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Microsoft Entra hybrid joined devices

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Organizations with existing Active Directory implementations can benefit from some of the functionality provided by Microsoft Entra ID by implementing Microsoft Entra hybrid joined devices. These devices are joined to your on-premises Active Directory and registered with Microsoft Entra ID.

Microsoft Entra hybrid joined devices require network line of sight to your on-premises domain controllers periodically. Without this connection, devices become unusable. If this requirement is a concern, consider Microsoft Entra joining your devices.

Microsoft Entra hybrid join Description
Definition Joined to on-premises AD and Microsoft Entra ID requiring organizational account to sign in to the device
Primary audience Suitable for hybrid organizations with existing on-premises AD infrastructure
Applicable to all users in an organization
Device ownership Organization
Operating Systems Windows 11, Windows 10 or 8.1 except Home editions
Windows Server 2008/R2, 2012/R2, 2016, 2019 and 2022
Provisioning Windows 11, Windows 10, Windows Server 2016/2019/2022
Domain join by IT and autojoin via Microsoft Entra Connect or ADFS config
Domain join by Windows Autopilot and autojoin via Microsoft Entra Connect or ADFS config
Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows Server 2012, and Windows Server 2008 R2 - Require MSI
Device sign in options Organizational accounts using:
Password
Passwordless options like Windows Hello for Business and FIDO2.0 security keys.
Device management Group Policy
Configuration Manager standalone or co-management with Microsoft Intune
Key capabilities SSO to both cloud and on-premises resources
Conditional Access through Domain join or through Intune if co-managed
Self-service Password Reset and Windows Hello PIN reset on lock screen

Diagram showing how a hybrid joined device works.

Scenarios

Use Microsoft Entra hybrid joined devices if:

  • You support down-level devices running Windows 8.1, Windows Server 2008/R2, 2012/R2, 2016.
  • You want to continue to use Group Policy to manage device configuration.
  • You want to continue to use existing imaging solutions to deploy and configure devices.
  • You have Win32 apps deployed to these devices that rely on Active Directory machine authentication.

Next steps