Edge sync not working for my work account – CSP says RMS requires extra licensing, but Microsoft docs say Business Basic should work

Hi @Gabriel Lozano-Moran
Thanks for sharing the detailed information - this helps a lot.

From the error “MIP service disabled”, this indicates that Microsoft Information Protection (RMS) is currently not activated in your tenant. Edge Enterprise Sync depends on this service for work account sync.

While Microsoft 365 Business Basic supports Edge sync, in some older tenants the RMS service is not automatically provisioned, and manual activation may be required. In CSP-managed tenants, this activation is sometimes restricted and needs to be handled through Microsoft support or tenant provisioning teams.

Since the Connect-AipService command is also failing, this suggests the service is not yet enabled at the tenant level rather than a licensing issue alone.

At this point, the recommended next step would be to:

• Confirm with your CSP whether the Rights Management service is provisioned in the tenant
• If not, request them to raise a Microsoft support ticket for RMS service activation / provisioning

Also, if you can share:

• Tenant creation timeframe
• Whether any AIP / Purview / Premium license was previously assigned

This will help validate the exact scenario.

Thanks.

1. Microsoft 365 Business Basic can support Microsoft Edge sync for a work account, but only if Microsoft Purview Rights Management (RMS) is enabled in the tenant. The Edge enterprise sync documentation states that:
   • Microsoft Edge sync for Microsoft Entra accounts is available for Microsoft 365 Business Premium, Business Standard, or Business Basic.
   • For Business Basic and Business Standard tenants created before 2021, Microsoft Purview Rights Management Service (RMS_S_BASIC) may need to be enabled for sync to work.
   • Without RMS, sync features such as passwords, favorites, and settings may fail silently, even when the license appears valid.
2. For older tenants, RMS_S_BASIC is expected to be activatable without upgrading to Business Premium/E3/E5, provided the tenant has a supported subscription. The documentation explicitly notes that:
   • Microsoft 365 Business Basic or Business Standard can support Microsoft Edge sync, but tenants created before 2021 need to have Microsoft Purview Rights Management Service (RMS_S_BASIC) enabled.
   • Customers can check if RMS is enabled using Get-AipServiceConfiguration and can enable RMS using Enable-AipService from the AIPService PowerShell module.
   • When RMS is enabled for a tenant, all users can sync Microsoft Edge data, regardless of licensing.
   This implies that RMS_S_BASIC is intended to be available for eligible Business Basic/Standard tenants without requiring an upgrade to Business Premium/E3/E5.
3. The CSP’s statement conflicts with the documented Edge sync requirements. The CSP’s claim that Rights Management can only be activated with E3/E5/Business Premium/EMS/AIP P1/P2 contradicts the Edge enterprise sync documentation, which:
   • Lists Microsoft 365 Business Basic and Business Standard as supported environments (with RMS enabled for older tenants).
   • States that when RMS is enabled, all users in the tenant can sync Edge data regardless of licensing.
   Based on this documentation, the CSP’s licensing restriction appears incomplete or misaligned with the documented Edge sync scenario for Business Basic/Standard tenants.
4. Supported ways to verify/activate RMS when Connect-AipService fails are limited to what is documented; if those fail, escalation to Microsoft support is required. The documented path to verify and enable RMS is:
   • Install and use the AIPService PowerShell module.
   • Use Get-AipServiceConfiguration to check RMS status.
   • Use Enable-AipService to activate RMS if it is not enabled.
   • Confirm that RMS is not scoped via onboarding policy using Get-AIPServiceOnboardingControlPolicy, and adjust scoping with Set-AipServiceOnboardingControlPolicy if needed.
   • Confirm that IPCv3Service is enabled using Get-AIPServiceConfiguration.
   For Edge sync specifically, the troubleshooting guidance is:
   • Verify the tenant has a supported subscription as listed in the Edge enterprise sync documentation.
   • Verify that RMS is active; if necessary, activate it following “Activating the protection service from Azure Information Protection”.
   • If RMS is active but sync still does not work, temporarily enable Enterprise State Roaming (ESR) in Microsoft Entra ID; ESR does not need to stay on if this step fixes the issue.
   • Confirm that RMS is not scoped to a subset of users via onboarding policy.
   • Confirm that IPCv3Service is turned on.
   • If the issue is still not fixed, contact Microsoft Edge support.
   There is no additional supported mechanism in the documentation to bypass AIPService/PowerShell for RMS activation. If Connect-AipService itself fails and the tenant meets the documented subscription requirements, the next supported step is to open a support case with Microsoft (for example via Edge support or Microsoft 365/Azure support) so that the service configuration and RMS activation can be corrected on the backend.

Summary for the described situation:

• Microsoft 365 Business Basic is documented as sufficient for Edge sync, provided RMS is enabled.
• For older tenants, RMS_S_BASIC is expected to be activatable without requiring an upgrade to Business Premium/E3/E5.
• The CSP’s assertion that only higher-tier licenses can activate Rights Management does not align with the Edge enterprise sync documentation for Business Basic/Standard.
• When Connect-AipService fails despite having a supported subscription, the documented next step is escalation to Microsoft support to resolve the Azure Information Protection/RMS service configuration so that Edge sync can be enabled.

References:

• Configure Microsoft Edge enterprise sync
• Diagnose and fix Microsoft Edge sync issues