ESR management is moving to Windows Backup for Organizations

Starting May 2026, Enterprise State Roaming (ESR) management will transition to Windows Backup for Organizations. Windows Backup for Organizations is the enterprise‑grade solution for backing up and restoring Windows user settings and Microsoft Store app list. It’s designed to support device refresh, replacement, and upgrade scenarios (for example, moving to the latest version of Windows 11). ESR settings remain the same in scope. The only change is in how you manage these settings. This change aligns ESR‑managed settings with Windows Backup for Organizations policies. You can now manage and synchronize user settings with a policy‑based experience through Microsoft Intune or other mobile device management (MDM) providers.   When will this happen: This change begins May 2026. You can manage ESR settings through both the Microsoft Entra portal and Windows Backup for Organizations policies for two months, until the end of June 2026. After that point, policies will be the only management option.   How this will affect your organization: If you currently rely on ESR to synchronize user settings, plan to start managing ESR settings through Windows Backup for Organizations policies.   Windows Backup for Organizations supports a broader set of Windows settings and is optimized for backup and restore scenarios. These scenarios include device replacement, reimaging, and OS upgrades. Users can pick up where they left off on a new or refreshed device, and you get clearer policy control and visibility.   What you need to do to prepare: Review your current use of Enterprise State Roaming. Understand how to configure and manage Windows Backup for Organizations through Microsoft Intune or other MDM providers. To continue syncing users’ settings, configure the Windows Backup for Organizations backup policy in Microsoft Intune or another MDM provider. If you take no action, Windows will honor both ESR and Group Policy (GPO) or MDM roaming controls for one year (prioritizing GPO/MDM). After that, ESR will no longer work, and you’ll have to manage roaming through Windows Backup for Organizations policies.   No action is required if your organization doesn’t use ESR or doesn’t require backup and restore of user settings and Microsoft Store app list.   Additional information: For more details, review the Windows Backup for Organizations official documentation to understand supported settings, storage behavior, and restore experiences. Additionally, see: Differences between Enterprise State Roaming and Windows Backup for Organizations How to configure backup and restore policies in Microsoft Intune Message ID: MC1274349

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