Windows Autopilot Part 2: Register Devices & Create Profiles

In Part 1, we set up our prerequisites. Now it’s time to register your first device in Intune and create a deployment profile that tells Autopilot how to configure new PCs.

Let’s dive in!

Understanding the Hardware Hash

Before we register a device, you need to understand what Autopilot actually needs. Each Windows device has a unique identifier called a hardware hash — a long string of characters that identifies that specific machine.

Autopilot uses this hash to:

1. Identify the device uniquely
2. Look up which profile to apply
3. Enroll it in your Intune tenant

💡 Tip: Think of the hardware hash like a serial number that Intune uses to recognize and claim the device.

Method 1: Automatic Registration (From OEM)

If you’re buying new devices from major manufacturers like Dell, HP, or Lenovo, you can skip the manual registration! These OEMs automatically submit their devices to Microsoft, and you can claim them in Intune.

How to claim OEM devices:

1. Go to Devices → Windows → Windows devices in Endpoint Manager
2. Click Add and select Search OEM devices
3. The devices will appear — just claim them!

This is the easiest method for purchasing new hardware.

Method 2: Manual Registration (Using PowerShell)

For testing, used devices, or devices not registered by an OEM, you’ll need to gather the hardware hash manually.

Step 1: Install the AutoPilot Script

On the Windows device you want to register (it should be running Windows 10/11 and have network access):

# Open PowerShell as Administrator and run:
Install-Script -Name Get-WindowsAutoPilotInfo -Scope CurrentUser

When prompted to install NuGet, type Y and press Enter.

Step 2: Generate the Hardware Hash

Now run the script to capture the hardware hash:

# Generate the CSV file
Get-WindowsAutoPilotInfo -Computer . -OutputFile autopilot.csv

Screenshot: PowerShell script running and generating the CSV file

This creates a file called autopilot.csv in your current folder. Open it — you should see something like:

Screenshot: Contents of autopilot.csv showing hardware hash, serial number, etc.

The CSV contains:

• Device Serial Number
• Windows Product ID
• Hardware Hash (the important part!)
• Make/Model

Step-by-Step: Import Devices to Intune

Now let’s get that CSV into Intune.

1. Open the Microsoft Endpoint Manager admin center
2. Go to Devices → Windows → Windows devices
3. Click Add
4. Select Import Windows devices

Screenshot: Intune device import page

5. Click Browse and select your autopilot.csv file
6. Click Import

Screenshot: Upload CSV file to Intune

Wait a minute or two for the import to complete. You should see a success message when done.

💡 Tip: You can import multiple devices at once — just add more rows to your CSV file!

Create an Autopilot Deployment Profile

Now for the magic — the deployment profile tells Autopilot how to set up the device. Let’s create one.

1. In Endpoint Manager, go to Devices → Windows → Autopilot deployment profiles
2. Click Create profile
3. Select Windows PC

Screenshot: Profile creation wizard - getting started

Step 1: Basics

Fill in the basics:

• Name: Standard User Profile (or whatever makes sense)
• Description: Default profile for standard user devices

Click Next.

Step 2: Out-of-Box Experience (OOBE)

This is where you configure what the user sees during setup:

Setting	Recommended Value	Why
Deployment mode	User-driven	User sets up their own device
Join to	Azure AD joined	Modern cloud management
Language (OS)	Match hardware	Uses the keyboard/language detected
Hide change account options	Yes	Keeps experience simple
Hide privacy settings	Yes	Reduces user clicks
Skip Cortana	Yes	Faster setup
OEM Registration	Skip	We’re using Intune
Auto-logon	Disable	Security best practice

Screenshot: Profile creation wizard - OOBE settings

For Keyboard, you can:

• Leave blank (uses detected keyboard)
• Add a primary keyboard (e.g., US English)
• Add a login keyboard if different

Click Next → Create to save your profile.

Screenshot: Profile created successfully

Assign the Profile to Devices

Your profile is created, but it’s not attached to any devices yet. Let’s fix that.

1. Go to Devices → Windows → Autopilot deployment profiles
2. Select your new profile
3. Click Assign

Screenshot: Assignment blade

4. Choose one of these options:
   • Select groups — assign to a specific Azure AD group
   • All devices — every Autopilot device gets this profile

💡 Tip: For testing, create a small Azure AD group called “Autopilot Test Devices” and assign only a few devices to it. This lets you validate before rolling out to everyone.

Screenshot: Profile assigned to devices

Verify the Assignment

After assigning, your devices should show up in the profile’s device list. You can check this by:

1. Opening the profile
2. Looking at the Devices tab

It may take a few minutes for the assignment to propagate.

Quick Recap

In this part, you learned:

• ✅ What a hardware hash is
• ✅ How to get the hardware hash using PowerShell
• ✅ How to import devices into Intune
• ✅ How to create an Autopilot deployment profile
• ✅ How to assign the profile to devices

What’s Next?

In Part 3, we’ll actually test the deployment, verify the device enrolls correctly, and troubleshoot common issues that might come up.

Questions? Let me know in the comments!