Setting Up Conditional Access Policies in Microsoft 365 (2025)

  • Setting Up Conditional Access Policies in Microsoft 365
  • What is Conditional Access?
  • Benefits of Conditional Access
  • Requirements for Conditional Access
  • Step 1: Plan Your Conditional Access Policy
  • Example: Conditional Access Policy for Remote Workers
  • Step 2: Create a Conditional Access Policy
  • Example: Creating a Conditional Access Policy for Remote Workers
  • Step 3: Test and Refine Your Conditional Access Policy
  • Conclusion
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Q: What is the difference between Conditional Access and Azure AD B2B?
  • Q: Can I use Conditional Access with Azure AD Free?
  • Q: How do I troubleshoot Conditional Access issues?
  • Q: Can I use Conditional Access with on-premises applications?
  • You Might Also Like:

As a Microsoft 365 administrator, you're likely no stranger to the importance of security and access controls. One powerful tool at your disposal is Conditional Access (CA), a feature that allows you to define policies that determine when and how users can access your organization's resources. In this article, we'll take a deep dive into how to set up Conditional Access policies in Microsoft 365, exploring the benefits, requirements, and step-by-step instructions for getting started.

What is Conditional Access?

Conditional Access is a feature of Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) that enables you to create policies that grant or block access to resources based on specific conditions. These conditions can include things like user identity, device type, location, and application sensitivity. By using CA, you can ensure that only authorized users have access to your organization's resources, and that access is granted only when necessary.

Benefits of Conditional Access

So why use Conditional Access? There are several benefits to implementing CA policies in your organization:

  • Improved security: CA helps to reduce the risk of unauthorized access to your organization's resources.
  • Increased flexibility: CA allows you to define policies that adapt to changing user needs and environments.
  • Enhanced user experience: CA can help to reduce the number of prompts and authentication requests users receive, making it easier for them to access the resources they need.

Requirements for Conditional Access

To get started with Conditional Access, you'll need to meet a few requirements:

  • Azure AD Premium license: CA is included with Azure AD Premium licenses. If you don't have a Premium license, you can sign up for a free trial or purchase a license through the Microsoft 365 admin center.
  • Microsoft 365 tenant: You'll need a Microsoft 365 tenant to use CA. If you don't have a tenant, you can sign up for a free trial or purchase a subscription through the Microsoft 365 website.
  • Azure AD configuration: You'll need to configure Azure AD for your organization, including setting up users, groups, and applications.

Step 1: Plan Your Conditional Access Policy

Before you start creating your CA policy, take some time to plan out what you want to achieve. Consider the following questions:

  • What resources do you want to protect with CA?
  • Who do you want to grant access to those resources?
  • Under what conditions do you want to grant access?
  • What actions do you want to take when access is granted or denied?

Answering these questions will help you to define the scope and requirements of your CA policy.

Example: Conditional Access Policy for Remote Workers

Let's say you want to create a CA policy for remote workers who need to access your organization's SharePoint site. You might define the following conditions:

  • User group: Remote workers
  • Location: Outside the corporate network
  • Device type: Mobile devices
  • Application sensitivity: High

With these conditions in place, you can define the actions to take when access is granted or denied. For example, you might require multi-factor authentication (MFA) for remote workers accessing the SharePoint site from a mobile device.

Step 2: Create a Conditional Access Policy

Now that you've planned out your CA policy, it's time to create it. To do this, follow these steps:

  1. Sign in to the Azure portal (https://portal.azure.com/) with your Azure AD credentials.
  2. Navigate to the Azure AD section and click on Conditional access.
  3. Click on New policy and enter a name for your policy.
  4. Select the users and groups you want to apply the policy to.
  5. Select the applications you want to protect with the policy.
  6. Define the conditions for the policy, including user identity, device type, location, and application sensitivity.
  7. Define the actions to take when access is granted or denied.
  8. Click Create to create the policy.

Example: Creating a Conditional Access Policy for Remote Workers

Using the example from earlier, you might create a CA policy for remote workers accessing the SharePoint site from a mobile device. Here's what the policy might look like:

{"name":"Remote Workers SharePoint Policy","users":["Remote Workers"],"applications":["SharePoint"],"conditions":[{"userType":"User","operator":"EQ","values":["Remote Workers"]},{"deviceType":"Mobile","operator":"EQ","values":["Android","iOS"]},{"location":"Outside the corporate network"}],"actions":[{"type":"Grant","operator":"EQ","values":["MFA"]}]}

Step 3: Test and Refine Your Conditional Access Policy

Once you've created your CA policy, it's essential to test and refine it to ensure it's working as expected. Here are some tips for testing and refining your policy:

  • Test with a small group of users: Before applying the policy to your entire organization, test it with a small group of users to ensure it's working correctly.
  • Monitor policy activity: Use the Azure AD reporting features to monitor policy activity and identify any issues or areas for improvement.
  • Refine the policy as needed: Based on your testing and monitoring, refine the policy as needed to ensure it's meeting your organization's security and access requirements.

Conclusion

Conditional Access is a powerful feature of Azure Active Directory that enables you to define policies that grant or block access to resources based on specific conditions. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can create and implement CA policies that help to improve security, increase flexibility, and enhance the user experience for your organization.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the difference between Conditional Access and Azure AD B2B?

A: Conditional Access and Azure AD B2B are two separate features of Azure Active Directory. Conditional Access is used to define policies that grant or block access to resources based on specific conditions, while Azure AD B2B is used to manage external user identities and access.

Q: Can I use Conditional Access with Azure AD Free?

A: No, Conditional Access is only available with Azure AD Premium licenses. If you're using Azure AD Free, you can upgrade to a Premium license to use Conditional Access.

Q: How do I troubleshoot Conditional Access issues?

A: You can use the Azure AD reporting features to monitor policy activity and identify any issues or areas for improvement. You can also use the Azure AD support resources to troubleshoot and resolve issues.

Q: Can I use Conditional Access with on-premises applications?

A: Yes, you can use Conditional Access with on-premises applications. However, you'll need to configure Azure AD Application Proxy to enable Conditional Access for on-premises applications.

You Might Also Like:

  • Azure AD B2B External User Management
  • Azure AD Multi-Factor Authentication
  • Azure AD Identity Protection


Citation

@article{how-to-set-up-conditional-access-policies-in-microsoft-365, title = {Setting Up Conditional Access Policies in Microsoft 365}, author = {Toxigon}, year = {2025}, journal = {Toxigon Blog}, url = {https://toxigon.com/how-to-set-up-conditional-access-policies-in-microsoft-365} }


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Setting Up Conditional Access Policies in Microsoft 365 (2025)

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