Does Microsoft 365 E3 Include Azure AD Premium P1 for SSPR?
Question details
The administrator needs to confirm if existing Microsoft 365 E3 licenses include Azure AD Premium P1 to support self-service password reset (SSPR) and password writeback.
- Product
- Microsoft 365 E3
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- An IT administrator is preparing to enable self-service password reset and on-premises password writeback for enterprise users.
- Observed behavior
- The administrator is verifying licensing prerequisites prior to configuring Microsoft Entra ID SSPR, noting the distinction between Microsoft 365 E3 and Office 365 E3.
Ensure you have Billing Administrator or Global Administrator privileges in the Microsoft 365 Admin Center to check the active subscriptions for your tenant.
Verify Microsoft 365 E3 and Azure AD P1 License Inclusion
Understand the licensing differences between Microsoft 365 E3 and Office 365 E3, and confirm your tenant's subscription to configure SSPR.
Microsoft 365 E3 is a comprehensive bundle that includes Office 365 E3, Windows 11 Enterprise, and Enterprise Mobility + Security (EMS) E3. Because the EMS E3 suite includes Azure AD Premium P1 (now known as Microsoft Entra ID P1), Microsoft 365 E3 fully supports self-service password reset (SSPR) with on-premises password writeback.
However, if your organization only holds "Office 365 E3" licenses, Azure AD Premium P1 is not included. In that scenario, you would only have access to cloud-only SSPR, and you would need to purchase an Entra ID P1 add-on to enable password writeback to an on-premises Active Directory.
Go to admin.microsoft.com and sign in with your administrator account.
In the left-hand navigation menu, expand the 'Billing' section and click on 'Your products' or 'Licenses'.
Look closely at the active subscriptions. Verify whether the license explicitly says 'Microsoft 365 E3'. If it says 'Office 365 E3', you do not have Azure AD Premium P1 included by default.
If you confirm that you have Microsoft 365 E3, you can securely navigate to the Microsoft Entra admin center (entra.microsoft.com) to enable SSPR and configure your password writeback settings.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Does Office 365 E3 include self-service password reset (SSPR)?
Office 365 E3 includes basic cloud-only SSPR. However, it does not include Azure AD Premium P1, which means it does not support password writeback to an on-premises Active Directory environment. An upgrade or add-on is required for writeback.
What happens if I try to enable SSPR password writeback without Azure AD Premium P1?
If you do not have the required Azure AD Premium P1 license (or a bundle like Microsoft 365 E3 that includes it), the option to enable on-premises integration and password writeback within the Entra ID portal will be grayed out or throw a licensing error.
Do all users need an Azure AD P1 license to use SSPR with writeback?
Yes, according to Microsoft's licensing guidelines, every user who benefits from an Azure AD Premium feature, such as SSPR with password writeback, must have a valid license assigned to their account.
