The policy never arrived. Or did it?

1. Read the ticket

Success means choosing the right investigation branch and writing a defensible next action. You do not need to remove any application to complete this case.

Start a private case worksheet. Record the device, policy, exact setting, OS edition/build, last check-in and report time. Keep identities and raw diagnostics outside public screenshots.

2. Read the status before pressing Sync

Open Intune admin center → Devices → All devices → your pilot → Device configuration. Find the exact profile and open its per-setting result.

The removal profile is present and reports Not applicable. Other profiles, including LAPS, report Succeeded. This is different from an absent policy or a device that has stopped checking in.

3. Check applicability against the device

On the same device, open Overview → Device details → Operating system. Match the device record before comparing results.

The Microsoft CSP applicability table excludes Pro for this setting. Microsoft’s Windows 11 25H2 guidance describes policy-based inbox app removal for Enterprise and Education. A newer OS build does not override the edition requirement.

4. Use the right branch for a genuinely missing policy

If your own profile is absent rather than Not applicable, follow this sequence. Record the answer at each stage before changing anything.

1. Assignment: go to Devices → Configuration → profile → Properties → Assignments. Check included and excluded groups and actual membership. Keep group exclusions in the same context: user groups with user groups, device groups with device groups. Intune does not infer user-to-device relationships to apply a cross-type exclusion. For a policy assigned to users, use a device assignment filter to refine which of their devices qualify. Scope tags control administration and visibility, not deployment targeting. Microsoft assignment guidance.
2. Filters: open Devices → All devices → pilot → Filter evaluation. Read the mode and result together:

   Filter mode	Evaluation result	Effect on this assignment
   Include	Match	The device passes the filter.
   Include	No match	The device is filtered out.
   Exclude	Match	The device is filtered out.
   Exclude	No match	The device passes the filter.

   This table describes one otherwise eligible assignment. Passing a filter does not prove that the setting is supported, delivered or successfully applied. If assignments overlap, use Microsoft’s filter conflict-resolution rules before deciding the overall outcome.

   Compare Evaluation time with Last modified: the displayed filter name and rules reflect the current configuration and may have changed since that evaluation. Filter reporting can lag. Microsoft filter troubleshooting.

3. Contact: compare the last check-in with the policy change. An offline device cannot process the new assignment. Regular maintenance sync is typically around eight hours; initial enrollment and change notifications follow different timing. Microsoft timing guidance.
4. One controlled refresh: if appropriate, request a device Sync and record when it was requested. Then verify a newer check-in, a new per-setting result and the endpoint behaviour. A successful Sync request is not proof the setting succeeded.
5. Endpoint evidence: if the supported, correctly targeted setting still fails, collect its error and the relevant MDM events from Event Viewer → Applications and Services Logs → Microsoft → Windows → DeviceManagement-Enterprise-Diagnostics-Provider → Admin. Correlate the setting and time; do not reset enrollment as the first step.

5. Close the diagnosis and define the retest

If you change the deployment later, define these acceptance criteria first:

• The pilot’s edition/build and the setting’s current support requirements match.
• The intended assignment applies, with no unexpected exclusions or conflicts.
• A fresh per-setting result and the actual endpoint behaviour both match the requirement.
• The rollback is documented for the chosen removal method. Do not assume unassigning a removal policy reinstalls removed apps.

Microsoft references

Checked 6 November 2026. Portal labels and product behaviour can change; follow the linked applicability and permissions guidance for your environment.

1. ApplicationManagement CSP: RemoveDefaultMicrosoftStorePackages
2. What’s new in Windows 11, version 25H2
3. Assign device profiles
4. Troubleshoot assignment filters
5. Troubleshoot device profiles