Manual registration for existing devices

Note

This article describes the steps for you to reuse devices you already have, and register them in Microsoft Managed Desktop. If you are working with brand-new devices, follow the steps in Register new devices in Microsoft Managed Desktop yourself instead.

The process for Partners is documented in Steps for Partners to register devices.

Microsoft Managed Desktop can work with brand-new devices, or you can reuse devices you might already have. If you reuse devices, you must reimage them. You're able to register devices with Microsoft Managed Desktop in the Microsoft Intune admin center.

Prepare to register existing devices

To register existing devices:

  1. Obtain the hardware hash for each device.
  2. Merge the hash data.
  3. Register the devices in Microsoft Managed Desktop.
  4. Double-check that the image is correct.
  5. Deliver the device.

Obtain the hardware hash

Microsoft Managed Desktop identifies each device uniquely by referencing its hardware hash. You have four options for getting this information from devices you're already using.

To obtain the hardware hash:

Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager

You can use Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager to collect the hardware hashes from existing devices that you want to register with Microsoft Managed Desktop. If you've met all these prerequisites, you're ready to collect the information.

Important

Any devices you want to get this information for must be running Windows 10, version 1703 or later.

To collect the hardware hash information:

  1. In the Configuration Manager console, select Monitoring.
  2. In the Monitoring workspace, expand the Reporting node, expand Reports, and select the Hardware - General node.
  3. Run the report, Windows Autopilot Device Information, and view the results.
  4. In the report viewer, select the Export icon, and select the CSV (comma-delimited) option.
  5. After saving the file, you'll need to filter results to just the devices you plan to register with Microsoft Managed Desktop. Then, upload the data to Microsoft Managed Desktop.
    • Open the Microsoft Intune admin center and navigate to the Devices menu.
    • In the Microsoft Managed Desktop section, select Devices.
    • Select + Register devices, which opens a fly-in to register new devices.

For more information, see Register devices by using the Microsoft Intune admin center below.

Active Directory PowerShell script method

In an Active Directory environment, you can use the Get-WindowsAutoPilotInfo PowerShell cmdlet to remotely collect the information from devices in Active Directory Groups by using WinRM. You can also use the Get-AD Computer cmdlet and get filtered results for a specific hardware model name included in the catalog. Before you proceed, confirm these prerequisites, and then proceed.

To use the Active Directory PowerShell script method:

  1. Ensure WinRM is enabled.

  2. The devices you want to register are active on the network. That is, they aren't disconnected or turned off.

  3. Ensure you have a domain credential parameter that has permission to execute remotely on the devices.

  4. Ensure that Windows Firewall allows access to WMI. To do that, follow these steps:

    • Open the Windows Defender Firewall control panel and select Allow an app or feature through Windows Defender Firewall.
    • Find Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) in the list, enable for both Private and Public, and then select OK.
  5. Open a PowerShell prompt with administrative rights.

  6. Run either one of these scripts:

    Install-script -name Get-WindowsAutoPilotInfo 
    #example one – leverage Get-ADComputer to enumerate devices 
    Get-ADComputer -filter * | powershell -ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted Get-WindowsAutoPilotInfo.ps1 -credential Domainname\<accountname>
    
    #example two – target specific devices: 
    Set-ExecutionPolicy powershell -ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted Get-WindowsAutoPilotInfo.ps1 -credential Domainname\<accountname> -Name Machine1,Machine2,Machine3
    
  7. Access any directories where there might be entries for the devices. Remove entries for each device from all directories, including Windows Server Active Directory Domain Services and Microsoft Entra ID. It could take a few hours to completely process.

  8. Access management services where there might be entries for the devices. Remove entries for each device from all management services, including Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager, Microsoft Intune, and Windows Autopilot. It could take a few hours to completely process.

Now you can proceed to register devices.

