How to Export Users from Microsoft Entra ID

Exporting users from Microsoft Entra ID, formerly known as Azure Active Directory, is an essential task for IT administrators overseeing identity and access management. Whether you need to audit user data, migrate tenants, or manage licensing, efficiently extracting user information helps maintain security, compliance, and operational clarity. This detailed guide reveals the native and PowerShell-based methods to export user lists and their attributes, along with tips on capturing group memberships and licences. By understanding these techniques, you gain better control over your cloud identity infrastructure and streamline business processes.

What Is Microsoft Entra ID and Why Export User Data?

Microsoft Entra ID is Microsoft’s cloud-based identity and access management system, which secures and controls access to enterprise resources, applications, and data across Microsoft 365 and Azure services. It manages user identities, authentication methods, role assignments, and access policies critical for organisational security and productivity.

Exporting user data from Entra ID serves several purposes important to IT professionals:

• Business Continuity: Keeping backups of user accounts including their attributes and group memberships helps quickly recover from accidental deletions or configuration errors.
• Auditing and Compliance: Extracting snapshots of user data can meet audit requirements and monitor access for security controls.
• User Migration and Consolidation: Exporting users before migrating to another tenant or consolidating accounts helps ensure smooth transitions.
• Reporting and Analysis: Generating comprehensive lists of active, licensed, guest, or blocked users supports licence optimisation and compliance enforcement.
• Security Monitoring: Regularly exporting and comparing user information can help detect unauthorised changes.

Understanding why you need to export users helps choose the right method and ensures you capture all relevant information for your needs.

Native Methods to Export Users from Microsoft Entra ID

Entra ID’s native capabilities offer simple ways to export user lists without complex scripting:

Export via Microsoft 365 Admin Centre or Entra Admin Centre

You might find it straightforward to sign in as an administrator to the Microsoft 365 Admin Center or Entra Admin Center. When you navigate to the Users section and select Active users or All users, you can use the Export option to download user details in CSV format. This export includes basic profile details such as user principal name, display name, department, job title, and sign-in status.

Pros and Cons of Native Export

This approach suits quick audits or smaller environments but may fall short for in-depth reporting or automated workflows.

Using PowerShell to Export Entra ID Users with Details

For advanced scenarios, PowerShell provides customisable and extensible options to export user data, including detailed attributes, licences, and group memberships.

PowerShell Modules for Entra ID

The recommended modern module is the Microsoft Graph PowerShell SDK, replacing older AzureAD and MSOL modules. It provides broad access to Microsoft Entra services.

Basic PowerShell Cmdlet to Export All Users

Connect-MgGraph -Scopes User.Read.All
Get-MgUser -All | Select-Object DisplayName,UserPrincipalName,JobTitle,Department | Export-Csv -Path "EntraUsers.csv" -NoTypeInformation

This command connects to Microsoft Graph with necessary permissions, retrieves all users, selects key properties, and exports to CSV.

Exporting More Detailed Attributes and Filtering

Scripts can be customised to include:

• Last sign-in dates
• Licence assignment status
• Manager and direct reports
• Country, employee ID, and extension attributes
• Group memberships

You can filter for licensed users with commands like:

Get-MgUser -Filter "assignedLicenses/any()" -All

Including Group Memberships

To audit group memberships, queries such as the following allow retrieval of each user’s memberships:

Get-MgUserMemberOf -UserId

Alternatively, batch queries help handle multiple users efficiently.

Advantages and Challenges of PowerShell

For organisations with complex needs, investing time into PowerShell scripting delivers unparalleled control over export data.

Exporting Users with Group Membership and Licence Details: Tips and Scripts

Many IT professionals struggle to extract full user and group membership data due to portal limitations. PowerShell scripts that combine Graph API calls enable comprehensive exports by:

• Exporting user lists filtered by criteria (e.g., guests only, recently added).
• Exporting detailed licence assignments for cost optimisation.
• Enumerating group and dynamic group memberships to ensure correct access control.
• Outputting results to CSV for easy reporting, auditing, or integration with other IT systems.

Several community-contributed scripts bundle these functions and can be adapted to your environment’s specific requirements. It’s important to make sure your Azure AD app or admin account has Directory.Read.All and Group.Read.All permissions to execute these scripts successfully.

Best Practices When Exporting Entra ID Users

You might find these best practices helpful:

• Ensure Admin Permissions: Typically global administrator or user administrator roles are required.
• Use Modern PowerShell Modules: The Microsoft Graph SDK provides the most up-to-date functionality.
• Limit Data Exposure: Export only necessary attributes to protect sensitive information.
• Schedule Regular Exports: Automate export scripts to maintain up-to-date user records and audit trails.
• Validate Export Content: Always cross-check exported data against portal views to verify accuracy.
• Secure Export Storage: Store exported CSVs in secure locations respecting GDPR and data sovereignty regulations.

Troubleshooting Common Export Issues

Some common issues and solutions include:

• Missing Users or Attributes: Ensure your admin account has sufficient permissions and filtered queries are correctly configured.
• Performance Slowdowns: Pagination or limiting attribute sets can improve script execution time on large tenants.
• CSV Formatting Issues: Export with -NoTypeInformation and use correct encoding to prevent import errors.
• Unavailable PowerShell Modules: Update to latest Microsoft Graph PowerShell SDK and uninstall deprecated AzureAD/MSOL modules as needed.

Looking for a Reliable Cloud Backup Solution for Entra ID?

While exporting user data is vital, safeguarding it is equally important. BackupVault offers automated, encrypted cloud backup services specifically designed for Microsoft 365 and Entra ID environments. Our service features:

• UK/EU compliant data centres for data sovereignty
• 24/7 UK-based expert support
• Fast and simple restore options to recover user accounts and data
• Backup of configurations, user profiles, and permissions

By integrating cloud backups with your export strategy, you ensure your organisation’s identity data remains secure, recoverable, and compliant, giving you peace of mind in today’s cybersecurity landscape.

This guide equips you with the knowledge to export your Microsoft Entra ID users effectively, meeting your administrative, security, and audit needs. Whether relying on native tools or PowerShell scripting, the right approach will streamline your user management and strengthen your IT operations. If you’re ready to protect your Microsoft 365 environment comprehensively, consider Backup Vault’s Entra ID Backup solutions tailored to UK and EU organisations.