Skip to Content

MC1221452: Auto-enabling passkey profiles

By: Author Alex Lim

Posted on

Categories Update

Home » Update » MC1221452: Auto-enabling passkey profiles

Summary

  • Microsoft Entra ID will introduce passkey profiles and synced passkeys as a new feature, enhancing the passkey configuration experience.
  • Administrators can choose between device-bound passkeys, synced passkeys, or both using the new passkeyType property.
  • Existing FIDO2 authentication configurations will automatically transition to a Default passkey profile if tenants do not opt in during the initial rollout.
  • Any registration campaigns set to Microsoft-managed will target passkeys, changing how user authentication methods are handled.
  • Organizations should review and configure their passkey profile settings and registration campaigns to align with the new features.

Admin Impact: High
User Impact: Low
Release Start: 01 Mar 2026
Release End: 31 Mar 2026
Services: Entra
Category: Plan for change
Tags: New Feature, User Adoption, Admin Action

History

1/23/2026 Item Added to Message Center

Microsoft Message

Introduction

Starting in March 2026, Microsoft Entra ID will introduce passkey profiles and synced passkeys to General Availability (GA). This update allows administrators to opt in to a new passkey profiles experience that supports group-based passkey configurations and introduces a new passkeyType property.

The passkeyType property enables admins to configure:

  • Device-bound passkeys
  • Synced passkeys
  • Both

If a tenant does not opt in to passkey profiles during the initial rollout window, the new schema will be automatically enabled at the date range specified below. When this occurs:

  • Existing Passkey (FIDO2) authentication method configurations will be moved into a Default passkey profile.
  • The passkeyType value will be set based on the tenant’s current attestation settings.
  • For tenants that have synced passkeys enabled, Microsoft-managed registration campaigns will update to target passkeys.

When this will happen

General Availability (Worldwide): Rollout begins in early March 2026 and is expected to complete by late March 2026.

  • Automatic enablement for tenants that have not yet opted in (Worldwide): Rollout begins in early April 2026 and is expected to complete by late May 2026.

General Availability (GCC, GCC High, and DoD): Rollout begins in early April 2026 and is expected to complete by late April 2026.

  • Automatic enablement for tenants that have not yet opted in (GCC, GCC High, and DoD): Rollout begins in early June 2026 and is expected to complete by late June 2026.

How this affects your organization

Who is affected: All Microsoft Entra ID tenants

What will happen:

If you have not opted in to passkey profiles by your automatic enablement period, your tenant will be migrated to passkey profiles.

  • Your existing Passkey (FIDO2) configurations will be migrated into a Default passkey profile
  • New passkeyType property will be auto-populated
    • If enforce attestation is enabled, then device-bound allowed
    • If enforce attestation is disabled, then device-bound and synced allowed
  • Any existing key restrictions will remain intact
  • Any existing user targets will be assigned to the Default passkey profile

Registration Campaign behavior (Microsoft-managed campaigns only)

For tenants where synced passkeys are enabled, if your registration campaign is set to Microsoft-managed:

  • The targeted authentication method will be updated from Microsoft Authenticator to passkeys.
  • The default user targeting will be updated from voice call or text message users to all multifactor authentication (MFA) capable users.
  • The settings Limited number of snoozes and Days allowed to snooze will no longer be configurable. These will be set to allow unlimited snoozes with a one-day reminder cadence.

What you can do to prepare

If you want a configuration different from the migration defaults, review the timeline above and opt in to passkey profiles before your tenant’s automatic enablement window begins. Then configure the Default passkey profile’s passkeyType to your preferred values.

We also recommend:

  • Review your registration campaign configuration, especially if its set to Microsoft-managed. If you want synced passkeys enabled in your tenant but do not want registration campaign to target passkeys, you can:
    • Switch the registration campaign state to Enabled and continue targeting Microsoft Authenticator, or
    • Set the registration campaign state to Disabled.
  • Update runbooks and help content so your help desk and end users understand any changes in passkey availability or behavior.

Learn more:

  • How to Enable Passkey (FIDO2) Profiles in Microsoft Entra ID (preview) – Microsoft Entra ID | Microsoft Learn
  • How to Enable Synced Passkeys (FIDO2) in Microsoft Entra ID (preview) – Microsoft Entra ID | Microsoft Learn
  • How to run a registration campaign to set up Microsoft Authenticator – Microsoft Entra ID | Microsoft Learn
  • Synced passkeys FAQ – Microsoft Entra ID | Microsoft Learn

Compliance considerations

No compliance considerations identified. Review as appropriate for your organization.