diff --git a/public/app/core/components/RolePicker/BuiltinRoleSelector.tsx b/public/app/core/components/RolePicker/BuiltinRoleSelector.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..8439d994ef3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/public/app/core/components/RolePicker/BuiltinRoleSelector.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+import React from 'react';
+
+import { SelectableValue } from '@grafana/data';
+import { Icon, RadioButtonGroup, Tooltip, useStyles2, useTheme2 } from '@grafana/ui';
+import { OrgRole } from 'app/types';
+
+import { getStyles } from './styles';
+
+const BasicRoles = Object.values(OrgRole).filter((r) => r !== OrgRole.None);
+const BasicRoleOption: Array<SelectableValue<OrgRole>> = BasicRoles.map((r) => ({
+  label: r,
+  value: r,
+}));
+
+interface Props {
+  value?: OrgRole;
+  onChange: (value: OrgRole) => void;
+  disabled?: boolean;
+  disabledMesssage?: string;
+}
+
+export const BuiltinRoleSelector = ({ value, onChange, disabled, disabledMesssage }: Props) => {
+  const styles = useStyles2(getStyles);
+  const theme = useTheme2();
+
+  return (
+    <>
+      <div className={styles.groupHeader}>
+        <span style={{ marginRight: theme.spacing(1) }}>Basic roles</span>
+        {disabled && disabledMesssage && (
+          <Tooltip placement="right-end" interactive={true} content={<div>{disabledMesssage}</div>}>
+            <Icon name="question-circle" />
+          </Tooltip>
+        )}
+      </div>
+      <RadioButtonGroup
+        className={styles.basicRoleSelector}
+        options={BasicRoleOption}
+        value={value}
+        onChange={onChange}
+        fullWidth={true}
+        disabled={disabled}
+      />
+    </>
+  );
+};
diff --git a/public/app/core/components/RolePicker/RolePicker.tsx b/public/app/core/components/RolePicker/RolePicker.tsx
index f640b9965b1..21c42c51299 100644
--- a/public/app/core/components/RolePicker/RolePicker.tsx
+++ b/public/app/core/components/RolePicker/RolePicker.tsx
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ export interface Props {
   isLoading?: boolean;
   disabled?: boolean;
   basicRoleDisabled?: boolean;
+  basicRoleDisabledMessage?: string;
   showBasicRole?: boolean;
   onRolesChange: (newRoles: Role[]) => void;
   onBasicRoleChange?: (newRole: OrgRole) => void;
@@ -32,6 +33,7 @@ export const RolePicker = ({
   disabled,
   isLoading,
   basicRoleDisabled,
+  basicRoleDisabledMessage,
   showBasicRole,
   onRolesChange,
   onBasicRoleChange,
@@ -184,6 +186,7 @@ export const RolePicker = ({
             onUpdate={onUpdate}
             showGroups={query.length === 0 || query.trim() === ''}
             basicRoleDisabled={basicRoleDisabled}
+            disabledMessage={basicRoleDisabledMessage}
             showBasicRole={showBasicRole}
             updateDisabled={basicRoleDisabled && !canUpdateRoles}
             apply={apply}
diff --git a/public/app/core/components/RolePicker/RolePickerMenu.tsx b/public/app/core/components/RolePicker/RolePickerMenu.tsx
index ee73cdb59e3..08573939df4 100644
--- a/public/app/core/components/RolePicker/RolePickerMenu.tsx
+++ b/public/app/core/components/RolePicker/RolePickerMenu.tsx
@@ -1,11 +1,11 @@
 import { css, cx } from '@emotion/css';
 import React, { useEffect, useRef, useState } from 'react';
 
-import { SelectableValue } from '@grafana/data';
-import { Button, CustomScrollbar, HorizontalGroup, RadioButtonGroup, useStyles2, useTheme2 } from '@grafana/ui';
+import { Button, CustomScrollbar, HorizontalGroup, useStyles2, useTheme2 } from '@grafana/ui';
 import { getSelectStyles } from '@grafana/ui/src/components/Select/getSelectStyles';
 import { OrgRole, Role } from 'app/types';
 
+import { BuiltinRoleSelector } from './BuiltinRoleSelector';
 import { RoleMenuGroupsSection } from './RoleMenuGroupsSection';
 import { MENU_MAX_HEIGHT } from './constants';
 import { getStyles } from './styles';
@@ -29,12 +29,6 @@ interface RolesCollectionEntry {
   roles: Role[];
 }
 