Manual PowerShell script method

To use the manual Powershell script method:

  1. Open a PowerShell prompt with administrative rights.
  2. Run Install-Script -Name Get-WindowsAutoPilotInfo.
  3. Run powershell -ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted Get-WindowsAutoPilotInfo -OutputFile <path>\hardwarehash.csv.
  4. Merge the hash data.

Flash drive method

To use the flash drive method:

  1. On a device other than the one you're registering, insert a USB drive.
  2. Open a PowerShell prompt with administrative rights.
  3. Run Save-Script -Name Get-WindowsAutoPilotInfo -Path <pathToUsb>.
  4. Turn on the device you're registering, but don't start the setup experience. If you accidentally start the setup experience, you'll have to reset or reimage the device.
  5. Insert the USB drive, and then press SHIFT + F10.
  6. Open a PowerShell prompt with administrative rights, and then run cd <pathToUsb>.
  7. Run Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted.
  8. Run .\Get-WindowsAutoPilotInfo -OutputFile <path>\hardwarehash.csv.
  9. Remove the USB drive, and then shut down the device by running shutdown -s -t 0.
  10. Merge the hash data.

Important

Do not power on the device you are registering again until you've completed registration for it.

Merge hash data

If you collected the hardware hash data by the manual PowerShell or flash drive methods, you must combine the data in the two CSV files into a single file to complete registration. Here's a sample PowerShell script to make it easy:

Import-CSV -Path (Get-ChildItem -Filter *.csv) | ConvertTo-Csv -NoTypeInformation | % {$_.Replace('"', '')} | Out-File .\aggregatedDevices.csv

With the hash data merged into one CSV file, you can now proceed to register the devices.

Register devices by using the Microsoft Intune admin center

To register devices using the Microsoft Intune admin center:

  1. In the Microsoft Intune admin center, select Devices in the left navigation pane.
  2. In the Microsoft Managed Desktop section, select Devices.
  3. In the Microsoft Managed Desktop Devices workspace, Select + Register devices, which opens a fly-in to register new devices.
  4. In File upload, provide a path to the CSV file you created previously.
  5. Select a device profile in the dropdown menu.
  6. Select Register devices. The system will add the devices to your list of devices on the Devices blade. The devices are marked as Registration Pending. Registration typically takes less than 10 minutes, and when successful, the device will show as Ready for user. Ready for user means it's ready and waiting for a user to start using.

Note

If you manually change the Microsoft Entra group membership of a device, it will be automatically reassigned to the group for its device profile and removed from any conflicting groups.

You can monitor the progress of device registration on the main page. Possible states reported include:

State Description
Registration Pending Registration isn't completed yet. Check back later.
Registration failed Registration couldn't be completed. For more information, see Fix device registration errors.
Ready for user Registration succeeded. The device is now ready to be delivered to the user. Microsoft Managed Desktop will guide them through first-time set-up, so there's no need for you to do any further preparations.
Active The device has been delivered to the user and they've registered with your tenant. This state also indicates that they're regularly using the device.
Inactive The device has been delivered to the user and they've registered with your tenant. However, the user hasn't used the device recently (in the last seven days).

Fix device registration errors

Error message Details
Device not found We couldn't register this device because we couldn't find a match for the provided manufacturer, model, or serial number. Confirm these values with your device supplier.
Hardware hash not valid The hardware hash you provided for this device wasn't formatted correctly. Double-check the hardware hash and then resubmit.
Device already registered This device is already registered to your organization. No further action required.
Device claimed by another organization This device has already been claimed by another organization. Check with your device supplier.
Unexpected error Your request couldn't be automatically processed. Contact Support and provide the Request ID: <requestId>

Check the image

If your device has come from a Microsoft Managed Desktop partner supplier, the image should be correct.

You're also welcome to apply the image on your own if you prefer. To get started, contact the Microsoft representative you're working with and they'll provide you the location and steps for applying the image.

Deliver the device

Important

Before you hand off the device to your user, make sure you have obtained and applied the appropriate licenses for that user.

If all the licenses are applied, you can get your users ready to use the devices. Then, your user can start up the device and proceed through the Windows setup experience.