Comprehensive Guide to User Management in Microsoft 365 (M365)

Comprehensive Guide to User Management in Microsoft 365 (M365)

Effective user management is essential for securing and maintaining a functional Microsoft 365 environment. While the Microsoft 365 Admin Center provides the quickest access for daily tasks, administrators can also manage users through the specialized Microsoft Entra (formerly Azure AD) and Microsoft Intune portals.

This guide focuses on performing fundamental user management tasks directly within the Microsoft 365 Admin Center.

1. Navigating to User Management

In the Microsoft 365 Admin Center (admin.microsoft.com), the primary location for managing users is found on the left navigation pane:

1. Click on Users.
2. Select Active users [00:27].

From this screen, you can perform all standard user lifecycle tasks, including adding, managing, and deleting accounts.

2. Managing Individual Users

A. Adding a Single User

To onboard a new employee or contractor:

1. Click Add a user [00:34].
2. Fill in Details: Enter the user’s first name, last name, and desired username. You can also select the domain if you have multiple custom domains [00:47].
3. Password: Choose whether to auto-generate a password or create a manual one. It is often recommended to disable the option that forces the user to change their password on first login for a smoother initial experience, though this depends on organizational policy [01:03].
4. License and Location: Select the user’s geographical location and assign the necessary product license (e.g., Office 365 E3). You can also create users without a license and assign one later [01:18].
5. Roles: Ensure the user role is set to “User (no admin access)” unless they require specific administrative permissions [01:43].
6. Review and Finish: Confirm the details and click Finish adding [01:57].

B. Deleting a User

When an employee leaves the organization, you can delete their account:

1. Select the user from the Active Users list.
2. Click Delete a user [04:52].
3. Deletion Policy: Note that deleted users are moved to the Deleted users list and remain there for 30 days before being permanently removed. This allows for restoration if needed [05:25].

3. Managing Users in Bulk

For efficiency, Microsoft 365 supports adding multiple users simultaneously:

1. Click Add multiple users [03:14].
2. You can choose to manually fill out a form for each user or use the CSV template method for larger additions.
3. CSV Template: Download a blank CSV file with the required headers. Fill in the data for each user in the spreadsheet, upload it back, and the portal will process the bulk creation [03:26].

4. Securing User Accounts

Enabling Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

MFA is critical for security. You can manage MFA settings for users here:

1. Click the Multi-factor authentication link [04:20].
2. This opens a dedicated portal where you can select one or multiple users and set their MFA status to Enabled [04:35].

5. Other User-Related Management Areas

The Users section also includes other important accounts:

• Contacts: Used to add external email addresses (like vendors or partners) that users can easily select when sending email. Contacts are not part of the organization [06:33].
• Guest Users: External users who are granted specific access to internal resources (like SharePoint files or Teams chats) for collaboration [06:06].
• User Templates: Create templates to standardize user creation by pre-assigning licenses, roles, and other settings to ensure consistency for different groups of employees [02:30].

6. Advanced Management Portals

For more granular control, especially for identity and device management, the same user accounts are managed in other dedicated portals:

• Microsoft Entra Admin Center (entra.microsoft.com): Used for advanced identity management, bulk operations, and fine-tuning user properties [07:14].
• Microsoft Intune Admin Center: Used for mobile and desktop device management, compliance, and application deployment related to users [07:49].

For day-to-day operations, however, the Microsoft 365 Admin Center remains the most straightforward tool for basic user management.

---