Bulk User Maintenance in Microsoft Entra ID

🔑 1. Prerequisites

• Roles needed: Global Administrator or User Administrator.

• Tooling options:

  • Microsoft Entra admin center (GUI).

  • Microsoft Graph PowerShell (scripting).

• Data format: CSV (Comma-Separated Values).

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👥 2. Bulk User Creation

📂 CSV Template Rules

• Row 1 → Version number (mandatory).

• Row 2 → Column headings:

  • Example: Name [displayName] Required

• Row 3 → Example values (must be deleted before upload).

• From Row 4 → Your real user entries.

• Required columns:

  • Name

  • UserPrincipalName

  • InitialPassword

  • BlockSignIn (Yes/No)

⚠️ Rules & Warnings:

• Never delete or modify rows 1–2.

• Don’t add new columns (ignored).

• Remove any leading/trailing spaces (causes failures).

• Passwords must comply with tenant password policy.

📖 GUI Steps

1. Go to Microsoft Entra admin center → Users → All Users.

2. Click Bulk operations → Bulk create.

3. Download CSV template, fill with user info, save as .csv.

4. Upload CSV → Validate → Fix errors (if any).

5. Submit → Microsoft 365 processes the file.

6. Check results in Bulk operation results page.

💡 Scale: Supports 50,000+ users in one operation (can run up to 1 hour).

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❌ 3. Bulk User Deletion

📂 CSV Template Rules

• Row 1 → Version number.

• Row 2 → Column: UserPrincipalName [userPrincipalName] Required.

• Row 3 → Example (chris@contoso.com) — must be removed.

• From Row 4 → Actual users to delete.

⚠️ Rules:

• Cannot edit/remove first 2 rows.

• Only UPN required.

• Always download the latest template.

📖 GUI Steps

1. Go to Entra admin center → Users → All Users.

2. Select Bulk operations → Bulk delete.

3. Download CSV template → Add UPNs.

4. Upload CSV → Validate → Submit.

5. Check results in Bulk operation results.

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🔄 4. Bulk User Restore (for Deleted Users)

• Location: Users → Deleted users.

• Template difference:

  • Requires ObjectID instead of UPN.

  • (ObjectID is the GUID assigned to each user).

📖 GUI Steps

1. In Entra admin center → Users → Deleted users.

2. Click Bulk restore.

3. Download CSV template → Add ObjectIDs.

4. Upload → Validate → Submit.

5. Check results in Bulk operation results.

⚠️ Same CSV rules: cannot modify first 2 rows, no extra columns.

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⚡ 5. Verify Bulk User Operations

✅ Entra Admin Center

• Go to Users → All Users.

• Confirm new users appear (or are removed/restored).

✅ PowerShell (Microsoft Graph)

1. Install and connect:

    Install-Module Microsoft.Graph -Scope CurrentUser
    Import-Module Microsoft.Graph.Identity.DirectoryManagement
    Connect-MgGraph -Scopes 'User.Read.All'
   

2. Check users:

    Get-MgUser -Filter "UserType eq 'Member'"
   

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⚙️ 6. Bulk Creation via PowerShell

1. Connect with write permissions:

    Connect-MgGraph -Scopes 'User.ReadWrite.All'
   

2. Prepare your CSV file with headers:

    UserPrincipalName,FirstName,LastName,DisplayName,UsageLocation,AccountSkuId,Password
    ClaudeL@contoso.com,Claude,Loiselle,Claude Loiselle,US,contoso:ENTERPRISEPACK,User.pw1
   

   • AccountSkuId = License type (e.g., ENTERPRISEPACK for E3).

   • Password must meet policy.

3. Run PowerShell:

    Import-Csv -Path "C:\NewAccounts.csv" | foreach {
        New-MgUser -DisplayName $_.DisplayName `
                   -GivenName $_.FirstName `
                   -Surname $_.LastName `
                   -UserPrincipalName $_.UserPrincipalName `
                   -UsageLocation $_.UsageLocation `
                   -LicenseAssignmentStates $_.AccountSkuId `
                   -PasswordProfile $_.Password
    } | Export-Csv -Path "C:\NewAccountResults.csv"
   

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🧾 7. Exam & Real-World Key Points

• Templates differ:

  • Bulk Create → Needs Name, UPN, Password, Sign-in status.

  • Bulk Delete → Only needs UPN.

  • Bulk Restore → Needs ObjectID.

• First 2 rows of CSV must remain unchanged.

• Errors are logged in a downloadable file.

• Scale: Supports very large user batches (50k+).

• Verification: Always check via GUI or PowerShell.

• Best Practice:

  • Always download the latest template.

  • Test with a small batch before full bulk operation.

  • Keep a backup CSV (especially before deletion).