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Configure user accounts. Welcome to the foundational element of Microsoft Entra ID: user accounts. These identities are the gateway to resources, applications, and services across your tenant. In Entra ID, every person (or invited external collaborator) needs a unique identity for authentication and authorization. User accounts may include optional profile attributes—such as address, department, and job title—to reflect role and function, improve discoverability, and enable automated workflows. Administrators manage users centrally in the Microsoft Entra ID portal under Users > All users. That single pane simplifies identity lifecycle management, and Entra ID supports bulk operations for common scenarios like onboarding and offboarding at scale. Types of accounts in Microsoft Entra ID
  • Cloud identities: Standalone accounts that exist only in Microsoft Entra ID (the cloud). These are ideal for cloud-first organizations. A cloud identity may live in your tenant or another organization’s Entra ID; from the home tenant’s perspective it’s a cloud identity.
  • Guest accounts: External identities invited to collaborate (partners, contractors, freelancers). In your tenant they appear as userType Guest. Guests can be personal Microsoft accounts (MSAs), Gmail/Outlook accounts, or identities sourced from another organization’s Entra ID. If the external user belongs to another company that uses Entra ID, their home identity is a cloud identity — but in your tenant they remain a guest.
Note: From your tenant’s view an external user is usually shown as a Guest. However, that external user might still have a cloud identity in their own organization’s Entra ID.
  • Directory-synchronized users: Accounts created and managed in an on-premises Active Directory and synchronized to Microsoft Entra ID using Microsoft Entra Connect. Synchronization provides a unified identity across your on-premises and cloud environments and simplifies sign‑on and policy application.
A presentation slide titled "User Account" showing icons and short notes about user accounts, authentication, optional properties, and bulk operations alongside a screenshot of an Azure Active Directory Users list. Three colored buttons at the bottom read "Cloud Identities," "Guest Accounts," and "Directory Synchronized Users" (© KodeKloud).
Each account type serves a different purpose in your identity strategy. The right combination ensures users get appropriate access at the right time while maintaining tenant security and compliance. Account types at a glance Using the Azure portal to create users You can create accounts from the Microsoft Entra ID (Azure Active Directory) portal. The two primary creation flows are:
  1. Create a new user (cloud identity)
    • Path: Entra ID > Users > All users > + New user
    • You set Display name, User principal name, password (auto-generate or provide), account state (enabled/disabled), and optional profile properties and role assignments.
  2. Invite external user (guest)
    • Path: Entra ID > Users > All users > + New guest user (or Invite external user)
    • Enter the external email address, complete the invitation flow, and send the invite. If the email maps to an existing MSA or another Entra ID identity, that existing identity will be used for sign-in.
Example: Inviting an external email (e.g., chrisw@xyz.com) sends a collaboration invitation. After the invite is accepted, the entry in your tenant shows userType as Guest.
A screenshot of the Microsoft Azure portal's "Invite external user" page, open to the "Review + invite" tab. It shows the invite details (email chrisw@xyz.com, user type Guest) with the Invite button at the bottom.
After inviting or creating a user, use the All users search and filters to find the account and confirm properties like userType and sign-in methods. Filtering and identifying synchronized users To identify accounts synchronized from your on-premises Active Directory, filter the Users list by the On-premises sync enabled property:
  • If On-premises sync enabled = Yes, the account is synchronized via Microsoft Entra Connect.
  • If No, the account was created in the cloud or invited as a guest.
Visual example: the Users list includes columns such as Display name, User principal name, userType, and On‑premises sync status — use these columns to sort and filter large directories.
A screenshot of the Microsoft Azure portal showing the Users page in Azure Active Directory (Microsoft Entra ID) with a list of user accounts. The table displays columns like display name, user principal name, user type, on‑premises sync status (all set to Yes) and company domain.
Managing individual user properties Open any user from All users to view and edit properties such as display name, user principal name, userType, job title, contact information, and other optional attributes. The user blade also provides actions: Reset password, Delete user, Restore user (from Deleted users), Assign roles, and more. Account lifecycle notes:
  • Deleted users are retained for 30 days and can be restored during that period.
  • Directory-synchronized users cannot be created or permanently modified directly in the Azure portal — they must be managed in your on-premises Active Directory and synchronized using Microsoft Entra Connect.
A screenshot of the Microsoft Azure portal showing a user's account properties and contact information page. The screen includes navigation menus, identity details, settings, and action buttons (edit, delete, reset password).
Deleted users are retained in the portal for 30 days and can be restored from the Deleted users view. Use restore if you removed an account accidentally.
You cannot create directory-synchronized users directly in the Azure portal. These accounts must be provisioned in on-premises Active Directory and synchronized using Microsoft Entra Connect.
Bulk operations overview When managing large numbers of users, use Entra ID bulk operations to save time and ensure consistency. Common bulk tasks include: Bulk operations support CSV templates and validation before processing. For templates, error reports, and limits, see the Microsoft documentation on bulk operations. Additional resources and links Use these guides when planning onboarding/offboarding, integrating on-premises directories, or setting up collaboration with external users.

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