--- source_url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Entra_ID?utm_source=openai" title: Microsoft Entra ID - Wikipedia mirrored_at: 2026-09-01T13:01:43.848Z host: en.wikipedia.org cited_in_42a: true mirror_canonical: "https://index.42a.ai/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Entra_ID__q__utm_source_openai" --- > **Original source:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Entra_ID?utm_source=openai From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Microsoft Entra ID Developer [Microsoft](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft "Microsoft") Type [Cloud-based](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_computing "Cloud computing") [identity management](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Identity_management "Identity management") service Launch date October 27, 2008; 17 years ago [Platform](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computing_platform "Computing platform") [Azure](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Azure "Microsoft Azure") [Operating system](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operating_system "Operating system") [Windows](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows "Windows") Status Active [Website](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Website "Website") [Official Site](https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/security/business/identity-access/microsoft-entra-id/) **Microsoft Entra ID** (formerly known as **Microsoft Azure Active Directory** or **Azure AD**) is a [cloud-based](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_computing "Cloud computing") [identity and access management](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Identity_and_access_management "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](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft "Microsoft") services, such as [Microsoft 365](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_365 "Microsoft 365"), [Dynamics 365](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Dynamics_365 "Microsoft Dynamics 365"), [Microsoft Azure](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Azure "Microsoft Azure"), and third-party services.[\[1\]](#cite_note-1) Entra ID provides users with a [single sign-on](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single_sign-on "Single sign-on") experience, called "work or school accounts",[\[2\]](#cite_note-2) regardless of whether their applications are cloud-based or on-premises. Entra ID offers various authentication methods, including [password-based](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Password-based_cryptography "Password-based cryptography"), [multi-factor](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multi-factor_authentication "Multi-factor authentication"), [smart card](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smart_card "Smart card"), and [certificate-based](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Certificate-based_encryption "Certificate-based encryption") authentication. It also includes several security features, such as [conditional access](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conditional_access "Conditional access") policies, [risk-based authentication](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Risk-based_authentication "Risk-based authentication"), and identity protection.[\[3\]](#cite_note-3) On July 11, 2023, Microsoft announced the renaming of Azure AD to **Microsoft Entra ID** to improve consistency with other Microsoft cloud products.[\[4\]](#cite_note-4) The name change took place on July 15, 2023.[\[5\]](#cite_note-5) On July 14, 2025, a security vulnerability allowing a user to gain [administrator privileges](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Administrator_privileges "Administrator privileges") to every Entra ID directory was discovered. A fix was issued on July 17, 2025.[\[6\]](#cite_note-6) - [Microsoft Entra Connect](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Entra_Connect "Microsoft Entra Connect") - [Active Directory](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Active_Directory "Active Directory") 1. [↑](#cite_ref-1) Bertocci, Vittorio (December 17, 2015). _Modern Authentication with Azure Active Directory for Web Applications_. Pearson Education (published December 13, 2015). [ISBN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISBN_\(identifier\) "ISBN (identifier)") [9780735698482](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780735698482 "Special:BookSources/9780735698482"). 2. [↑](#cite_ref-2) ["What's the difference between a Microsoft account and a work or school account? - Microsoft Support"](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/account-billing/what-s-the-difference-between-a-microsoft-account-and-a-work-or-school-account-72f10e1e-cab8-4950-a8da-7c45339575b0). _support.microsoft.com_. Retrieved 2024-11-18. 3. [↑](#cite_ref-3) Moniz, Hencita (7 March 2023). ["Azure Active Directory and identity management"](https://www.skillzcafe.com/blog/microsoft/azure/azure-active-directory-and-identity-management). _Skillzcafe_. Retrieved 2023-04-10. 4. [↑](#cite_ref-4) Chik, Joy (2023-07-11). ["Microsoft Entra expands into Security Service Edge and Azure AD becomes Microsoft Entra ID"](https://www.microsoft.com/security/blog/2023/07/11/microsoft-entra-expands-into-security-service-edge-and-azure-ad-becomes-microsoft-entra-id/). _Microsoft Security Blog_. Retrieved 2023-07-12. 5. [↑](#cite_ref-5) ["New name for Azure Active Directory - Microsoft Entra"](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/active-directory/fundamentals/new-name). 29 August 2023. 6. [↑](#cite_ref-6) Burgess, Matt (Sep 18, 2025). ["This Microsoft Entra ID Vulnerability Could Have Been Catastrophic"](https://www.wired.com/story/microsoft-entra-id-vulnerability-digital-catastrophe/). _Wired_. [ISSN](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ISSN_\(identifier\) "ISSN (identifier)") [1059-1028](https://search.worldcat.org/issn/1059-1028). Retrieved 2026-01-07. - [Official website](https://azure.microsoft.com/products/active-directory/)