Active Directory · Risk: High · Documentation Verified
Last verified: 2026-10-26
Microsoft ActiveDirectory reference: Creates an Active Directory user. The syntax and selected example below are adapted from the pinned Windows Server 2025 reference. Module availability, target configuration and delegated permissions determine whether it can run in your environment. Documentation and parameter text: Microsoft, CC BY 4.0; formatting adapted by Cmdlet World. No execution testing is claimed.
Use an account with the target resource permissions documented for New-ADUser. Modifying administrative cmdlets may require elevation or delegated administration. This catalog does not assert that ordinary users can execute the command.
Supported environments
Windows / ActiveDirectory · Windows Server 2025 documentation; feature/module prerequisites apply
Parameters
-AccountExpirationDate
Specifies the expiration date for an account. This parameter sets the AccountExpirationDate property of an account object. The LDAP display name (ldapDisplayName) for this property is accountExpires. Use the DateTime syntax when you specify this parameter. Time is assumed to be local time unless otherwise specified. When a time value is not specified, the time is assumed to 12:00:00 AM local time. When a date is not specified, the date is assumed to be the current date.
-AccountNotDelegated
Indicates whether the security context of the user is delegated to a service. When this parameter is set to $true, the security context of the account is not delegated to a service even when the service account is set as trusted for Kerberos delegation. This parameter sets the AccountNotDelegated property for an Active Directory account. This parameter also sets the ADS_UF_NOT_DELEGATED flag of the Active Directory User Account Control (UAC) attribute. The acceptable values for this parameter are: - $false or 0 - $true or 1
-AccountPassword
Specifies a new password value for an account. This value is stored as an encrypted string. The following conditions apply based on the manner in which the password parameter is used: - $Null password is specified: No password is set and the account is disabled unless it is requested to be enabled. - No password is specified: No password is set and the account is disabled unless it is requested to be enabled. - User password is specified: Password is set and the account is disabled unless it is requested to be enabled. User accounts, by default, are created without a password. If you provide a password, an attempt will be made to set that password however, this can fail due to password policy restrictions. The user account will still be created and you may use Set-ADAccountPassword to set the password on that account. In order to ensure that accounts remain secure, user accounts will never be enabled unless a valid password is set or PasswordNotRequired is set to $true. The account is created if the password fails for any reason.
-AllowReversiblePasswordEncryption
Indicates whether reversible password encryption is allowed for the account. This parameter sets the AllowReversiblePasswordEncryption property of the account. This parameter also sets the ADS_UF_ENCRYPTED_TEXT_PASSWORD_ALLOWED flag of the Active Directory User Account Control (UAC) attribute. The acceptable values for this parameter are: - $false or 0 - $true or 1
-AuthType
Specifies the authentication method to use. The acceptable values for this parameter are: - Negotiate or 0 - Basic or 1 The default authentication method is Negotiate. A Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) connection is required for the Basic authentication method.
Prerequisites
Windows with the ActiveDirectory module and the Windows feature or management tools that provide it. Confirm target connectivity and version compatibility using the linked Microsoft reference.
Security considerations
This cmdlet changes system state. Review every target and parameter in the official reference, test outside production, and prepare an appropriate backup or rollback. Do not execute the example automatically.
Examples
Example 1: Create a user with an imported certificate
New-ADUser @splat
This command creates a user named ChewDavid with a certificate imported from the file Export.cer. Source: Microsoft, CC BY 4.0; transcript prompt/output removed. This example was not executed.
Specifies an Active Directory Domain Services authentication policy object. Specify the authentication policy object in one of the following formats: - Distinguished name - GUID - Name This parameter can also get this object through the pipeline or you can set this parameter to an object instance. The cmdlet searches the default naming context or partition to find the object. If the cmdlet finds two or more objects, the cmdlet returns a non-terminating error.
