When replacing a PC or moving the PC to Entra only, how do you move the user along?

Question

When replacing a PC or moving the PC to Entra only, how do you move the user along?

Sune Jensen 0

It's unbeliveable, here in the year 2026, that you can't simply move your Windows identity (user profile) with all its querks, custom settings, browser favorites and random files, along with you, when your Domain work PC is replaced.. Or, as is currently happening at my firm, your PC is moved to Entra As I have come to learn an Entra user profile on a PC is merely a local profile "with a few extras" so this ought to be really simple..?

It's something I know was possible 20 years ago!

Now, at my work as an IT supporter, the process around this move to Entra, or the process around a corresponding AD PC replacement, is entirely out of my hands, dictated from "above" with no explanations.

Entra: Just simple guides on the unjoin/join and login process. Nothing else.
And the users are baffled or angry or simply demand their old PC back.

I cannot hide that I understand them

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V_CUMR 0 Reputation points

2026-04-18T16:20:52.8366667+00:00

I completely get the frustration. In many cases, the difficult part is not just taking the device off the old setup and joining it to Entra, but making sure the user keeps the same Windows profile, desktop, app settings, browser data, and local files.

Microsoft often points people toward a reset or fresh setup. But there are also third-party tools that can move existing Windows devices to Microsoft Entra ID without wiping or rebuilding the device. They can keep the existing user profile, desktop layout, app settings, browser data, and local files, and link that same profile to the new Entra identity.

For same-device migrations, this kind of approach usually makes things much easier and smoother for users.
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4 answers

V_CUMR 0 Reputation points

2026-04-18T16:20:52.8366667+00:00

I completely get the frustration. In many cases, the difficult part is not just taking the device off the old setup and joining it to Entra, but making sure the user keeps the same Windows profile, desktop, app settings, browser data, and local files.

Microsoft often points people toward a reset or fresh setup. But there are also third-party tools that can move existing Windows devices to Microsoft Entra ID without wiping or rebuilding the device. They can keep the existing user profile, desktop layout, app settings, browser data, and local files, and link that same profile to the new Entra identity.

For same-device migrations, this kind of approach usually makes things much easier and smoother for users.
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Answer 1

Hello,

You’re right to point out the frustration here. In traditional Active Directory environments, user profiles could be migrated or redirected with relative ease using tools like User State Migration Tool (USMT), roaming profiles, or folder redirection. With Entra ID (formerly Azure AD) joined devices, the profile is indeed just a local Windows profile tied to the Entra identity, and there is no built‑in mechanism to “lift and shift” all user customizations, quirks, and files when moving to a new PC or when re‑provisioning a device.

The supported approach in Entra‑only scenarios is to rely on cloud profile portability rather than local profile migration. That means OneDrive Known Folder Move for Desktop/Documents/Pictures, Edge sync for browser favorites and settings, and Intune or Endpoint Manager for policy‑driven configuration. These services replicate the user’s environment across devices, but they do not carry over the raw local profile in the way AD roaming profiles did. That’s why your users are noticing the gap — the Entra profile is technically just a local profile with Entra authentication layered on top, so unless cloud sync is in place, settings and quirks remain machine‑bound.

If you want to replicate the “old PC experience,” the only supported way is to use USMT in conjunction with Intune Autopilot or Endpoint Manager provisioning. USMT can capture and restore user state (files, registry settings, app configs) during a migration, even in Entra‑only environments, but it requires IT to run the migration as part of the device replacement process. Without that, you’re left with cloud sync for the major folders and settings, and manual recreation of anything else.

So the short answer is: there is no simple “move profile” button in Entra. The best practice is to combine OneDrive Known Folder Move, Edge sync, and Intune configuration baselines, and if you need full fidelity migration of quirks and local settings, integrate USMT into your device replacement workflow. That’s the closest equivalent to what was possible 20 years ago with roaming profiles.

I hope you've found something useful here. If it helps you get more insight into the issue, it's appreciated to accept the answer. Should you have more questions, feel free to leave a message. Have a nice day!

Domic Vo.

Sune Jensen 0 Reputation points

2026-03-01T22:08:53.38+00:00

Thanks. As far as USMT goes it seems it is pure commandline and also it does not recognize Entra‑only profiles?
Domic Vo 29,320 Reputation points Independent Advisor

2026-03-08T08:03:49.7833333+00:00

Hi,

You’re correct that USMT is a command‑line tool, and it doesn’t have any special awareness of Entra‑only profiles. From USMT’s perspective, a profile is just a local Windows profile, regardless of whether it’s backed by Entra ID or not. That means you can still capture and restore user state with USMT in Entra‑only environments, but you’ll need to run it explicitly as part of your provisioning or replacement workflow. There’s no “automatic” detection of Entra profiles; you point USMT at the local profile folder and it migrates files, registry settings, and app configs just as it would for a traditional domain‑joined machine.

The key difference is that Entra ID doesn’t provide a roaming profile service, so USMT becomes a manual IT process rather than a background system feature. If you want a smoother experience for end users, the recommended path is still to lean on OneDrive Known Folder Move, Edge sync, and Intune configuration baselines for the bulk of settings, and reserve USMT for those scenarios where you need to preserve local quirks or application‑specific data during a device swap.

Domic Vo.

Answer 2

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