The Microsoft Intune Company Portal ships in two flavours: the native Win32/UWP application that lives in the Microsoft Store, and the Web Company Portal accessible at portal.manage.microsoft.com. The native app is great for end users, but the web version has its place too — for kiosks, for devices that can’t sideload from the store, and for low-friction onboarding flows where you want users to start with a browser tab rather than a binary install. This post walks through how to deliver the Web Company Portal as a desktop shortcut via Microsoft Intune end-to-end.
In one of my last posts I explained how to create a desktop shortcut using a Win32 app. Now I want to show you a way how you can deploy a web shortcut for the Web Company Portal.
Table of contents
What is the Web Company Portal
In addition to the Company Portal version from the Windows Store, there is also a web-based Company Portal. With this you can also install/uninstall apps or manage your devices. Different from the Store app, you can also install software for devices you are not sitting at. It renders entirely in the browser, so there is nothing to package, no MSI to maintain, and no version drift to chase. Because it is a Microsoft-hosted service, every user automatically gets the latest experience the moment Microsoft updates the portal, which keeps your help-desk tickets low.
For administrators who manage a mixed fleet, the Web Company Portal is a pragmatic safety net. Imagine a shared kiosk that is locked down with a single-app or multi-app configuration, or a thin-client style device where installing the full store app is undesirable. In those scenarios, pointing the user at the portal gives them self-service access to their assigned apps without any additional binaries on the machine. It is also the fastest route for new starters on day one — they sign in, the catalogue lists everything assigned to them, and they pull down what they need.
How can I access the Web Company Portal?
The Web Company Portal can be accessed at the following link: Company Portal website (https://portal.manage.microsoft.com/). After you sign in with your Microsoft Entra ID account, it shows the same catalogue of assigned applications, device compliance status, and self-service actions you would see in the native client. You can read the official details in the Microsoft Learn documentation for the Company Portal, which is kept up to date by the product team.
How can I distribute the Web Company Portal?
How you can create a shortcut of the Web Company Portal I will explain now. The trick is to use the built-in Web Link app type in Intune, which simply pins a URL into the Start menu — no scripting required.
- To do this, open the Intune admin center and go to Apps -> All Apps
- Click ADD
- Select Web Link as App Type
- Click Select
- Enter “Web Company Portal” as name
- Add a description e.g. the one from my blog
- Add “Microsoft” as Publisher
- Add the App URL:
https://portal.manage.microsoft.com/
- You can optionally upload an app logo if you like.
- Click Next
- Assign the App
- Click Next
When the assignment has arrived on the client you should find the shortcut in the start menu.
Tips for rolling out the Web Company Portal
A few practical notes once the Web Company Portal shortcut is live. First, assign it to a broad device or user group rather than individuals so new machines pick it up automatically. Second, set the assignment to Required for kiosks and Available for standard users — that way self-service stays optional where it makes sense. Third, give the shortcut a recognisable logo so users can spot it instantly in the Start menu. Because it is just a Web Link, deployment is near-instant and there is no install failure surface to troubleshoot.
Conclusion
This way to deploy the Web Company Portal is much easier than the way via a Win32 app but is also not as flexible. If you want to put the shortcut on the desktop you have to choose the way with Powershell and Win32. If it is enough for you that the entry is visible in the start menu, the Web Link is a very simple way.
I hope I could help you with this blog.
Stay healthy, Cheers
Jannik
[…] Web link […]