-AuthenticationPolicySilo
Specifies an Active Directory Domain Services authentication policy silo object. Specify the authentication policy silo object in one of the following formats: - Distinguished name - GUID - Name This parameter can also get this object through the pipeline or you can set this parameter to an object instance. The cmdlet searches the default naming context or partition to find the object. If the cmdlet finds two or more objects, the cmdlet returns a non-terminating error.
-CannotChangePassword
Indicates whether the account password can be changed. This parameter sets the CannotChangePassword property of an account. The acceptable values for this parameter are: - $false or 0 - $true or 1
-Certificates
Specifies the DER-encoded X.509v3 certificates of the account. These certificates include the public key certificates issued to this account by the Microsoft Certificate Service. This parameter sets the Certificates property of the account object. The LDAP display name (ldapDisplayName) for this property is userCertificate.
-ChangePasswordAtLogon
Indicates whether a password must be changed during the next logon attempt. The acceptable values for this parameter are: - $false or 0 - $true or 1 This parameter cannot be set to $true or 1 for an account that also has the PasswordNeverExpires property set to $true.
-City
Specifies the user's town or city. This parameter sets the City property of a user object. The LDAP display name (ldapDisplayName) of this property is l.
-Company
Specifies the user's company. This parameter sets the Company property of a user object. The LDAP display name (ldapDisplayName) of this property is company.
-CompoundIdentitySupported
Specifies whether an account supports Kerberos service tickets which includes the authorization data for the user's device. This value sets the compound identity supported flag of the Active Directory msDS-SupportedEncryptionTypes attribute. The acceptable values for this parameter are: - $false or 0 - $true or 1 > [!WARNING] > Domain-joined Windows systems and services such as clustering manage their own > msDS-SupportedEncryptionTypes attribute. Therefore any changes to the flag on the > msDS-SupportedEncryptionTypes attribute are overwritten by the service or system that manages > the setting.
-Confirm
Prompts you for confirmation before running the cmdlet.
-Country
Specifies the country or region code for the user's language of choice. This parameter sets the Country property of a user object. The LDAP display name (ldapDisplayName) of this property is c. This value is not used by Windows 2000.
-Credential
Specifies the user account credentials to use to perform this task. The default credentials are the credentials of the currently logged on user unless the cmdlet is run from an Active Directory PowerShell provider drive. If the cmdlet is run from such a provider drive, the account associated with the drive is the default. To specify this parameter, you can type a user name, such as User1 or Domain01\User01 or you can specify a PSCredential object. If you specify a user name for this parameter, the cmdlet prompts for a password. You can also create a PSCredential object by using a script or by using the Get-Credential cmdlet. You can then set the Credential parameter to the PSCredential object. If the acting credentials do not have directory-level permission to perform the task, Active Directory PowerShell returns a terminating error.
-Department
Specifies the user's department. This parameter sets the Department property of a user object. The LDAP display name (ldapDisplayName) of this property is department.
-Description
Specifies a description of the object. This parameter sets the value of the Description property for the user object. The LDAP display name (ldapDisplayName) for this property is description.
-DisplayName
Specifies the display name of the object. This parameter sets the DisplayName property of the user object. The LDAP display name (ldapDisplayName) for this property is displayName.
-Division
Specifies the user's division. This parameter sets the Division property of a user object. The LDAP display name (ldapDisplayName) of this property is division.
-EmailAddress
Specifies the user's e-mail address. This parameter sets the EmailAddress property of a user object. The LDAP display name (ldapDisplayName) of this property is mail.
-EmployeeID
Specifies the user's employee ID. This parameter sets the EmployeeID property of a user object. The LDAP display name (ldapDisplayName) of this property is employeeID.
-EmployeeNumber
Specifies the user's employee number. This parameter sets the EmployeeNumber property of a user object. The LDAP display name (ldapDisplayName) of this property is employeeNumber.
