---
title: Manage unassociated machines
description: Learn how to manage unassociated machines using the Docker Admin Console
keywords: unassociated machines, insights, manage users, enforce sign-in
sitemap: false
pagefind_exclude: true
noindex: true
params:
    sidebar:
        group: Enterprise
---

{{% restricted title="About unassociated machines" %}}
Unassociated machines is a private feature that may not be available to all
accounts.
{{% /restricted %}}

Docker administrators can identify, view, and manage Docker Desktop machines
that are likely associated with their organization but aren't currently linked
to user accounts. This self-service capability helps you understand Docker
Desktop usage across your organization and streamline user onboarding without
IT involvement.

## Prerequisites

- Docker Business or Team subscription
- Organization owner access to your Docker organization

## About unassociated machines

Unassociated machines are Docker Desktop instances that Docker has identified
as likely belonging to your organization based on usage patterns, but the users
are not signed in to Docker Desktop with an account that is part of your
organization.

## How Docker identifies unassociated machines

Docker uses telemetry data to identify which machines likely belong to your
organization:

- Domain matching: Users signed in with email domains associated with your
organization
- Registry patterns: Analysis of container registry access patterns that
indicate organizational usage

## View unassociated machines

To see detailed information about unassociated machines:

1. Sign in to the [Admin Console](https://app.docker.com/admin) and select
your organization.
1. In **User management**, select **Unassociated**.

The machine list displays:

- Machine ID (Docker-generated identifier)
- The registry address used to predict whether a user is part of your
organization
- User email (only displays if the user is signed into Docker Desktop while
using it)
- Docker Desktop version
- Operating system (OS)
- Last activity date
- Sign-in enforced status

You can:

- Export the list as CSV
- Take actions on individual or multiple machines

## Enable sign-in enforcement for unassociated machines

> [!NOTE]
>
> Sign-in enforcement for unassociated machines is different from
the [organization-level sign-in enforcement](/enterprise/security/enforce-sign-in/)
available through `registry.json` and configuration profiles. This sign-in
enforcement only requires users to sign in so admins can identify who is
using the machine, meaning users can sign in with any email address. For more
stringent security controls that limit sign-ins to users who are already part
of your organization, see [Enforce sign-in](/enterprise/security/enforce-sign-in/).

Sign-in enforcement helps you identify who is using unassociated machines in
your organization. When you enable enforcement, users on these machines will
be required to sign in to Docker Desktop. Once they sign in, their email
addresses will appear in the Unassociated list, allowing you to then add them
to your organization.

You can enable sign-in enforcement using two methods:

- For all unassociated machines in your organization
- For individual unassociated machines

> [!IMPORTANT]
>
> Sign-in enforcement only takes effect after Docker Desktop is restarted.
Users can continue using Docker Desktop until their next restart.

### Enable sign-in enforcement for all unassociated machines

To enable sign-in enforcement for all unassociated machines:

1. Sign in to the [Admin Console](https://app.docker.com/admin) and select
your organization.
1. In **User management**, select **Unassociated**.
1. Turn on the **Enforce sign-in** toggle.
1. In the pop-up modal, select **Require sign-in** to confirm.

The **Sign-in required** status will update for all unassociated machines to
**Yes**.

> [!NOTE]
>
> When you enable sign-in enforcement for all unassociated machines, any new
machines detected in the future will automatically have sign-in enforcement
enabled. Sign-in enforcement requires Docker Desktop version 4.41 or later.
Users with older versions will not be prompted to sign in and can continue
using Docker Desktop normally until they update. Their status shows
as **Pending** until they update to version 4.41 or later.

### Enable sign-in enforcement for individual unassociated machines

To enable sign-in enforcement for individual unassociated machines:

1. Sign in to the [Admin Console](https://app.docker.com/admin) and select
your organization.
1. In **User management**, select **Unassociated**.
1. Locate the machine you want to enable sign-in enforcement for.
1. Select the **Actions** menu and choose **Turn on sign-in enforcement**.
1. In the pop-up modal, select **Require sign-in** to confirm.

The **Sign-in required** status will update for the individual machine to
**Yes**.

> [!NOTE]
>
> Sign-in enforcement requires Docker Desktop version 4.41 or later. Users
with older versions will not be prompted to sign in and can continue using
Docker Desktop normally until they update. Their status shows as **Pending**
until they update to version 4.41 or later.

### What happens when users sign in

After you enable sign-in enforcement:

1. Users must restart Docker Desktop. Enforcement only takes effect after
restart.
1. When users open Docker Desktop, they see a sign-in prompt. They must sign
in to continue using Docker Desktop.
1. User email addresses appear in the **Unassociated** list.
1. You can add users to your organization.

Users can continue using Docker Desktop immediately after signing in, even
before being added to your organization.

## Add unassociated machines to your organization

When users in your organization use Docker without signing in, their machines
appear in the **Unassociated** list. You can add these users to your
organization in two ways:

- Automatic addition:
    - Auto-provisioning: If you have verified domains with auto-provisioning
    enabled, users who sign in with a matching email domain will automatically
    be added to your organization. For more information on verifying domains and
    auto-provisioning, see [Domain management](/manuals/enterprise/security/domain-management.md).
    - SSO user provisioning: If you have SSO configured with
    [Just-in-Time provisioning](/manuals/enterprise/security/provisioning/just-in-time.md),
    users who sign in through your SSO connection will automatically be added
    to your organization.
- Manual addition: If you don't have auto-provisioning or SSO set up, or if a
user's email domain doesn't match your configured domains, their email will
appear in the **Unassociated** list where you can choose to add them directly.

> [!NOTE]
>
> If you add users and do not have enough seats in your organization, a
pop-up will appear prompting you to **Get more seats**.

### Add individual users

1. Sign in to the [Admin Console](https://app.docker.com/admin) and select
your organization.
1. In **User management**, select **Unassociated**.
1. Locate the machine you want to add to your organization.
1. Select the **Actions** menu and choose **Add to organization**.
1. In the pop-up modal, select **Add user**.

### Bulk add users

1. Sign in to the [Admin Console](https://app.docker.com/admin) and select
your organization.
1. In **User management**, select **Unassociated**.
1. Use the **checkboxes** to select the machines you want to add to your
organizations.
1. Select the **Add to organization** button.
1. In the pop-up modal, select **Add users** to confirm.

## Disable sign-in enforcement

### Disable for all unassociated machines

1. Sign in to the [Admin Console](https://app.docker.com/admin) and select
your organization.
1. In **User management**, select **Unassociated**.
1. Turn off the **Enforce sign-in** toggle.
1. In the pop-up modal, select **Turn off sign-in requirement** to confirm.

The **Sign-in required** status will update for all unassociated machines to
**No**.

### Disable for specific unassociated machines

1. Sign in to the [Admin Console](https://app.docker.com/admin) and select
your organization.
1. In **User management**, select **Unassociated**.
1. Locate the machine you want to disable sign-in enforcement for.
1. Select the **Actions** menu and choose **Turn off sign-in enforcement**.
1. In the pop-up modal, select **Turn off sign-in requirement** to confirm.

The **Sign-in required** status will update for the individual machine to
**No**.
