Remove Microsoft Entra role assignments

This article describes how to remove Microsoft Entra role assignments using the Microsoft Entra admin center, Microsoft Graph PowerShell, or Microsoft Graph API.

You can remove both direct and indirect role assignments for a user. If a user is assigned a role by a group membership, remove the user from the group to remove the role assignment. For more information, see Use Microsoft Entra groups to manage role assignments.

Microsoft Entra roles in PIM

If you have a Microsoft Entra ID P2 license and Privileged Identity Management (PIM), you have additional capabilities for role assignments. For information about removing Microsoft Entra role assignments in PIM, see these articles:

Method	Information
Microsoft Entra admin center	Update or remove an existing role assignment in PIM
Microsoft Graph PowerShell	Remove an eligible assignment
Microsoft Graph API	Manage Microsoft Entra role assignments using PIM APIs Remove eligible assignment via Microsoft Graph API

Prerequisites

• Microsoft Entra ID P1 or P2 license
• Privileged Role Administrator
• Microsoft Graph PowerShell module when using PowerShell
• Admin consent when using Graph explorer for Microsoft Graph API

For more information, see Prerequisites to use PowerShell or Graph Explorer.

Remove Microsoft Entra role assignments

Admin center

1. Sign in to the Microsoft Entra admin center as at least a Privileged Role Administrator.

2. Browse to Identity > Roles & admins > Roles & admins.

3. Select a role name to open the role.

4. Add a check mark next to the users or groups from which you want to remove the role assignment.

5. Select Remove assignment.

   If your experience is different than the following screenshot, you might have Microsoft Entra ID P2 and PIM. For more information, see Update or remove an existing role assignment in PIM.

   

6. When asked to confirm your action, select Yes.

PowerShell

Use the Remove-MgRoleManagementDirectoryRoleAssignment command to remove role assignments.

Remove-MgRoleManagementDirectoryRoleAssignment -UnifiedRoleAssignmentId $roleAssignment.Id

Graph API

Use the Delete unifiedRoleAssignment API to remove role assignments.

Remove a role assignment for a user

DELETE https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/roleManagement/directory/roleAssignments/lAPpYvVpN0KRkAEhdxReEJC2sEqbR_9Hr48lds9SGHI-1

Response

HTTP/1.1 204 No Content

Remove a role assignment that no longer exists

DELETE https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/roleManagement/directory/roleAssignments/lAPpYvVpN0KRkAEhdxReEJC2sEqbR_9Hr48lds9SGHI-1

Response

HTTP/1.1 404 Not Found

Remove a Global Administrator role assignment for the current user

DELETE https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/roleManagement/directory/roleAssignments/lAPpYvVpN0KRkAEhdxReEJC2sEqbR_9Hr48lds9SGHI-1

Response

HTTP/1.1 400 Bad Request
{
    "odata.error":
    {
        "code":"Request_BadRequest",
        "message":
        {
            "lang":"en",
            "value":"Removing self from Global Administrator built-in role is not allowed"},
            "values":null
        }
    }
}

You are prevented from removing your own Global Administrator role assignment to avoid a scenario where a tenant has zero Global Administrators. Removing other roles assigned to yourself is allowed.

Next steps

• Update or remove an existing role assignment in PIM
• Troubleshoot Microsoft Entra roles assigned to groups