How to Add a Security Group to a Viva Engage Community
Question details
The user needs a way to add a synchronized security group to a Viva Engage community to manage memberships efficiently without manually adding individuals.
- Product
- Viva Engage
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Attempting to assign an existing synchronized security group as members of a Viva Engage community to automate user management.
- Observed behavior
- The synchronized security group does not appear in the search results when trying to add it, as Viva Engage does not natively support direct security group membership in the same way Microsoft 365 groups do.
Ensure you have Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD) administrator privileges, as managing dynamic groups and Microsoft 365 group rules requires administrative access.
Configure Dynamic Membership via Microsoft 365 Groups
Since direct security group membership is unsupported, you can create a dynamic Microsoft 365 group that automatically mirrors the membership of your security group.
Viva Engage relies on Microsoft 365 groups for automated membership. By setting up a dynamic membership rule in Entra ID, you can automatically pull members from your existing security group into the Viva Engage-connected Microsoft 365 group.
Log in to the Microsoft Entra admin center (formerly Azure AD) with an administrator account.
Navigate to 'Groups' > 'All groups' and search for the Microsoft 365 group associated with your Viva Engage community.
Open the group properties, change the 'Membership type' from Assigned to 'Dynamic User', and click 'Add dynamic query'.
Configure a rule syntax to include users who are members of your target security group (e.g., using the memberOf property). Save the changes and wait for the system to process the new members.
Convert Group Types using PowerShell
Use Azure AD PowerShell commands to convert an existing Viva Engage group into a dynamic group and apply membership rules directly.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why can't I see my security group when adding members to Viva Engage?
Viva Engage communities are backed by Microsoft 365 groups, which do not natively support nesting synchronized security groups directly into their membership lists.
Can I manually add members if the security group fails?
Yes, community administrators can manually add or remove individual users through the Viva Engage community settings, though this is not ideal for large numbers of users.
Do I need admin rights to set up a dynamic Microsoft 365 group?
Yes, creating a dynamic group or changing an existing group's membership type requires an administrator role in Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD).
How do I request direct security group support in Viva Engage?
You can submit a feature request directly to Microsoft through the Microsoft Feedback Portal or via the feedback option within the Viva Engage application.
