Bulk Remove All Licenses from Multiple M365 Users via Microsoft Graph

Removing licenses from users is a routine but high-impact task. Common triggers include offboarding, role changes, cost optimization reviews, converting users to shared mailboxes, or reclaiming unused SKUs flagged in a license utilization report.

The Microsoft 365 Admin Center supports this one user at a time, but when you have a list of 5, 50, or 500 users, a scripted approach against Microsoft Graph is far faster and auditable. This recipe walks through the full pattern: resolve each UPN to a user ID, enumerate currently assigned SKUs via licenseDetails, then POST to /users/{id}/assignLicense with the SKUs in removeLicenses.

Run this when you have a confirmed list of UPNs and you intend to remove all direct license assignments from those users. Licenses inherited from group-based licensing cannot be removed with this call — you must remove the user from the licensing group instead.

After completing this recipe you will have:

• Verified each target user exists and resolved their object ID
• A snapshot of every SKU assigned directly to each user (for rollback if needed)
• All direct license assignments removed from the specified users
• Released SKU seats returned to your tenant's available pool
• A log/report of successes and failures per user

Warnings and gotchas

• Data loss risk: Removing an Exchange Online license starts a 30-day grace period, after which the mailbox is permanently deleted. Removing OneDrive licenses similarly triggers retention timers. Do not run against active users without a plan.
• Group-based licenses: assignLicense with removeLicenses only removes direct assignments. If the user inherits the same SKU via a group, it will be reassigned immediately. Check assignedByGroup on each licenseDetails entry.
• Teams and SharePoint access: Users will lose access to Teams, SharePoint, and most M365 services immediately after license removal.
• Always capture a before-state of assigned SKUs so you can re-add them if removal was in error.
• Test with one user first before running against the full list.
• $expand=licenseDetails on /users is not supported by Graph — you must fetch licenseDetails per user in a separate call or via $batch.