Issue description 

When a new user is created using ADManager Plus, the Manager field is correctly populated within the Active Directory. However, after synchronization via DirSync or Microsoft Entra Connect, the Manager attribute is not reflected in Microsoft Entra ID—the user account is visible, but the Manager field remains empty.

Possible causes 

• The manager value set in ADManager Plus is not properly written to the manager attribute in Active Directory.

• The synchronization rules in Microsoft Entra Connect do not include the manager attribute.

• Microsoft Entra Connect is currently in staging mode, so no changes are being exported.

• The account used by Microsoft Entra Connect does not have sufficient read permissions to access the manager attribute.

• Active Directory replication delays may be preventing the manager value from syncing in time.

• The assigned manager is from a different domain that isn’t configured or recognized within ADManager Plus.

Prerequisites 

• The service account used in ADManager Plus must have permission to update the manager attribute in Active Directory and Microsoft Entra ID permissions.

• Microsoft Entra Connect must be running in active mode (not staging).
  

Resolution  

Step 1: Verify that the Manager attribute is set in Active Directory

1.  Open Active Directory Users and Computers (ADUC), locate the user, and navigate to the Attribute Editor tab under Properties.

2. Check if the manager attribute is populated with the distinguishedName of a valid Active Directory user.

3. If it’s blank, ADManager Plus may not have written the value correctly. In that case, review the user creation template in ADManager Plus to ensure the Manager field is configured and mapped properly. 

Step 2: Check if the manager is from a different domain

If the assigned manager belongs to a different domain, ensure that domain is configured in ADManager Plus:

1. Go to ADManager Plus > Directory/Application Settings > Active Directory.

2. Confirm that the domain is listed and marked as reachable.

3. If the domain is missing, add it using valid credentials.

Also, verify that the technician who created the user has the necessary permissions to access and assign users from that domain.

Step 3: Ensure the manager is within the synchronization scope

1. Open Microsoft Entra Connect and select Customize synchronization options.

2. Review the OU and group filtering settings to verify that the manager’s account resides within the defined sync scope.

3. If the manager’s object is excluded, the Manager attribute will not sync to Microsoft Entra ID.

Step 4: Review synchronization rules

1. Open the Synchronization Rules Editor on the Microsoft Entra Connect server.

2. Check the inbound rules for user objects from Active Directory and confirm that the manager attribute is included in the mapping.

3. If it’s not present, create a custom sync rule to map the manager attribute from Active Directory to the Microsoft Entra ID metaverse.

Step 5: Verify Microsoft Entra Connect permissions

1. Ensure that the Microsoft Entra Connect service account has sufficient read and write permissions on the manager attribute for all relevant user objects in Active Directory.
   

2. You can use ADUC or PowerShell scripts to confirm and adjust these permissions if needed.
   

Note: For a detailed list of all permissions, click here.

Step 6: Initiate a full synchronization

1. On the Microsoft Entra Connect server, open PowerShell and execute the following command:

• Start-ADSyncSyncCycle -PolicyType Initial

2. Wait until the synchronization cycle completes successfully.

Step 7: Verify the manager field in Microsoft Entra ID

1. Log in to the Microsoft Entra ID admin portal (https://entra.microsoft.com)

2. Go to Users > [affected user] > Profile, and check whether the Manager field is now correctly populated.

Tips 

• Use Synchronization Service Manager (miisclient.exe) to monitor synchronization flows and troubleshoot attribute mapping issues.

• If the manager is recently assigned or updated, wait for Active Directory replication to complete before the next sync cycle.

• Consider enabling diagnostic logging in Microsoft Entra Connect for deeper insight into sync failures.

How to reach support

If the issue persists, contact our support team here.