How can I change or update the “Initials” field in Azure AD?

Mayur Zinge 0 Reputation points
2025-11-05T11:00:52.77+00:00

Hi,

I would like to update the Initials field for users in Azure Active Directory (Microsoft Entra ID) so that their correct initials appear in Microsoft Teams and other apps.

I do not see an “Initials” field when editing a user in the Microsoft 365 Admin Center or Azure AD user properties. We are not using on-prem Active Directory; our environment is Azure AD only.

Question: Is there a supported way to set user initials directly in Azure AD?

Microsoft 365 and Office | Other
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  1. SoerenNEX 0 Reputation points
    2026-06-17T10:23:39.4066667+00:00

    I found a solution by using ALT+0160 to seperate double surname.
    "Max Muster[ALT+0160]Mann" instead of "Max Muster Mann"

    see: https://maxdorf.com/article/ascii-characters

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  2. Marcin Policht 109.1K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2025-11-05T12:24:56.6466667+00:00

    Unfortunately, as per https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/graph/api/resources/user?view=graph-rest-1.0 , there is no "Initials" field in Microsoft Entra ID when you are cloud-only. The "Initials" attribute exists only in on-premises Active Directory. If your environment does not use on-prem AD and does not use synchronization, then the attribute does not exist in your tenant and cannot be added through the Entra ID user properties, Microsoft 365 Admin Center, or standard Microsoft Graph user attributes.

    Microsoft services such as Microsoft Teams do not use an Initials attribute even when it exists. Instead, the displayed initials are calculated automatically from the user’s name fields. The order used is:

    Given Name

    Surname

    Display Name

    If the initials shown in Teams are incorrect, the only supported method is to adjust one or more of those name fields.

    If you need to store initials for some internal purpose, you can add a custom directory extension attribute via Microsoft Graph or an Enterprise Application registration. However, Microsoft Teams and other Microsoft 365 applications will not read or display that custom attribute, so it will not affect what users see in Teams.

    Effectively:

    • The Initials attribute is not present in Entra ID cloud-only.
    • It cannot be enabled.
    • Teams derives initials from the user’s name, not from any stored "Initials" field.
    • To change initials in Teams, modify the name fields (Given Name, Surname, Display Name).

    More at https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/graph/api/resources/user?view=graph-rest-1.0

    If the above response helps answer your question, remember to "Accept Answer" so that others in the community facing similar issues can easily find the solution. Your contribution is highly appreciated.

    hth

    Marcin

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