-Enabled
Specifies if an account is enabled. An enabled account requires a password. This parameter sets the Enabled property for an account object. This parameter also sets the ADS_UF_ACCOUNTDISABLE flag of the Active Directory User Account Control (UAC) attribute. The acceptable values for this parameter are: - $false or 0 - $true or 1
-Fax
Specifies the user's fax phone number. This parameter sets the Fax property of a user object. The LDAP display name (ldapDisplayName) of this property is facsimileTelephoneNumber.
-GivenName
Specifies the user's given name. This parameter sets the GivenName property of a user object. The LDAP display name (ldapDisplayName) of this property is givenName.
-HomeDirectory
Specifies a user's home directory. This parameter sets the HomeDirectory property of a user object. The LDAP display name (ldapDisplayName) for this property is homeDirectory.
-HomeDrive
Specifies a drive that is associated with the UNC path defined by the HomeDirectory property. The drive letter is specified as : where indicates the letter of the drive to associate. The must be a single, uppercase letter and the colon is required. This parameter sets the HomeDrive property of the user object. The LDAP display name (ldapDisplayName) for this property is homeDrive.
-HomePage
Specifies the URL of the home page of the object. This parameter sets the homePage property of a user object. The LDAP display name (ldapDisplayName) for this property is wWWHomePage.
-HomePhone
Specifies the user's home telephone number. This parameter sets the HomePhone property of a user object. The LDAP display name (ldapDisplayName) of this property is homePhone.
-Initials
Specifies the initials that represent part of a user's name. You can use this value for the user's middle initial. This parameter sets the Initials property of a user object. The LDAP display name (ldapDisplayName) of this property is initials.
-Instance
Specifies an instance of a user object to use as a template for a new user object. You can use an instance of an existing user object as a template or you can construct a new user object for template use. You can construct a new user object using the Windows PowerShell command line or by using a script. - Method 1: Use an existing user object as a template for a new object. To retrieve an instance of an existing user object, use a cmdlet such as Get-ADUser. Then provide this object to the Instance parameter of the New-ADUser cmdlet to create a new user object. You can override property values of the new object by setting the appropriate parameters. - Method 2: Create a new ADUser object and set the property values by using the Windows PowerShell command line interface. Then pass this object to the Instance parameter of the New-ADUser cmdlet to create the new Active Directory user object. > [!NOTE] > Specified attributes are not validated, so attempting to set attributes that do not exist or > cannot be set raises an error.
-KerberosEncryptionType
Specifies whether an account supports Kerberos encryption types which are used during creation of service tickets. This value sets the encryption types supported flags of the Active Directory msDS-SupportedEncryptionTypes attribute. Possible values for this parameter are: - None - DES - RC4 - AES128 - AES256 None removes all encryption types from the account, resulting in the KDC being unable to issue service tickets for services using the account. DES is a weak encryption type that is not supported by default since Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2. > [!WARNING] > Domain-joined Windows systems and services such as clustering manage their own > msDS-SupportedEncryptionTypes attribute. Therefore any changes to the flag on the > msDS-SupportedEncryptionTypes attribute are overwritten by the service or system that manages > the setting.
-LogonWorkstations
Specifies the computers that the user can access. To specify more than one computer, create a single comma-separated list. You can identify a computer by using the Security Account Manager (SAM) account name (sAMAccountName) or the DNS host name of the computer. The SAM account name is the same as the NetBIOS name of the computer. The LDAP display name (ldapDisplayName) for this property is userWorkStations.
-Manager
Specifies the user's manager. This parameter sets the Manager property of a user object. This parameter is set by providing one of the following property values. The identifier in parentheses is the LDAP display name for the property. The acceptable values for this parameter are: - A distinguished name - A GUID (objectGUID) - A security identifier (objectSid) - A SAM account name (sAMAccountName)
-MobilePhone
Specifies the user's mobile phone number. This parameter sets the MobilePhone property of a user object. The LDAP display name (ldapDisplayName) of this property is mobile.
-Name (required)
Specifies the name of the object. This parameter sets the Name property of a user object. The LDAP display name (ldapDisplayName) of this property is name.
