---
title: "Why Active Directory changes take time to reach Opensense"
slug: "delay-in-ad-to-aad"
description: "Active Directory changes reach Opensense through Azure AD (Entra ID), which can take 24 to 72 hours. Force a sync in AD Connect and in Opensense to speed it up."
updated: 2024-01-16T21:27:44.000Z
canonical: "https://help.opensense.com/docs/delay-in-ad-to-aad"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.opensense.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Why Active Directory changes take time to reach Opensense

## Overview

Opensense syncs user data from Azure Active Directory (Entra ID) automatically, twice a day. A change you make in your on-premises Active Directory first has to reach Azure AD through your AD Connect tool, and that delay depends on how often AD Connect is set to sync and on the size of your organization. Larger organizations take longer to sync. Without a manual sync, updates typically take 24 to 72 hours to show in the Opensense portal.

<dl class="kb-insights-summary">
  <div><dt>Active Directory</dt><dd>On-premises directory, on a Windows Server.</dd></div>
  <div><dt>Azure Active Directory</dt><dd>Cloud-based directory. Microsoft renamed it Entra ID, so where this article says Azure, it also means Entra ID.</dd></div>
</dl>


## Speeding up the sync

To see a change in Opensense sooner:

1. In your AD Connect tool, force a sync to the cloud, so the change reaches Azure AD.
2. In Opensense, [run a manual sync](#running-a-manual-sync-in-opensense).


## Running a manual sync in Opensense

:::note[Classic UI]
These steps use the classic Opensense UI.
:::

1. Open the **Signatures** menu, and select **Users & Compliance**.
2. On the left side of the page, find **Sync Tools**, and click its blue plus icon <img src="https://help.opensense.com/media/jkmb-mwv-9-p-iw-med-7-c-9-xy-ot-h-91-cs-m-70-p-puqk-0-mh-8-jyv-o-f5a593173f0f.png" alt="blue plus icon" width="18" height="18" class="kb-inline-icon"> to open it.
3. Under **Office 365 (Azure) Directory Sync**, sync all the choices. Sync **Groups** first, then **Users**. The choices you see depend on your configuration.
4. Wait for the sync to finish before you refresh the page. It can take some time, depending on the number of users.
5. Refresh your browser. The new data appears in **Users & Compliance**.

<div class="kb-media-carousel" data-kb-media-carousel aria-label="Steps to run a manual sync">
  <div class="kb-media-carousel__viewport">
    <figure class="kb-media-frame"><div class="kb-media-frame__visual"><img src="https://help.opensense.com/media/screenshot-2023-10-16-at-11-12-24-am-203a1d379dd8.png" alt="Classic Opensense menu with Signatures open and an arrow pointing to Users and Compliance" width="1366" height="741" loading="lazy" decoding="async"></div><figcaption><strong>Open Users &amp; Compliance</strong> · Signatures menu</figcaption></figure>
    <figure class="kb-media-frame"><div class="kb-media-frame__visual"><img src="https://help.opensense.com/media/gq-xl-n-2-dg-2822-z-pld-cfj-vr-5-fl-xe-ldwd-11-bwnjr-skk-o-8-agw-f7188583209c.png" alt="Left panel of Users and Compliance with an arrow pointing to the Sync Tools section" width="666" height="876" loading="lazy" decoding="async"></div><figcaption><strong>Open Sync Tools</strong> · Below Filter by CSV</figcaption></figure>
    <figure class="kb-media-frame"><div class="kb-media-frame__visual"><img src="https://help.opensense.com/media/r-yjf-qnbr-00-nbulvy-b-2-z-l-t-jg-t-26-kz-pr-356-siw-luf-bke-6-a-ed4242f4b5eb.png" alt="Sync Tools with Office 365 (Azure) Directory Sync and its Users and Groups buttons" width="662" height="334" loading="lazy" decoding="async"></div><figcaption><strong>Microsoft 365</strong> · Office 365 (Azure) Directory Sync</figcaption></figure>
    <figure class="kb-media-frame"><div class="kb-media-frame__visual"><img src="https://help.opensense.com/media/im-gg-2-ttq-1-myof-8-cnnbm-lko-ycw-2-cf-uvwt-gmw-wy-6-o-7-qxwc-q-f42760e103c6.png" alt="Sync Tools with Google Directory Sync and its Users, Groups, and Orgs buttons" width="658" height="348" loading="lazy" decoding="async"></div><figcaption><strong>Another configuration</strong> · Google Directory Sync</figcaption></figure>
  </div>
</div>

:::tip[If the sync times out or shows an error]
The system may be running an automatic sync at the same time. Wait 30 minutes, then refresh your browser to see whether the sync history updates. If you are not sure your account is set up for automatic sync, contact the [help desk](mailto:help@opensense.com).
:::

## What's next

- [Syncing Active Directory attributes to Entra ID (directory extensions)](https://help.opensense.com/docs/if-you-have-configured-a-white-labeled-tracking-and-hosting-url-and-your-organization-uses-microsoft-direct-access-you-may-need-to-do-one-minor-confi): sync attributes that exist only in on-premises Active Directory.
- [How often Opensense syncs user data](https://help.opensense.com/docs/automatic-sync-frequency): how often Opensense syncs your directory.