Perform an internal admin takeover

Check the Domains FAQ if you don't find what you're looking for.

If you are an admin and want to take over an unmanaged account created by a self-service user signup, you can do this by performing an internal admin takeover.

Note

A self-service sign up for any cloud service that uses Microsoft Entra ID adds the user to an unmanaged or "shadow" Microsoft Entra directory and creates an unmanaged account. An unmanaged account is a directory without a global administrator. To determine whether an account is managed or unmanaged, see Determining Tenant Type.

Before you begin

Sometimes you can't add a domain to your organization account because someone else has already signed up for Microsoft 365 using an email address associated with that domain name. But you can remove the domain from the other, unmanaged account and add it to your organization managed account.

Before you can remove the domain from the other account and add it to your account though, you must join the unmanaged account and become an admin for that account. Then, you'll remove the domain from the unmanaged account, sign back into your account, and add the domain to your managed account.

The steps in this article outline only how to join the other account (Steps 1 and 2) and follow the steps in the admin takeover wizard to become the admin on the unmanaged account (Step 3).

After you've become an admin for the unmanaged account, you can remove the domain from the unmanaged account and add it to your account.

Step 1: Verify your email address

Note

If self-service is enabled in your account, users can subscribe to free services such as Power BI, on their own. These services are specifically for use in cases where a self-service user subscription has created the unmanaged account you want to take over as admin. In Step 1 you create a user account for the domain you want to remove by using Power BI to launch the admin takeover wizard so you can become the admin for the unmanaged domain account.

  1. To sign up for Power BI, go to the Power BI site and select Start Free > Start free trial (in Share with Power BI Pro box).

  2. Sign up with a user account that uses the domain name of your organization (like powerbiadmin@contoso.com). If your account is already in use, sign in using your current password.

  3. Check your email for the verification code and enter the code to validate your email address.

Step 2: Create a new account for admin access

  1. When you enter the verification code, you'll be brought to a page where you can create a new account.

  2. Fill in the user name and password fields with the account that you want to use, then select Start.

Step 3: Verify domain ownership and become the admin

  1. After you complete Step 2, select the admin center icon in the left navigation pane (alternatively, go to a browser and type in https://admin.cloud.microsoft).

    You're redirected to the admin takeover wizard.

  2. Select Next and verify that you own the domain you want to take over by adding a TXT record to your domain registrar.

    The wizard will give you the TXT record to add, as well as provide a link to your registrar's website, and a link to step-by-step instructions.

  3. On the You're now the admin page, select Go to the admin center.

    You now have the admin privileges required to remove the domain from the other account.

YouTube: 3 steps to do an IT Admin Takeover for Power BI and Microsoft 365 (video)
Admin takeover in Microsoft Entra ID (article)
Using self-service sign up in your organization (article)
Understanding the Power BI service administrator role (article)