-Office
Specifies the location of the user's office or place of business. This parameter sets the Office property of a user object. The LDAP display name (ldapDisplayName) of this property is physicalDeliveryOfficeName.
-OfficePhone
Specifies the user's office telephone number. This parameter sets the OfficePhone property of a user object. The LDAP display name (ldapDisplayName) of this property is telephoneNumber.
-Organization
Specifies the user's organization. This parameter sets the Organization property of a user object. The LDAP display name (ldapDisplayName) of this property is o.
-OtherAttributes
Specifies object attribute values for attributes that are not represented by cmdlet parameters. You can set one or more parameters at the same time with this parameter. If an attribute takes more than one value, you can assign multiple values. To identify an attribute, specify the LDAP display name (ldapDisplayName) defined for it in the Active Directory schema. To specify a single value for an attribute: -OtherAttributes @{'AttributeLDAPDisplayName'=value} To specify multiple values for an attribute: -OtherAttributes @{'AttributeLDAPDisplayName'=value1,value2,...} To specify values for multiple attributes: -OtherAttributes @{'Attribute1LDAPDisplayName'=value; 'Attribute2LDAPDisplayName'=value1,value2;...}
-OtherName
Specifies a name in addition to a user's given name and surname, such as the user's middle name. This parameter sets the OtherName property of a user object. The LDAP display name (ldapDisplayName) of this property is middleName.
-POBox
Specifies the user's post office box number. This parameter sets the POBox property of a user object. The LDAP display name (ldapDisplayName) of this property is postOfficeBox.
-PassThru
Returns an object representing the item with which you are working. By default, this cmdlet does not generate any output.
-PasswordNeverExpires
Specifies whether the password of an account can expire. This parameter sets the PasswordNeverExpires property of an account object. This parameter also sets the ADS_UF_DONT_EXPIRE_PASSWD flag of the Active Directory User Account Control attribute. The acceptable values for this parameter are: - $false or 0 - $true or 1 This parameter cannot be set to $true or 1 for an account that also has the ChangePasswordAtLogon property set to $true.
-PasswordNotRequired
Specifies whether the account requires a password. A password is not required for a new account. This parameter sets the PasswordNotRequired property of an account object.
-Path
Specifies the X.500 path of the OU or container where the new object is created. In many cases, a default value is used for the Path parameter if no value is specified. The rules for determining the default value are given below. The rules listed first are evaluated first and when a default value can be determined, no further rules are evaluated. In Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) environments, a default value for Path is set in the following cases: - If the cmdlet is run from an Active Directory PowerShell provider drive, the parameter is set to the current path of the provider drive. - If the cmdlet has a default path, this is used. For example: in New-ADUser, the Path parameter defaults to the Users container. - If none of the previous cases apply, the default value of Path is set to the default partition or naming context of the target domain. In AD LDS environments, a default value for Path is set in the following cases: - If the cmdlet is run from an Active Directory module for PowerShell provider drive, the parameter is set to the current path of the provider drive. - If the cmdlet has a default path, this is used. For example: in New-ADUser, the Path parameter defaults to the Users container. - If the target AD LDS instance has a default naming context, the default value of _Path_ is set to the default naming context. To specify a default naming context for an AD LDS environment, set the msDS-defaultNamingContext property of the Active Directory directory service agent object (nTDSDSA) for the AD LDS instance. - If none of the previous cases apply, the Path parameter does not take any default value. > [!NOTE] > The Active Directory Provider cmdlets, such as New-Item, Remove-Item, Remove-ItemProperty, > Rename-Item, and Set-ItemProperty also contain a Path property. However, for the Active > Directory Provider cmdlets, the Path parameter identifies the
-PostalCode
Specifies the user's postal code or zip code. This parameter sets the PostalCode property of a user object. The LDAP display name (ldapDisplayName) of this property is postalCode.
-PrincipalsAllowedToDelegateToAccount
Specifies an array of principal objects. This parameter sets the msDS-AllowedToActOnBehalfOfOtherIdentity attribute of a computer account object.
