Adding Active Directory Group Accounts

Adding group accounts to Active Directory is a vital task that helps in effective user management and access control. This guide explores two methods for adding Active Directory group accounts: using the GUI (Graphical User Interface) and PowerShell commands.

Add Active Directory Group Accounts via GUI

Launch Active Directory Users and Computers

Right click on Users , then click on New and select Group

Create a name for the group, then leave the Group scope default as Global and the Group type default as Security. Then press OK

Now when you navigate back to domain.name/Users you can see the newly created testgroup group.

Now, to add a user to the group, you may do the following :

• Right click on the group and select Properties
• Select the [Member tab] and select the Add button
• Input the username for this group, click Check Names then click OK

Add Active Directory Group Accounts via PowerShell

Launch PowerShell as admin

Show the current list of AD groups

Get-ADGroup -Filter * | Format-Table DistinguishedName

Add a new group named testgroup2

New-ADGroup testgroup2 `
-GroupScope Global `
-GroupCategory Security `
-Description “Testing Group 2”

Verify the creation of the group

Get-ADGroup -Identity testgroup2

Delete a user from a group

Remove-ADGroupMember -Identity testgroup2 -Members jamison.johnson

Delete a group

Remove-ADGroup -Identity testgroup2

Conclusion

Adding group accounts to Active Directory is crucial for managing access control within your organization. The method you choose—GUI or PowerShell—depends on your specific requirements. The GUI provides a straightforward and visual way to create groups, while PowerShell offers powerful automation for more complex scenarios.

By following the steps provided in this guide, you can efficiently create and manage group accounts in your Active Directory domain.