September 2, 2025
Blog
Introduction: Why Device Transitions Matter
Every IT team knows the challenge: a user gets a new laptop, or their existing device must be wiped due to troubleshooting or security. The traditional experience is frustrating — hours of reinstalling apps, recreating personal settings, and locating documents. Productivity is lost, IT overhead spikes, and users feel like they’re “starting over.”
In today’s hybrid workplace, ensuring a smooth, secure, and consistent transition between devices is essential. It impacts:
User productivity – employees expect to pick up where they left off.
IT efficiency – reduced manual effort in migrations.
Security & compliance – ensuring corporate data remains within controlled, cloud-based services.
Microsoft has introduced three key features that, when combined, provide a nearly seamless transition:
Let’s walk through each capability.
Windows Backup for Organizations: Restoring the Familiar
Windows Backup for Organizations (in preview) integrates with Intune to ensure that critical system and personalization settings follow the user across devices.
What is backed up
Microsoft maintains a full catalog of backup items, which includes:
Wi-Fi & network profiles – saved Wi-Fi networks, passwords, proxy configurations.
System personalization – desktop background, themes, taskbar layout, language packs, regional formats, notification settings.
Credentials & authentication – Windows Hello configuration, saved credentials in Windows Credential Manager.
Apps & OS-level settings – app settings for apps that integrate with Windows Backup APIs, Edge browser settings, File Explorer Quick Access.
Accessibility & input – narrator, magnifier, high-contrast, handwriting personalization, speech models.
Device-specific preferences – printer setups, power settings.
In short: Windows Backup covers the “experience layer” of the OS — the things that make a device feel personal and familiar.
What is not backed up:
Applications – must be redeployed via Intune, Company Portal, or Autopilot.
User files – must be redirected and protected with OneDrive Known Folder Move.
How restore works:
When a user signs into a new or reset device during OOBE (Out-of-Box Experience), they can select a previous backup. Their Wi-Fi profiles, taskbar layout, personalization, and app settings are restored automatically, reducing the feeling of starting from scratch.
Known issues:
Documented limitations include (FAQ):
Not supported in Government cloud or 21Vianet regions.
Doesn’t work for shared devices or userless devices.
Restore requires Windows 11, version 22H2 or later.
In Hyper-V VMs with phishing-resistant MFA enforced, security keys/smart cards don’t pass through.
Restore not supported with: Hybrid Azure AD Join, Workplace Join, Autopilot pre-provisioned, Autopilot reset, GPO enrollment, or ConfigMgr co-management.
Unsupported on specific Windows SKUs (see catalog).
FAQ Highlights
Retention – backups are stored for up to 30 days after last sign-in.
User-driven restore only – IT cannot restore backups for users.
Multiple devices supported – users can back up more than one device but must choose a specific backup during setup.
Account-bound – works only with Entra ID accounts (not personal Microsoft accounts).
OneDrive Known Folder Move: Ensuring File Availability
While settings continuity is critical, nothing frustrates users more than lost documents. That’s where OneDrive Known Folder Move (KFM) plays a vital role.
How it works
Redirects Desktop, Documents, and Pictures folders to OneDrive.
Files remain in familiar folder paths but are synced to the cloud.
On a new device, once the user signs into OneDrive, their files sync back automatically.
Why it matters
Users often save critical files locally without realizing it. With KFM enabled:
Files are always backed up to OneDrive.
Data is protected by retention, version history, and compliance policies.
Files are available immediately after sign-in on a new or reset device.
Together with Windows Backup, this ensures that both system preferences and user data are restored.
Enterprise State Roaming: Cloud-Powered Settings Continuity
Enterprise State Roaming (ESR) extends the continuity story by syncing user and app settings through Entra ID.
What it does
Synchronizes personalization like Start menu layout, Windows themes, Edge browser favorites.
Provides a unified experience across devices joined to Entra ID.
Encrypts data at rest in Azure and during transfer.
Why it matters
Traditional roaming profiles required on-premises infrastructure and often created reliability issues. ESR provides a cloud-native, secure alternative that scales globally and ensures consistency from first login.
Putting It All Together
With these three services working in harmony, device transitions become painless:
Windows Backup for Organizations restores system and personalization settings.
OneDrive Known Folder Move ensures user files are always present.
Enterprise State Roaming keeps preferences and app settings consistent across devices.
The result? A user can move to a new or freshly reset device, sign in, and within minutes be productive again — with familiar settings, restored preferences, and files exactly where they left them.
Conclusion: A Foundation for Modern Device Lifecycle
Device replacement and reimaging no longer need to be disruptive. With Intune, OneDrive, and Entra ID, Microsoft delivers a cohesive, cloud-first experience that balances productivity, IT efficiency, and compliance.
These features are just the foundation. In future discussions, we’ll explore how they combine with Windows Autopilot, Conditional Access, and Microsoft Defender to create a fully modern, secure, and automated device lifecycle.
👉 If you’re responsible for endpoint management, now is the time to pilot these features in your environment. The payoff in user satisfaction and IT efficiency is immediate.