-ProfilePath
Specifies a path to the user's profile. This value can be a local absolute path or a Universal Naming Convention (UNC) path. This parameter sets the ProfilePath property of the user object. The LDAP display name (ldapDisplayName) for this property is profilePath.
-SamAccountName
Specifies the Security Account Manager (SAM) account name of the user, group, computer, or service account. The maximum length of the description is 256 characters. To be compatible with older operating systems, create a SAM account name that is 20 characters or less. This parameter sets the SAMAccountName for an account object. The LDAP display name (ldapDisplayName) for this property is sAMAccountName. > [!NOTE] > Information the user should notice even if skimmingIf the string value provided is not terminated > with a $ character, the system adds one if needed.
-ScriptPath
Specifies a path to the user's log on script. This value can be a local absolute path or a Universal Naming Convention (UNC) path. This parameter sets the ScriptPath property of the user object. The LDAP display name (ldapDisplayName) for this property is scriptPath.
-Server
Specifies the AD DS instance to connect to, by providing one of the following values for a corresponding domain name or directory server. The service may be any of the following: AD LDS, AD DS, or Active Directory snapshot instance. Specify the AD DS instance in one of the following ways: Domain name values: - Fully qualified domain name - NetBIOS name Directory server values: - Fully qualified directory server name - NetBIOS name - Fully qualified directory server name and port The default value for this parameter is determined by one of the following methods in the order that they are listed: - By using the Server value from objects passed through the pipeline - By using the server information associated with the AD DS Windows PowerShell provider drive, when the cmdlet runs in that drive - By using the domain of the computer running Windows PowerShell
-ServicePrincipalNames
Specifies the service principal names for the account. This parameter sets the ServicePrincipalNames property of the account. The LDAP display name (ldapDisplayName) for this property is servicePrincipalName. To enter multiple values, use the following syntax: ,,.... If the values contain spaces or otherwise require quotation marks, use the following syntax: '','',...''.
-SmartcardLogonRequired
Specifies whether a smart card is required to logon. This parameter sets the SmartCardLoginRequired property for a user object. This parameter also sets the ADS_UF_SMARTCARD_REQUIRED flag of the Active Directory User Account Control attribute. The acceptable values for this parameter are: - $false or 0 - $true or 1
-State
Specifies the user's or Organizational Unit's state or province. This parameter sets the State property of a user object. The LDAP display name (ldapDisplayName) of this property is st.
-StreetAddress
Specifies the user's street address. This parameter sets the StreetAddress property of a user object. The LDAP display name (ldapDisplayName) of this property is streetAddress.
-Surname
Specifies the user's last name or surname. This parameter sets the Surname property of a user object. The LDAP display name (ldapDisplayName) of this property is sn.
-Title
Specifies the user's title. This parameter sets the Title property of a user object. The LDAP display name (ldapDisplayName) of this property is title.
-TrustedForDelegation
Indicates whether an account is trusted for Kerberos delegation. A service that runs under an account that is trusted for Kerberos delegation can assume the identity of a client requesting the service. This parameter sets the TrustedForDelegation property of an account object. This value also sets the ADS_UF_TRUSTED_FOR_DELEGATION flag of the Active Directory User Account Control attribute. The acceptable values for this parameter are: - $false or 0 - $true or 1
-Type
Specifies the type of object to create. Set the Type parameter to the LDAP display name of the Active Directory schema class that represents the type of object that you want to create. The selected type must be a subclass of the User schema class. If this parameter is not specified it defaults to User.
-UserPrincipalName
Specifies a user principal name (UPN) in the format @. A UPN is a friendly name assigned by an administrator that is shorter than the LDAP distinguished name used by the system and easier to remember. The UPN is independent of the user object's distinguished name, so a user object can be moved or renamed without affecting the user logon name. When signing on using a UPN, users no longer have to choose a domain from a list on the logon dialog box.
-WhatIf
Shows what would happen if the cmdlet runs. The cmdlet is not run.