SmartAD uses Microsoft Azure AD (Entra ID) for authentication. This means you sign in with the same Microsoft account you use for your organization's email, Teams, and other Microsoft 365 apps.

Sign-In Steps

First-Time Users (Invitation)

If you received an invitation link from your administrator, click on it to register your account with SmartAD. The invitation link contains a unique code that authorizes your Microsoft account for access. Once processed, you'll see a confirmation message and can begin using the application.

Trouble Signing In?

If you're having trouble, check the following:

The Dashboard is the first page you see after logging in. It gives you a high-level overview of your directory and provides shortcuts to common tasks.

Dashboard Overview

Statistics Cards

At the top of the Dashboard, you'll see summary cards showing:

Quick Actions

Below the statistics, you'll find shortcut buttons for common tasks:

Recent Activity

The bottom section shows your most recent actions (user creation, group modifications, etc.) so you can quickly review recent changes or undo them.

The Users section allows you to manage all the user accounts in your organization's Active Directory. Changes made here are synchronized to your AD in real time.

Viewing Users

Navigate to Users in the left sidebar to see a searchable, paginated list of all users. You can search by name, email, or other attributes. Click any user to view their full profile.

Creating a New User

Editing a User

Click on any user from the list to open their profile. You can modify their attributes (name, email, department, etc.), change their OU, add or remove group memberships, and assign or revoke roles. Click Save to apply changes.

Disabling & Removing Users

Rather than permanently deleting user accounts, SmartAD supports two levels of removal:

User Profile Details

Each user profile displays their AD attributes, current group memberships (with the ability to see which Smart Group rules caused the membership), assigned roles, and a hover tooltip preview that appears when you hover over a user link anywhere in the app.

SmartAD works with two kinds of groups: Static Groups managed directly in your Active Directory, and Smart Groups whose membership is determined automatically by rules you define.

Static Groups (AD-Managed)

These are regular Active Directory groups that already exist in your organization. SmartAD mirrors them so you can view their members, but their membership is managed by your AD administrators or other tools. SmartAD displays them with their type (Security or Distribution) and scope (Global, Domain Local, or Universal).

Smart Groups

Smart Groups are the core feature of SmartAD. They let you define membership rules — for example, "all users in the IT department" or "all Engineers in Seattle" — and SmartAD will automatically keep the group membership up to date as user attributes change.

Creating a Smart Group

Editing a Smart Group

Open any Smart Group to modify its name, properties, or membership rules. After saving, SmartAD re-evaluates the rules and updates membership. The Members section shows the current list of users who match the rules.

Deleting a Smart Group

At the bottom of the Smart Group edit page, you'll find a Danger Zone section with a Delete button. Deleting a Smart Group removes it and its membership rules. A confirmation dialog will appear before the action is executed. This action can be undone from the Activity log.

Smart Group membership is determined by expressions — logical rules that match users based on their attributes, identities, or membership in other groups. The rule builder in the web app provides a visual interface, but understanding the underlying logic helps you create powerful rules.

Rule Structure

Every Smart Group expression follows a simple pattern:

A rule is made up of terms joined by OR. Each term is made up of factors joined by AND. A user matches the group if they match any of the terms (i.e., all factors within at least one term).

Factor Types

There are four types of factors you can use in your rules:

Example Expressions

All users in the IT department

Engineers in Seattle OR all members of the DevOps group

All users plus a specific individual

Using the Visual Rule Builder

You don't need to type expressions manually. The Smart Group edit page provides a visual builder where you can:

The Roles module (available when enabled for your tenant) allows you to create named roles and assign them to users. Roles are built on top of Smart Groups, so role membership follows the same dynamic rules engine.

What Is a Role?

A Role in SmartAD is essentially a Smart Group that is designated as a role. It carries the same dynamic membership capabilities but is displayed separately in the interface under the Roles section, making it easier to manage organizational access levels.

Managing Roles

Roles on User Profiles

When viewing or editing a user, the Roles & Permissions section shows all roles the user is currently assigned to. Roles are visually tagged — existing roles appear muted, newly added roles appear highlighted in green, and roles marked for removal appear in red. You can toggle role assignments and save the user to apply changes.

SmartAD records every significant action performed through the system. This provides a full audit trail and, crucially, the ability to undo actions when mistakes happen.

Viewing the Activity Log

Navigate to Activities in the sidebar to see a chronological list of all actions. Each entry shows the action type, who performed it, when it happened, and its current status.

Action Types

Undoing an Action

Most actions in SmartAD can be undone. To reverse a change:

The Security page (under Admin in the sidebar) is where Smart Admins manage who has access to the SmartAD platform and what permissions each user has.

Authorized Users

The Authorized Users list shows everyone who currently has access to SmartAD. Each user displays their name, email, and current permission level.

Inviting New Users

Managing Permissions

Click on any authorized user to open the permissions dialog. You can configure:

Managing Invitations

The Invitations tab shows all pending invitations. You can view the link, copy it again, or delete invitations that are no longer needed.

Removing Access

To remove a user's access to SmartAD, click the delete button next to their name in the Authorized Users list. This does not affect their Active Directory account — it only removes their ability to log in to SmartAD.

The Configuration page allows Smart Admins to manage system settings that affect how SmartAD operates. Settings are organized into sections.

Email Settings

Configure how SmartAD sends email notifications. Settings are grouped by section and typically include:

Editing Configuration Values

Each configuration item displays its name, description, and one or more editable values. Some values are simple text fields, while others (like email templates) use a rich-text editor. After making changes, click Save on each section to apply.

Frequently Asked Questions

Troubleshooting