Find a user account

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

To find a user account

Open Active Directory Users and Computers.
If you want to search the entire domain, in the console tree, right-click the domain node, and then click Find.

Or, if you know which organizational unit the user is in, in the console tree, right-click the organizational unit, and then click Find.
In Name, type the name of the user you want to find.
Click Find Now.

Notes

Performing this task does not require you to have administrative credentials. Therefore, as a security best practice, consider performing this task as a user without administrative credentials.
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.
You can search using partial search criteria. For example, B will return all objects whose name begins with the letter B, such as Backup Operators.
Use the Advanced tab for more powerful search options.
To find a user, you can also click

on the toolbar.

Value	Description
parameter	For the list of parameters, see Dsquery.

Notes

Performing this task does not require you to have administrative credentials. Therefore, as a security best practice, consider performing this task as a user without administrative credentials.
To open a command prompt, click Start, point to All programs, point to Accessories, and then click Command prompt.
To view the complete syntax for this command, at a command prompt, type:

dsquery user /?

Your server might function differently based on the version and edition of the operating system that is installed, your account permissions, and your menu settings. For more information, see Viewing Help on the Web.