Does Windows Autopilot also work with existing laptops?

Yes. You can read out the hardware ID of an existing laptop and upload it to your environment. Then you reset the laptop, after which it sets itself up through Autopilot at the next start-up. Do make sure the laptop has Windows 10 or 11 Pro.

Which Microsoft 365 licence do I need for Autopilot?

You need Intune to manage the laptops. That is included in Microsoft 365 Business Premium, among others. Business Basic or Standard alone does not include Intune; you can buy it separately if needed.

Can an employee set up the laptop at home themselves?

Yes, that is exactly the advantage. If the laptop was registered at purchase, it can be shipped straight to their home address. The employee connects to Wi-Fi, signs in with their work account and the laptop sets itself up.

What happens if I sell or return a laptop?

First remove the laptop from Intune and delete the Autopilot registration. If you do not, the laptop stays linked to your organisation and the new owner sees your sign-in screen at start-up.

Windows Autopilot: how an SME should set up a new laptop without manual work

A new colleague starts on Monday, and the laptop still needs setting up. Someone installs Windows updates, Office, the printer, the VPN and the business apps, and hopes nothing is forgotten. With two laptops a year that is manageable, but it produces a slightly different workplace every time. Windows Autopilot changes that: the laptop goes to the employee in its box and sets itself up the first time they sign in.

What Autopilot actually does

Autopilot is not a program you install on the laptop. It is a registration with Microsoft: the laptop is recorded under your organisation with a unique hardware ID. As soon as such a laptop starts for the first time and connects to the internet, Windows recognises that it belongs to you. The employee then sees your company name and logo, signs in with their work account and the laptop joins Entra ID and Intune. After that, the settings, security and apps arrive by themselves, while a progress screen shows how far along it is.

What you need

Windows 10 or 11 Pro or higher: Windows Home does not work with Autopilot. So buy business laptops with Pro, or have Home upgraded first.
Intune: the laptop is managed through Intune. That is included in Microsoft 365 Business Premium, among others, but not in Business Basic or Standard. Read more in which Microsoft 365 licence an SME should choose.
Registered laptops: the hardware ID must be in your environment. For new laptops, the supplier or your IT partner can do this at purchase. Existing laptops can also be registered afterwards by reading out the hardware ID and uploading it.
A profile and a baseline configuration: in Intune you define how the first start-up goes and which settings, security and apps every laptop gets.

Step 1: decide what a standard workplace looks like

Autopilot is only as good as the configuration behind it. First record what every laptop needs at a minimum: BitLocker encryption, Windows updates through a fixed policy, Microsoft 365 Apps, the standard business apps and the right printer or scan settings. Start small with what everyone needs, and only then add apps per department. Also read how to arrange BitLocker through Intune and set up device compliance.

Step 2: set up the Autopilot profile

In the profile you choose which questions the employee still gets at first start-up. Language, keyboard and the licence terms can be filled in beforehand, so the employee only connects to Wi-Fi and signs in. Also choose whether the user becomes a local administrator. For most SMEs the answer is no: standard users without admin rights make life much harder for attackers. Read more about local admin rights on laptops.

Step 3: arrange registration at purchase

The biggest gain is in purchasing. Agree with your supplier or IT partner that every new business laptop is registered in your Autopilot environment straight away. Then the laptop can go directly to the employee, even if they work from home, without anyone opening it first. When a laptop later leaves the organisation, because it is sold or returned to the supplier, remove the registration. Otherwise it stays linked to your organisation.

Step 4: test with one laptop and a test user

Test the profile first with one laptop and a test account before a new colleague starts with it. Pay attention to how long the setup takes, whether all apps arrive properly and whether the laptop then meets your compliance policy. A setup that hangs is usually caused by one app that will not install; it is better to take that one off the required list.

Where it goes wrong in practice

Windows Home: a budget laptop from a shop often has Home. It has to move to Pro before Autopilot works.
Not registered: the laptop was bought without registration, and then simply starts up as a personal laptop.
Too many required apps: the more that has to install during first start-up, the longer it takes and the greater the chance it gets stuck.
Old laptops not deregistered: a sold laptop is still in your name, and the new owner sees your sign-in screen.

Autopilot also helps with reuse: with an Autopilot reset you wipe the laptop of a departed colleague and make it ready for the next one, without registering it again. Read more in replacing laptops and planning the workplace.

How Floor ICT handles this

Floor ICT works with you to define a standard workplace and prepares it in Intune, with security, updates and the apps your people need. We set up the Autopilot profile, arrange for new laptops to be registered at purchase and test every change on a test laptop. When a new colleague starts, the laptop goes straight to them. When someone leaves, we reset the laptop for the next user, and when a laptop is sold or disposed of, we remove the registration.

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