You can manually force sync Intune Policies or configuration profiles or an application deployment from a target device after they have been assigned. Syncing forces your device to connect with Intune to get the latest updates, requirements, and communications from your organization.
You could either wait for the next Intune policy refresh cycle but this will mean that you would have to wait for couple of hours before you know if the policy has been applied succesfully or an app has been installed on the device. This can delay your testing and app deployment.
According to Microsoft: “When you target a device or user with an action, then Intune immediately notifies the device to check in to receive these updates. For example, when a lock, passcode reset, app, or policy assignment action runs.” So, you may not even have to manually force initiate a sync from the Device but if you have to, then we will see how you can do that in the next sections of this blog post.
Not only you can force Intune Sync from a Windows device but also from a macOS device as well. If you are interested in knowing more details about how to force initiate Intune sync from a macOS device, you can read about it here: How to force Intune Sync manually from macOS.
Let’s first check the default Intune Policy refresh cycle if there are no actions which have triggered a notification for device to check-in with Intune.
| Invoke Intune Sync using powershell |
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| If you want to use Powershell to force Initiate Intune sync on multiple devices at once then you can check out the blog post: How to force Intune Sync using Powershell. |
Intune default Policy refresh frequency
Devices check in with Intune when they receive a notification to check in, or during the scheduled check-in. Below is the default Intune Policy refresh frequency / scheduled check-in along with Device Type.
| Device Type | Refresh Cycle |
| iOS/iPadOS | ~ 8 Hours |
| macOS | ~ 8 Hours |
| Android | ~ 8 Hours |
| Windows 10/11 PCs enrolled as devices | ~ 8 Hours |
| Windows 8.1 | ~ 8 Hours |
Below is the default Intune Policy refresh frequency if the device is recently enrolled:
| Device Type | Refresh Cycle / Frequency |
| iOS/iPadOS | Every 15 minutes for 1 hour, and then around every 8 hours |
| macOS | Every 15 minutes for 1 hour, and then around every 8 hours |
| Android | Every 3 minutes for 15 minutes, then every 15 minutes for 2 hours, and then around every 8 hours |
| Windows 10/11 PCs enrolled as devices | Every 3 minutes for 15 minutes, then every 15 minutes for 2 hours, and then around every 8 hours |
| Windows 8.1 | Every 5 minutes for 15 minutes, then every 15 minutes for 2 hours, and then around every 8 hours |
Manually Initiate Intune Policy sync from a Windows Device
To Force initiate Intune Policy Sync manually from Windows device, please follow below steps:
- Go to Settings -> click on Accounts -> click on Access work or school.
- Click on your Connected Organization. For example: Connected to <your Organization> Azure AD.
- Click on Info Button.
Scroll down on the Managed by <your Organization> page to find Device sync status. Click on Sync button to force initiate Intune Policy refresh on your device. This usually takes around one or two minutes to complete the Sync.
Monitoring Intune Policy Refresh Information in Event Viewer
You can also monitor the Event viewer after this Sync finishes. If you have applied any Policies or Device Configuration profile or deployed an application to this device, the status of each setting can be checked in the event viewer.
- Go to Start -> Search for Event Viewer and click on it to Launch Event Viewer MMC.
- Expand Application and Services logs -> Microsoft -> Windows.
- Find DeviceManagement-Enterprise-Diagnostics-Provider folder.
- Click on Admin and go through the logs to find the specific policy or an application deployment status.
Manually Initiate Intune Sync from Intune admin center
You can force initiate the Intune Sync / Device check-in process manually from Microsoft Intune admin center as well. Please follow below steps for this:
- Login on Microsoft Intune Admin Center
- Click on Devices and then click on All Devices
- Search for the device and click on it to manage
- Click on Sync button and then Click on Yes to confirm
Conclusion
When you are creating Intune Policies and deploying apps to devices in bulk, Its best practice to perform testing on couple of devices first to make sure that the policy is applying successfully. Instead of waiting for Intune Policy refresh cycle to start which is around 8 hours, you can force initiate a sync manually from a device or from Intune admin center.
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