Welcome to our new blog post How to force Entra ID Connect Sync with PowerShell. Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD) Connect synchronizes on-premises Active Directory with Entra ID at regular intervals. However, there are times when you may need to force a sync manually—especially when dealing with urgent changes like user updates, password modifications, or group assignments. Using PowerShell, you can quickly trigger a sync instead of waiting for the automatic cycle, ensuring your directory changes take effect immediately. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the process of forcing an Entra ID Connect sync using PowerShell.
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Why Would You Need to Force a Sync?
By default, Entra ID Connect syncs every 30 minutes, but there are scenarios where waiting isn’t ideal. For example, if a new user is added to on-premises Active Directory, but they need immediate access to Microsoft 365 services, forcing a sync ensures they can sign in without delay. Similarly, if you’ve changed group memberships, applied conditional access policies, or updated security settings, a forced sync helps apply these changes instantly. This is especially useful in troubleshooting scenarios where users are experiencing authentication or access issues due to outdated sync data.
How to force Entra ID Connect Sync with PowerShell
Step 1: Check the Entra ID Connect Scheduler
First we will have a look, how you can check the Entra ID Connect Scheduler configurations. With this command you will also see the next planned Sync Cycle.
- Start PowerShell as administrator
- Run the following command
Import-Module ADSync Get-ADSyncScheduler
In the output you will see a lot of useful informations. It should look something like this.
AllowedSyncCycleInterval : 00:30:00 CurrentlyEffectiveSyncCycleInterval : 00:30:00 CustomizedSyncCycleInterval : NextSyncCyclePolicyType : Delta NextSyncCycleStartTimeInUTC : 17-2-2025 13:42:20 PurgeRunHistoryInterval : 8.00:00:00 SyncCycleEnabled : True MaintenanceEnabled : True StagingModeEnabled : False SchedulerSuspended : False SyncCycleInProgress : False
Step 2: Force sync Microsoft Entra Connect
The delta sync will only sync the changes from AD on-premises to Microsoft Entra ID. To sync just run the following command.
Import-Module ADSync Start-ADSyncSyncCycle -PolicyType Delta
The initial sync will fully sync from AD on-premises to Microsoft Entra ID. However, remember that the initial sync can take longer than the delta sync.
Import-Module ADSync Start-ADSyncSyncCycle -PolicyType Initial
Conclusion
In this blog post we Learn about How to force Entra ID Connect Sync with PowerShell. We showed you, how you can check the Sync configuration set on the Entra ID Connector. But most important we showed you, how you can perform a delta or a initial sync with PowerShell. We hope this guide has provided you with valuable insights to improve your device management strategy. Did you enjoy this article? Dont forget to follow us and share this article. If you have any questions or need further assistance, feel free to reach out or leave a comment below.
