How to Resolve UserType Issues in Entra ID

Before making changes in Microsoft Entra ID, confirm you have the appropriate authorization and change approval from your organization.

Overview

Microsoft Entra ID users have a User type value that indicates whether the account is a Member (internal user) or a Guest (external collaborator). In some older Microsoft 365/Entra environments (tenants), you may find users where User type is blank, which can cause issues with user management and Cloud-to-Cloud Backup.

This article explains how to manually populate User type in Microsoft Entra ID, then run a backup to capture the updated user information.

Resolution Methods

Choose the method that best fits your needs:

Method 1 (GUI) - Best for updating one user or a small number of users
Method 2 (PowerShell) - Best for updating many users or automating the update

Method 1: Use the Microsoft Entra Admin Center

Sign in to the Microsoft Entra admin center with the appropriate role (for example, User Administrator or Global Administrator).
Go to Identity > Users > All users.
Display the User type column if not already visible:
- Open Column header options (gear icon / column selector).
- Add User type if it is not already visible.
Find users where User type is blank (shown as none).
Update the user:
- Select the user to open their profile.
- In Overview, find User type and select Edit (pencil icon).
- Choose:
  - Member for internal users in your organization.
  - Guest for external users or collaborators.
- Select Save.
Repeat for each affected user.
After updating all users, start a backup to capture the changes:
- Select Microsoft Entra ID as the current connection.
- Go to the Dashboard.
- Under Backup, select Back Up Now.

Method 2: Use PowerShell (Bulk Update)

Install the Microsoft Graph module and connect with the required permissions:

Install-Module -Name Microsoft.Graph
Connect-MgGraph -Scopes "User.ReadWrite.All","Directory.ReadWrite.All"

Note: You may need admin consent to grant these Graph scopes.

Identify users where UserType is $null and verify the list before proceeding:

$nullUsers = Get-MgUser -All -Property "id","displayName","UserType" -ConsistencyLevel eventual |
  Where-Object { $_.UserType -eq $null }
$nullUsers | Select-Object DisplayName, UserType

Set userType to either Member or Guest based on the user's role within your organization:

# To set Member:
$nullUsers | ForEach-Object {
  Update-MgUser -UserId $_.Id -BodyParameter @{ userType = "Member" }
}

# To set Guest instead:
$nullUsers | ForEach-Object {
  Update-MgUser -UserId $_.Id -BodyParameter @{ userType = "Guest" }
}

After updating all users, start a backup to capture the changes:
- Select Microsoft Entra ID as the current connection.
- Go to the Dashboard.
- Under Backup, select Back Up Now.

Notes

The Entra admin center UI does not provide a dedicated filter for "User type is empty," so you may need to manually review the user list.
For large tenants, the PowerShell method is typically faster and more consistent.
Changes made in Microsoft Entra ID may take a few minutes to sync before appearing in the backup.