Should I use DirSync or AAD Sync?

Tim Tetrick

Hi Cloud Partners,

I’m sure many of you out there are familiar with DirSync.  DirSync is a tool that has been around for a while that allows customers to keep their on-premises Active Directory continuously synchronized with Azure AD.  It syncs users, groups, and optionally passwords into the cloud for use with Microsoft cloud services like Office 365 and Intune.

With the release of the new Azure Active Directory Sync (AAD Sync) in September, I’ve gotten lots of questions and confusion from partners around the different tools.  Should I use DirSync or AAD Sync?  Why are there two different sync products?  If my customer is currently using DirSync, should I move them to AAD Sync?

In the near future, AAD Sync will replace DirSync, however, there will still be support for DirSync for some time as the functionalities converge. Until then, it is not required or recommended for your customers to move to AAD Sync unless they require a functionality that is only present in AAD Sync.  For a comparison of the features that each tool currently supports, and for a roadmap of features coming soon to AAD Sync, you can find that here.

For brand new customer implementations, the new Azure AD Sync tool is likely the right choice.  You can find the documentation here and the bits to install it here.  And if at some point you decide to move your existing customer’s solution from DirSync to AAD Sync, then guidance is already in place here.

Thanks for reading and hope this is helpful.