Bulk enrollment for Windows devices

  • 3 minutes to read
  • Contributors

Is this page helpful?

As an administrator, you can join large numbers of new Windows devices to Azure Active Directory and Intune. To bulk enroll devices for your Azure AD tenant, you create a provisioning package with the Windows Configuration Designer (WCD) app. Applying the provisioning package to corporate-owned devices joins the devices to your Azure AD tenant and enrolls them for Intune management. Once the package is applied, it's ready for your Azure AD users to sign in.

Azure AD users are standard users on these devices and receive assigned Intune policies and required apps. Windows devices that are enrolled into Intune using Windows bulk enrollment can use the Company Portal app to install available apps.

Prerequisites for Windows devices bulk enrollment

Create a provisioning package

  1. Download Windows Configuration Designer (WCD) from the Microsoft Store. Screenshot of the Windows Configuration Designer app Store

  2. Open the Windows Configuration Designer app and select Provision desktop devices. Screenshot of selecting Provision desktop devices in the Windows Configuration Designer app

  3. A New project window opens where you specify the following information:

    • Name - A name for your project
    • Project folder - Save location for the project
    • Description - An optional description of the project Screenshot of specifying name, project folder, and description in the Windows Configuration Designer app

  4. Enter a unique name for your devices. Names can include a serial number (%SERIAL%) or a random set of characters. Optionally, you can also enter a product key if you are upgrading the edition of Windows, configure the device for shared use, and remove pre-installed software.

    Screenshot of specifying name and product key in the Windows Configuration Designer app

  5. Optionally, you can configure the Wi-Fi network devices connect to when they first start. If the network devices aren't configured, a wired network connection is required when the device is first started. Screenshot of enabling Wi-Fi including Network SSID and Network type options in the Windows Configuration Designer app

  6. Select Enroll in Azure AD, enter a Bulk Token Expiry date, and then select Get Bulk Token. Screenshot of account management in the Windows Configuration Designer app

  7. Provide your Azure AD credentials to get a bulk token. Screenshot of signing in to the Windows Configuration Designer app

  8. Click Next when Bulk Token is fetched successfully.

  9. Optionally, you can Add applications and Add certificates. These apps and certificates are provisioned on the device.

  10. Optionally, you can password protect your provisioning package. Click Create. Screenshot of package protection in the Windows Configuration Designer app

Provision devices

  1. Access the provisioning package in the location specified in Project folder specified in the app.

  2. Choose how you’re going to apply the provisioning package to the device. A provisioning package can be applied to a device one of the following ways:

    • Place the provisioning package on a USB drive, insert the USB drive into the device you’d like to bulk enroll, and apply it during initial setup
    • Place the provisioning package on a network folder, and apply it insert on the device you’d like to bulk enroll after initial setup

    For step-by-step instruction on applying a provisioning package, see Apply a provisioning package.

  3. After you apply the package, the device will automatically restart in one minute. Screenshot of specifying name, project folder, and description in the Windows Configuration Designer app

  4. When the device restarts, it connects to the Azure Active Directory and enrolls in Microsoft Intune.

Troubleshooting Windows bulk enrollment

Provisioning issues

Provisioning is intended to be used on new Windows devices. Provisioning failures might require a wipe of the device or device recovery from a boot image. These examples describe some reasons for provisioning failures:

  • A provisioning package that attempts to join an Active Directory domain or Azure Active Directory tenant that does not create a local account could make the device unreachable if the domain-join process fails due to lack of network connectivity.
  • Scripts run by the provisioning package are run in system context. The scripts are able to make arbitrary changes to the device file system and configurations. A malicious or bad script could put the device in a state that can only be recovered by reimaging or wiping the device.

Bulk enrollment with Wi-Fi

Bulk enrolled devices are unable to use to user-targeted certificates and Wi-Fi deployment. You must use device-level certificates to manage these connections.

Conditional Access

Conditional Access is not available for Windows devices enrolled using bulk enrollment.