Add a Member to a Group
Applies To: Windows Server 2008
Membership in Account Operators, Domain Admins, or Enterprise Admins, or equivalent, is the minimum required to complete this procedure. Review details about using the appropriate accounts and group memberships at Local and Domain Default Groups (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=83477).
Adding a member to a group
Using the Windows interface
Using a command line
To add a member to a group using the Windows interface
To open Active Directory Users and Computers, click Start, click Control Panel, double-click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Active Directory Users and Computers.
In the console tree, click the folder that contains the group to which you want to add a member.
Where?
- Active Directory Users and Computers/domain node/folder that contains the group
In the details pane, right-click the group, and then click Properties.
On the Members tab, click Add.
In Enter the object names to select, type the name of the user, group, or computer that you want to add to the group, and then click OK.
Additional considerations
To perform this procedure, you must be a member of the Account Operators group, Domain Admins group, or Enterprise Admins group in Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS), or you must have been delegated the appropriate authority. As a security best practice, consider using Run as to perform this procedure.
Another way to open Active Directory Users and Computers is to click Start, click Run, and then type dsa.msc.
In addition to users and computers, group members can include contacts and other groups.
Another way to add members to a group is to select the desired object and then click the Adds the selected objects to a group you specify toolbar icon. You can also drag a member object to a group, or right-click the object, and then click Add to a group.
When you administer a domain, security principals in the parent domain or other trusted domains are not visible on the Member Of tab in a domain user's properties. The only domain accounts that you can add or view are the present domain groups. Only domain groups in the present domain are shown, even if the member belongs to other trusted domain groups.
Additional references
To add a member to a group using a command line
To open a command prompt, click Start, click Run, type cmd, and then click OK.
Type the following command, and then press ENTER:
dsmod group <GroupDN> -addmbr <MemberDN>
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
<GroupDN> |
Specifies the distinguished name of the group object to which you want to add the object. |
-addmbr |
Sets <MemberDN> value. |
<MemberDN> |
Specifies the distinguished name of the object that you want to add to the group. |
To view the complete syntax for this command, and for information about entering user account information, at a command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:
dsmod group /?
Additional considerations
To perform this procedure, you must be a member of the Account Operators group, Domain Admins group, or Enterprise Admins group in AD DS, or you must have been delegated the appropriate authority. As a security best practice, consider using Run as to perform this procedure.
In addition to users and computers, group members can include contacts and other groups.