> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.easy2patch.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.easy2patch.com/managing-easy2patch/easy2patch-4.0/macos-apps/auto-assignment.md).

# Auto Assignment

**Auto Assignment** decides whether the application is assigned to your Entra ID (Azure) groups automatically once publishing has finished. It is the macOS equivalent of "deploy it after you publish it", and it is found on **Settings › Deployment Settings › Intune Deployment**.

{% hint style="info" %}
Publishing and assigning are two separate steps. **Publishing** creates the application in Intune and uploads the package. **Assigning** is what makes the application reach devices. An application that was published but never assigned exists in Intune and does nothing.
{% endhint %}

### What happens when it is on

1. The product is published — either as a new application, or over the existing one, depending on Publish Options.
2. If publishing succeeded (or the application was already present in Intune), Easy2Patch creates the assignment.
3. The assignment targets every **Azure Group** listed in the Intune deployment settings.
4. **Deployment Purpose** and **End User Notifications** are read at this point — see Deployment Purpose and Notifications.

If publishing fails, the assignment step does not run at all. Easy2Patch never assigns an application whose content did not reach Intune.

### What happens when it is off

The application is created in Intune, the package is uploaded, the bundle identifiers and the minimum operating system are set — and no assignment is created. The application sits in the tenant, correct and unassigned, until you assign it by hand in the Intune portal or until you run **Deploy** from Easy2Patch.

### Three limits worth knowing

#### It does not restrict the manual Deploy button

Auto Assignment governs the **publish flow** only. When you select products and press **Deploy**, the assignment is created regardless of this setting. The setting exists to answer "assign automatically after publishing", not to forbid assignment.

Conversely, **Publish** sends the application without assigning it, even when Auto Assignment is on.

| Button        | Publishes | Assigns                                                        |
| ------------- | --------- | -------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Publish**   | Yes       | No — regardless of the Auto Assignment setting                 |
| **Deploy**    | Yes       | Yes — regardless of the Auto Assignment setting                |
| Scheduled run | Yes       | Only if Auto Assignment (or the product's own setting) says so |

#### The scheduled run goes through the same gate

This is where the setting makes the most difference. The unattended publish that runs on your schedule has no operator to press **Deploy**; whether it assigns or not is decided entirely by Auto Assignment and by the per-application setting below.

#### The application setting wins over the global one

If a product has **Application Custom Settings**, its own **Auto Deploy** value is used and the global Auto Assignment setting is ignored for that product — in both directions. A product can be excluded from automatic assignment while the global setting is on, and included while the global setting is off.

Products without custom settings follow the global Auto Assignment value.

### Azure Groups must not be empty

Auto Assignment with no groups selected has nothing to assign to. The publish still completes, but the assignment step fails and the failure is written to the log.

{% hint style="warning" %}
Check the **Azure Groups** list before the first scheduled run. An empty list is the most common reason for "it published but nothing arrived".
{% endhint %}

### Related pages

* [Deployment Purpose and Notifications](/managing-easy2patch/easy2patch-4.0/macos-apps/deployment-purpose-and-notifications.md)
* [Publish Options and Retire](/managing-easy2patch/easy2patch-4.0/macos-apps/publish-options-and-retire.md)
* [Configuration Recommendations](/managing-easy2patch/easy2patch-4.0/macos-apps/configuration-recommendations.md)