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With any client/server application there are times when things are not in sync between the server and the client, and you want to correct that. Most of the time there are automated ways this will happen, perhaps on a schedule or a triggered event. Inevitably there are also times when you want that resync to happen NOW and not wait until the normal automated processes kick off. There are four ways to do this for Intune devices and while they are very similar, there are differences in what you can expect from them.
In Intune the primary method most admins will be familiar with is from the Admin console. This will tell the software client to do a normal, scheduled, check-in, but more immediately. The client will check for any new policies added or removed for it and then act accordingly. Of note is that if no policy has changed no device compliance calculation and report is created, even if the data which the compliance policy checks has changed.
The second way to initiate a sync with the Intune service is from the client itself. For a windows device this would be through settings / Accounts / Access Work or School / <Your Account> / Info and pressing the “Sync” button. This will tell the client to check in just the same as the method from the admin console above, with the same limitations on compliance calculations.
The third option is via the company portal app. On windows you can find a “Sync” button under the gear icon. Just as the options above, this will cause the device to contact the Intune service and check for any policy additions or removals.
Finally, there is the fourth option (my favorite), which is also in the Intune company portal app as well as the Company Portal website. You can do the sync for any owned device, not just the one you are currently working from. By selecting the device, you can find the “Check Access” button on windows, “check status” on iOS, or “check device settings” on Android. This is the “powerful button.” Clicking this will cause the device to check-in and it will also force a reevaluation of compliance policies and their rules. Therefore, any device or policy changes that may have occurred affecting compliance will be re-evaluated, and the compliance state of the device will be updated as appropriate.
Here at Microsoft, we understand different people work in diverse ways and like to give multiple options to accomplish tasks to meet those different workflows. Hopefully, this helps you understand the various methods to sync a client to get policies, and the one method to force a conditional access compliance re-evaluation.