can we run windows admin center(Preview) from portal in an Azure Local using local identity with Azure Key Vault(AD-less) Deployment

Mishra, Keshav Kumar (PSD-GCC) 60 Reputation points
2026-06-02T18:27:57.95+00:00

can we run windows admin center(Preview) from portal in an Azure Local using local identity with Azure Key Vault(AD-less) Deployment? it is giving certification error while installing extension right now

Azure Local
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Anonymous
2026-06-02T18:58:00.3266667+00:00

Hello Mishra,

Thank you for reaching out Q/A.

We reviewed the Azure Local documentation regarding deployments that use Local Identity with Azure Key Vault (AD-less). Based on the documented tool compatibility guidance, Windows Admin Center (Preview) from the Azure Portal is currently not supported in Azure Key Vault-based identity environments.

As a result, attempting to install or use the Windows Admin Center (Preview) extension in an Azure Local deployment configured with Local Identity and Azure Key Vault may lead to issues such as the certificate-related error you are currently experiencing. This is expected behavior and not a configuration error on your part.

For Azure Local environments deployed using the AD-less model, Microsoft recommends using supported management interfaces such as the Azure Portal, PowerShell, and Azure Monitor for administration and management tasks. PowerShell is the primary supported interface for cluster management operations.

If WAC support is a hard business requirement, you may need to consider redeploying your Azure Local cluster using AD-based identity instead of the current Local Identity with Azure Key Vault model.

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Reference: Deploy Azure Local using local identity with Azure Key Vault

Prepare Active Directory for Azure Local deployment

Manage Azure Local clusters using Windows Admin Center in Azure (preview)

Hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any queries.

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AI answer

2026-06-02T18:28:09.3666667+00:00

Windows Admin Center in the Azure portal is supported for managing Arc-enabled Azure Local clusters, but Azure Local environments that use local identity with Azure Key Vault (AD-less) have important tooling limitations.

In Azure Local deployments configured with Azure Key Vault for identity:

  • Windows Admin Center is explicitly called out as not supported. PowerShell is the primary supported management tool in these Key Vault–based identity environments.
  • For Azure Local clusters in general (where supported), Windows Admin Center in Azure relies on a certificate service reachable over specific outbound endpoints (for example, *.service.waconazure.com, *.waconazure.com, pas.windows.net, *.servicebus.windows.net) and uses a VM extension that installs and maintains the WAC certificate. If these endpoints are not reachable or the environment is not in a supported identity configuration, certificate-related errors during extension installation are expected.

Therefore, for an Azure Local cluster deployed with local identity and Azure Key Vault (AD-less), Windows Admin Center (preview) from the Azure portal is not a supported management option. Management should be done with supported tools such as PowerShell. The certificate error seen while installing the extension aligns with this unsupported scenario rather than a simple configuration issue.

References:

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