Trigger a manual sync
Trigger a manual sync
ADAdmin syncs to connected platforms automatically on a schedule. For urgent changes — a new starter who needs access immediately, or a fix that must propagate quickly — you can trigger a sync manually.
Quick run (Sync status → Quick run) is the one place to do this for any integration — Google Workspace, Microsoft Entra, Google Classroom, Apple School Manager, or Active Directory — whether you need it for the school you're currently working in, or for every school across the MAT at once (one independent run per school, so you can see exactly which schools succeeded).
Before you start
- You must be a school admin with permission to run syncs (the "Run syncs & provisioning" capability).
- Per-school mode runs the integration for the active school only; MAT Overview mode lets you pick which authorised schools to include.
Steps
Step 1 — Open Sync status {#step-1}
Select Sync status in the left sidebar, then Quick run.
Step 2 — Choose your schools {#step-2}
In per-school mode, Quick run always targets the school you're currently working in. In MAT Overview mode, tick the schools you want to include (or Select all) — each ticked school gets its own independent run.
Step 3 — Choose the integration {#step-3}
Pick one integration from the list (Google Workspace, Microsoft Entra, Google Classroom, Apple School Manager, or Active Directory). Integrations the school hasn't turned on, or that were run too recently, are shown but can't be selected.
Step 4 — Run it {#step-4}
Select Run now. A confirmation prompt appears. Confirm to trigger the run.
Step 5 — Monitor progress {#step-5}
Google, Microsoft Entra and Google Classroom runs appear on the Provisioning runs page once they start, with status and duration as they complete. Active Directory activity shows in the logs; Apple exports are generated and handed over by SFTP straight away, so there's nothing further to watch for that one.
A manual run typically takes 1–5 minutes depending on the number of changes queued.
Notes
- Triggering a manual run does not skip any changes — it processes whatever is due at that moment.
- Each integration has its own independent cool-down between manual runs (a few hours by default) — one platform being unavailable never blocks another.
- A MAT-wide run queues one independent run per school, never a single combined "MAT run" — so you can see exactly which schools succeeded and which were skipped (not enabled, or still cooling down).
- If a sync is already running, the trigger may be delayed or merged with the current run.
Troubleshooting
- "I ran a manual sync and nothing reached Google or Entra" — check the Users page for a Cloud sync is paused banner. During the annual pause a manual run changes nothing on your platforms; see Cloud sync is paused.
- "The Sync now button is greyed out" — a sync may already be in progress, or the platform may not be enabled for this school.
- "Errors appear in the log after the manual sync" — see User not syncing — troubleshooting for help diagnosing specific errors.