-const BasicRoles = Object.values(OrgRole).filter((r) => r !== OrgRole.None);
-const BasicRoleOption: Array<SelectableValue<OrgRole>> = BasicRoles.map((r) => ({
-  label: r,
-  value: r,
-}));
-
 const fixedRoleGroupNames: Record<string, string> = {
   ldap: 'LDAP',
   current: 'Current org',
@@ -46,6 +40,7 @@ interface RolePickerMenuProps {
   appliedRoles: Role[];
   showGroups?: boolean;
   basicRoleDisabled?: boolean;
+  disabledMessage?: string;
   showBasicRole?: boolean;
   onSelect: (roles: Role[]) => void;
   onBasicRoleSelect?: (role: OrgRole) => void;
@@ -61,6 +56,7 @@ export const RolePickerMenu = ({
   appliedRoles,
   showGroups,
   basicRoleDisabled,
+  disabledMessage,
   showBasicRole,
   onSelect,
   onBasicRoleSelect,
@@ -206,14 +202,11 @@ export const RolePickerMenu = ({
         <CustomScrollbar autoHide={false} autoHeightMax={`${MENU_MAX_HEIGHT}px`} hideHorizontalTrack hideVerticalTrack>
           {showBasicRole && (
             <div className={customStyles.menuSection}>
-              <div className={customStyles.groupHeader}>Basic roles</div>
-              <RadioButtonGroup
-                className={customStyles.basicRoleSelector}
-                options={BasicRoleOption}
+              <BuiltinRoleSelector
                 value={selectedBuiltInRole}
                 onChange={onSelectedBuiltinRoleChange}
-                fullWidth={true}
                 disabled={basicRoleDisabled}
+                disabledMesssage={disabledMessage}
               />
             </div>
           )}
diff --git a/public/app/core/components/RolePicker/UserRolePicker.tsx b/public/app/core/components/RolePicker/UserRolePicker.tsx
index 573b43ca54c..73bac42b7d8 100644
--- a/public/app/core/components/RolePicker/UserRolePicker.tsx
+++ b/public/app/core/components/RolePicker/UserRolePicker.tsx
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ export interface Props {
   roleOptions: Role[];
   disabled?: boolean;
   basicRoleDisabled?: boolean;
+  basicRoleDisabledMessage?: string;
   /**
    * Set whether the component should send a request with the new roles to the
    * backend in UserRolePicker.onRolesChange (apply=false), or call {@link onApplyRoles}
@@ -40,6 +41,7 @@ export const UserRolePicker = ({
   roleOptions,
   disabled,
   basicRoleDisabled,
+  basicRoleDisabledMessage,
   apply = false,
   onApplyRoles,
   pendingRoles,
@@ -91,6 +93,7 @@ export const UserRolePicker = ({
       isLoading={loading}
       disabled={disabled}
       basicRoleDisabled={basicRoleDisabled}
+      basicRoleDisabledMessage={basicRoleDisabledMessage}
       showBasicRole
       apply={apply}
       canUpdateRoles={canUpdateRoles}
diff --git a/public/app/features/admin/UserOrgs.tsx b/public/app/features/admin/UserOrgs.tsx
index 01d334a0b3b..76f348d50a0 100644
--- a/public/app/features/admin/UserOrgs.tsx
+++ b/public/app/features/admin/UserOrgs.tsx
@@ -209,6 +209,8 @@ class UnThemedOrgRow extends PureComponent<OrgRowProps> {
                   roleOptions={this.state.roleOptions}
                   onBasicRoleChange={this.onBasicRoleChange}
                   basicRoleDisabled={rolePickerDisabled}
+                  basicRoleDisabledMessage="This user's role is not editable because it is synchronized from your auth provider.
+                    Refer to the Grafana authentication docs for details."
                 />
               </div>
               {isExternalUser && <ExternalUserTooltip lockMessage={lockMessage} />}
diff --git a/public/app/features/users/UsersTable.tsx b/public/app/features/users/UsersTable.tsx
index 438041cabe9..b1bd794bc26 100644
--- a/public/app/features/users/UsersTable.tsx
+++ b/public/app/features/users/UsersTable.tsx
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 import React, { useEffect, useState } from 'react';
 
 import { OrgRole } from '@grafana/data';
-import { Button, ConfirmModal } from '@grafana/ui';
+import { Button, ConfirmModal, Icon, Tooltip } from '@grafana/ui';
 import { UserRolePicker } from 'app/core/components/RolePicker/UserRolePicker';
 import { fetchRoleOptions } from 'app/core/components/RolePicker/api';
 import { TagBadge } from 'app/core/components/TagFilter/TagBadge';
@@ -11,6 +11,9 @@ import { AccessControlAction, OrgUser, Role } from 'app/types';
 
 import { OrgRolePicker } from '../admin/OrgRolePicker';
 
+const disabledRoleMessage = `This user's role is not editable because it is synchronized from your auth provider.
+  Refer to the Grafana authentication docs for details.`;
+
 export interface Props {
   users: OrgUser[];
   orgId?: number;
@@ -49,6 +52,7 @@ export const UsersTable = ({ users, orgId, onRoleChange, onRemoveUser }: Props)
             <th>Name</th>
             <th>Seen</th>
             <th>Role</th>
+            <th />
             <th style={{ width: '34px' }} />
             <th>Origin</th>
             <th></th>
@@ -97,6 +101,7 @@ export const UsersTable = ({ users, orgId, onRoleChange, onRemoveUser }: Props)
                       basicRole={user.role}
                       onBasicRoleChange={(newRole) => onRoleChange(newRole, user)}
                       basicRoleDisabled={basicRoleDisabled}
+                      basicRoleDisabledMessage={disabledRoleMessage}
                     />
                   ) : (
                     <OrgRolePicker
@@ -108,6 +113,16 @@ export const UsersTable = ({ users, orgId, onRoleChange, onRemoveUser }: Props)
                   )}
                 </td>
 
+                <td>
+                  {basicRoleDisabled && (
+                    <div style={{ display: 'flex', alignItems: 'center' }}>
+                      <Tooltip content={disabledRoleMessage}>
+                        <Icon name="question-circle" style={{ marginLeft: '8px' }} />
+                      </Tooltip>
+                    </div>
+                  )}
+                </td>
+
                 <td className="width-1 text-center">
                   {user.isDisabled && <span className="label label-tag label-tag--gray">Disabled</span>}
                 </td>