By: Brett Lock - Sr. Tech Support Engineer | Microsoft Intune
When deploying Windows device compliance policies with Microsoft Intune, the compliance report may show the following error for the Firewall settings (as depicted in the screenshot below):
“2016345612(Syncml(500): The recipient encountered an unexpected condition which prevented it from fulfilling the request.)”
Example screenshot of a Windows device compliance policy displaying the SyncML(500) error.
The Syncml(500) error for the Firewall setting typically occurs during device startup, if or when the mobile device management (MDM) agent service starts before the firewall or antivirus services have fully initialized. In this scenario, the MDM agent reports a “service not started state” back to Intune which appears as the Syncml(500) error in the report. This is normal and expected.
This error is temporary and doesn’t affect the compliance state of the device, unless the device doesn’t synchronize with the Intune service. The compliance service provides a 7-day grace period for devices with this error, marking them non-compliant if no sync occurs within that timeframe.
In most cases, the error is resolved within 10 minutes after the user has logged on however, manual synchronization may be needed.
On the device, navigate to Settings > Accounts > Access work or school > Account > Info > Sync to clear the error or run a compliance check from the Intune Company Portal app. Alternatively, admins can remotely sync the device from the Intune admin center through the device actions to achieve this (Devices > Windows > select the device > Overview > Sync).
We’ve recently improved how Intune reports compliance states which minimizes the occurence of the Syncml 500 error. However, this error can still occur, and it’s important to understand that the error is expected if the MDM service starts up before the firewall and antivirus services initialize.
In summary, the Syncml(500) error won’t impact the device compliance status during the 7 day grace period.
If the device is immediately switched off after the error occurs and left for seven days, then this will impact the device compliance state. To resolve a non-compliant device in this scenario simply turn the device back on and sync once the user is logged on.
If you have any questions for the team, leave a comment below or reach out to us on X @IntuneSuppTeam or @MSIntune. You can also connect with us on LinkedIn: aka.ms/IntuneLinked.
Updated May 12, 2025
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