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Microsoft Entra ID

Cloud-based identity management service

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Microsoft Entra ID (formerly known as Microsoft Azure Active Directory or Azure AD ) is a cloud-based identity and access management (IAM) solution. It is a directory and identity management service that operates in the cloud and offers authentication and authorization services to various Microsoft services, such as Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, Microsoft Azure, and third-party services. Entra ID provides users with a single sign-on experience, called "work or school accounts", regardless of whether their applications are cloud-based or on-premises.

Entra ID offers various authentication methods, including password-based, multi-factor, smart card, and certificate-based authentication. It also includes several security features, such as conditional access policies, risk-based authentication, and identity protection.

On July 11, 2023, Microsoft announced the renaming of Azure AD to Microsoft Entra ID to improve consistency with other Microsoft cloud products. The name change took place on July 15, 2023.

01Security

On July 14, 2025, a security vulnerability allowing a user to gain administrator privileges to every Entra ID directory was discovered. A fix was issued on July 17, 2025.

Watch videos about Microsoft Entra IDExplainers and documentaries on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

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This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article Microsoft Entra ID, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

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