, would it be possible to enable or allow this option? If so, what changes or considerations would be required?

This information will help us better understand the current configuration and assess any potential impact on device management and user experience.

Thanks and regards

Wilson

Answer 1

Hi Wilson Liew,

Just circling back to see if my explanation about Enterprise State Roaming (ESR) helped clear up the confusion regarding the missing Sync option on your managed devices. Were you able to successfully enable ESR in the Microsoft Entra admin center, or did you discover any existing Intune policies that were overriding and blocking the sync? Let me know if your team needs any further clarification on how this architecture works!

Answer 2

Hi Wilson Liew,

Yes, this is completely expected behavior on managed Windows Enterprise devices. The standard "Sync" option is hidden or grayed out by default to prevent unauthorized data roaming.

Here are the direct answers to your questions:

Is there a restriction? Yes. On Enterprise versions, setting synchronization is no longer managed locally by the user. It is strictly controlled by Enterprise State Roaming (ESR) in Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD).

Is this expected? 100% normal within a managed environment setup.

How to enable it? You must configure this from the admin portal, not the local device:

1.Sign in to the Microsoft Entra admin center.

2.Navigate to Identity > Devices > Enterprise State Roaming.

3.Enable "Users may sync settings and enterprise app data" for your selected users or groups.

4.Crucial Check: Ensure you don't have any existing Intune Configuration Profiles or GPOs that explicitly block "Sync your settings".

Once ESR is enabled in the cloud, the policy will push to the devices (you can verify device registration by running dsregcmd /status in CMD).

I hope this clears things up! If this answers your inquiry, please click "Accept Answer".

Tracy Le.

Answer 3

On Windows 10 or newer, the sync experience is split between:

• Enterprise State Roaming / Windows settings sync (Settings > Accounts > Sync your settings)
• Work or school account device sync / MDM/Entra registration (Settings > Accounts > Access work or school)

From the provided information, the following points apply:

1. Policies can hide or disable sync controls
   • Administrators can disable sync for all settings sync groups on managed devices using MDM or Group Policy. When this is done, users may see controls grayed out or missing in the Sync your settings page.
   • If the device is domain-joined and registered to Microsoft Entra ID but has not yet fully authenticated or received device policy, the Sync your settings controls can be unavailable and show a message like:

     "Some Windows features are only available if you're using a Microsoft account or work account."

2. Expected behavior in managed environments
   • In managed, enterprise Windows environments, it is expected that:
     • Sync options may be disabled or hidden via MDM/Group Policy as part of configuration baselines.
     • Enterprise State Roaming requires the device to be properly registered with Microsoft Entra ID. Until registration and policy application complete, sync options may not appear or may be unavailable.
3. How to verify whether something is blocking sync
   On an affected device:
   1. Sign in with the work account and go to Settings > Accounts > Sync your settings and confirm:
      • Whether the page is present at all.
      • Whether it shows that it is syncing with the work account.
   2. Confirm the same work account is shown under Settings > Accounts > Your info.
   3. Verify the device is correctly registered with Microsoft Entra ID by running in an unelevated Command Prompt:

            dsregcmd.exe /status
      

      This confirms Microsoft Entra registration and related status required for Enterprise State Roaming.
4. Whether the option can be enabled
   • If sync is disabled by policy, it can be re-enabled only by changing those MDM or Group Policy settings that control Windows settings roaming.
   • Enterprise State Roaming itself must be enabled and configured in Microsoft Entra ID, and devices must be correctly registered. Once that is in place and policies allow it, users can manage sync under Settings > Accounts > Sync your settings.

In summary, on managed Windows Enterprise devices it is normal for the Sync option to be hidden or unavailable if:

• Enterprise State Roaming is not enabled or fully configured, or
• Device registration to Microsoft Entra ID is incomplete, or
• Admin policies explicitly disable settings sync.

Re-enabling it requires reviewing and adjusting those enterprise policies and ensuring proper Microsoft Entra registration and Enterprise State Roaming configuration.

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References:

• Troubleshooting Enterprise State Roaming settings in Microsoft Entra ID
• Settings and data roaming FAQ for administrators
• Common questions, answers, and scenarios with policies and profiles in Microsoft Intune