MD-102 Manage and maintain devices Practice Question
A help desk technician reports that a Windows 11 device enrolled in Microsoft Intune has not received a newly assigned configuration profile. The device shows as compliant in the admin center. You need to force the device to check in with Intune immediately. What should you do?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often confuse diagnostic or destructive device actions with the Sync action that actually triggers a policy refresh.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
From the device overview in the Intune admin center, select Sync to trigger a check-in
The Sync action in the Intune admin center sends a remote check-in request to the device, causing it to contact the service and apply any pending policies or profiles. It is the correct, non-destructive way to force an immediate check-in when a device appears healthy but has not yet received a newly assigned configuration. Other device actions such as Retire or Fresh Start are destructive and unrelated to policy refresh.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
From the device overview, select Retire to remove corporate data and force a re-enrollment
Why it's wrong here
Retire removes corporate data and management from the device, which is a destructive action intended for decommissioning or BYOD offboarding. It does not force a policy check-in and would cause the device to lose its enrollment and any assigned profiles. Using Retire here would create a much larger problem than the missing configuration profile, so it is not appropriate.
- ✓
From the device overview in the Intune admin center, select Sync to trigger a check-in
Why this is correct
The Sync action on the device overview sends a push notification through the Windows Push Notification Service to the device, prompting the Intune Management Extension and MDM channel to check in immediately and pull new policies. This is the standard administrative action to force a check-in without waiting for the scheduled interval, and it directly addresses the scenario of a newly assigned profile not yet applied.
- ✗
From the device overview, select Collect diagnostics to gather logs and force a policy refresh
Why it's wrong here
Collect diagnostics gathers logs from the device for troubleshooting and uploads them to Intune, but it does not trigger a policy refresh or a check-in. It is a diagnostic tool, not a remediation action. While useful for investigating why a profile was not applied, it does not force the device to contact the service and pull the new configuration, so it does not meet the scenario's requirement.
- ✗
From the device overview, select Fresh Start to reset the device and reapply all policies
Why it's wrong here
Fresh Start removes pre-installed apps and reinstalls Windows, effectively wiping user data and settings. It is used for repurposing devices or removing OEM bloatware, not for triggering a policy check-in. Applying Fresh Start to resolve a missing profile would be a disproportionate and destructive action that disrupts the user and does not address the underlying check-in issue.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Configuring Compliance Policies
Key term
Policy
A policy is a set of rules or guidelines that defines how an organization manages, secures, and operates its IT systems and services.
Key term
Fresh Start
Fresh Start is a Windows deployment and recovery feature that reinstalls Windows while removing all pre-installed manufacturer applications, aiming to restore the operating system to a clean, original state.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Microsoft exam blueprint
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