Missing Intune apps? Force a Company Portal sync before you reinstall

A common help desk ticket: the user enrolled their work laptop, but the required apps or configuration policies never showed up. Before you wipe the device or reinstall Company Portal, force an Intune check-in. Many of these tickets are just a delayed sync.

Why this happens

Intune does not push every change the second an admin assigns an app. Devices check in on a schedule. If the user just enrolled, was offline, or the assignment was added after enrollment, the PC may still be waiting for its next check-in. A manual sync asks the device to talk to Intune now.

Steps on the device

1. On the Windows PC, open Company Portal (search for it in the Start menu).
2. Open Settings, or go to the device details and look for Check status / Sync.
3. Start the sync and wait a few minutes. Keep the PC online and unlocked while it runs.
4. Go back to Apps (or the Home view) and confirm the missing app or policy appears, then install if needed.

If Company Portal itself is missing, the device may not be enrolled correctly. That is a different problem than a slow sync.

What to check if it still fails

• Confirm the user has an Intune / Microsoft 365 license that includes device management.
• In the Intune admin center, find the device and check that it is healthy and checking in.
• Confirm the app or configuration profile is assigned to a group that includes this user or device.
• Ask when the assignment was made. A brand-new assignment can take a short while to appear even after a sync.

Optional: trigger a sync from the admin side

Admins can also request a sync from the Intune admin center for a specific device (Devices → select the device → Sync). That is useful when you are already in the portal troubleshooting with the user.

Quick PowerShell check (device side)

On a managed Windows device, you can also see recent MDM activity in Event Viewer under Applications and Services Logs → Microsoft → Windows → DeviceManagement-Enterprise-Diagnostics-Provider. For a simple status check from an elevated prompt:

Get-ScheduledTask -TaskPath "\Microsoft\Windows\EnterpriseMgmt\" | Select-Object TaskName, State

That is optional. For most tickets, Company Portal → Sync is enough.

Takeaway

When apps or policies are “missing” after enrollment, sync first. Reimaging or reinstalling Company Portal should be later steps, not the first ones. A check-in often closes the ticket without extra pain for the user.