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How to delete a large number of users from Azure AD B2C
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Stuart
0
Reputation points
Firstly, would an admin be able to tag this with the correct child tag as I couldn't find anything in the giant list with anything to do with AD B2C, Entra, Users or anything related to those topics.
I'm trying to delete our Azure tenant as its no longer needed but getting stuck when trying to delete all of the users from the account. There is over 700,000 users in the account and when I tried to use the bulk deletion it fails after an hour or so after only deleting a couple of 1000 users. I then need to recreate the bulk deletion CSV and re-upload it...only for it to fail again after deleting a few 1000s users.
Is there a way to just force delete the entire tenant? Force delete all of the users? or something else which will help me out with this issue?
Thanks
Microsoft Security | Microsoft Entra | Microsoft Entra ID
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Rukmini 43,915 Reputation points Microsoft External Staff Moderator2026-01-06T13:04:25.9133333+00:00 Hey Stuart,
It sounds like you're having a tough time with the bulk deletion of users in your Azure AD B2C tenant, especially with the limitations on the bulk operation. Here are some steps and tips that might help you streamline the process:
1. Bulk Delete Users:
When using the bulk delete function, ensure that:
- You're signed in to the Microsoft Entra admin center with at least a User Administrator role.
- You download the latest CSV template for bulk deletion by navigating to Users > All Users > Bulk Operations > Bulk Delete. Make sure to follow the CSV structure closely without adding extra columns or altering the first two rows.
2. Split Bulk Deletes:
Since you're dealing with over 700,000 users, consider splitting your deletion requests into smaller batches to avoid timeout issues. The bulk operation has limits, and processing fewer users at a time could help prevent failures during the deletion process.
3. Deleting the Entire Tenant:
Regarding your question about force deleting the entire tenant:
- Unfortunately, there isn’t a direct method to force delete all tenants or users in one go. You need to delete users and resources (like user flows, identity providers, and applications) manually before you can delete the tenant. For step-by-step guidance to delete your Azure AD B2C tenant, check out these resources:
4. If You Face Errors:
If the bulk deletion continues to fail, download the results file from the Bulk operation results page to understand any issues. This file will include the reasons for errors, which can guide you on what may be wrong with your CSV or the users you're trying to delete.
Additional Resource Links:
- Bulk Delete Users in Microsoft Entra ID
- Manage User Data in Azure AD B2C
- Microsoft Entra Identity Documentation
If you have more specific errors or details about the failures you're encountering, feel free to share them, and I can help you troubleshoot further!
Hope this helps!
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