Remote device actions

In today's hybrid work environment, IT professionals manage and secure devices across diverse locations and platforms—often without physical access. Microsoft Intune's remote device actions provide a powerful toolkit to meet this challenge. These actions enable IT pros to respond quickly to incidents, enforce compliance, and maintain productivity, all from the cloud. Whether it's locking a lost device, resetting a password, or triggering a malware scan, remote actions help ensure that users stay protected and supported—wherever they are.

When remote actions are useful

Remote actions are especially valuable in scenarios where time and access are limited. For example:

• A device is reported lost or stolen—IT can remotely wipe or lock it to protect sensitive data.
• A device is malfunctioning—IT can restart it or run diagnostics without needing to be on-site.
• A device needs to receive a payload immediately—IT can trigger a sync to apply the latest policies.
• A malware alert is raised—security teams can initiate a Defender Antivirus scan remotely.

These capabilities reduce downtime, improve security posture, and streamline support operations.

Prerequisites

Each remote action has its own prerequisites, which the respective documentation details. In general:

• Devices must be enrolled in Intune.
• Devices must be connected to the Internet to receive remote commands.
• Some actions might require specific Intune roles or permissions.

Available remote actions

Microsoft Intune supports remote device actions across multiple platforms. The availability of specific actions depends on the platform and the device's configuration. This cross-platform support ensures that IT pros can manage a diverse device ecosystem with consistent tools and workflows.

Select one of the following tabs to learn more about the available remote actions for each platform:

• Windows
• iOS/iPadOS
• macOS
• Android
• ChromeOS

Icon	Action	Description
	Autopilot reset	Restores a device to its original settings and removes personal files, apps, and settings.
	BitLocker key rotation	Rotates the BitLocker recovery key for a device.
	Collect diagnostics	Collects diagnostic logs from a device and uploads the logs to Intune.
	Delete	Removes a device from Intune management, removes any company data, and retires the device.
	Fresh Start	Reinstalls the latest version of Windows on a device and removes apps that the manufacturer installed.
	Full Scan	Initiates a full scan of the device by Microsoft Defender Antivirus.
	Locate device	Shows the approximate location of a device on a map.
	Pause Config Refresh	Pauses ConfigRefresh to run remediation on a device for troubleshooting or maintenance or to make changes.
	Quick Scan	Initiates a quick scan of the device by Microsoft Defender Antivirus.
	New remote assistance session	Allows you to remotely control a device by using Remote Help or TeamViewer.
	Rename device	Changes the device name in Intune.
	Restart	Restarts a device.
	Retire	Removes company data and settings from a device, and leaves personal data intact.
	Rotate Local admin password	Changes the local administrator password for a device and stores the password in Intune.
	Run remediation	Initiates on demand Proactive Remediation
	Sync	Syncs a device with Intune to apply the latest policies and configurations.
	Update Windows Defender security intelligence	Updates the security intelligence files for Microsoft Defender Antivirus.
	Wipe	Restores a device to its factory settings and removes all data and settings.

Tip

For Intel vPro devices, Intune also integrates with Intel vPro Fleet Services to provide hardware-level remote management capabilities, including out-of-band management that works even when the operating system is unresponsive or the device is powered off.

Execute a remote device action from the Intune admin center

Every remote device action has its own steps, which the respective documentation details. In general:

1. In the Microsoft Intune admin center, select Devices > All devices.
2. From the devices list, select a device.
3. At the top of the device overview pane, a row displays available remote actions. Each icon represents a specific action (such as Restart, Wipe, or Locate device). Depending on your screen resolution or window size, the overflow menu (...) might hide some actions.
4. Select the desired action.
5. Complete any required fields, then confirm the action.

Check the status of the remote action

To check the status of the remote action, select Devices > Device actions.

Bulk device actions

Managing devices at scale is a common challenge for IT pros, especially in environments like schools, enterprises, or frontline operations. Microsoft Intune supports bulk remote actions, so IT admins can perform tasks on up to 100 devices at the same time. This capability streamlines operations, reduces manual effort, and ensures consistent policy enforcement across large device fleets.

For example, at the end of a school year, IT admins can use bulk wipe to securely reset student devices before reassigning them for the next term. This approach saves time and ensures that sensitive data is removed efficiently across all devices.

Select one of the following tabs to learn more about the available bulk remote actions for each platform:

Execute a bulk device action

Each bulk remote action has its own steps. The documentation for each action provides detailed instructions. In general, follow these steps:

1. In the Microsoft Intune admin center, select Devices > All devices > Bulk device actions.
2. On the Basics page, select an OS and Device action from the dropdowns. Some device actions have more options or fields to fill in. Select Next.
3. On the Devices page, select up to the maximum number of devices that the action supports. Select Next.
4. On the Review + create page, select Create.

Next steps

Remote device actions in Intune empower IT pros to manage devices efficiently and securely—whether individually or at scale. Explore the documentation linked in this article to learn more about each action and how to integrate them into your device management workflows.