Active Directory · Risk: Critical · Documentation Verified
Last verified: 2026-10-26
Microsoft ActiveDirectory reference: Removes an Active Directory organizational unit. 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 Remove-ADOrganizationalUnit. 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
-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.
-Confirm
Prompts you for confirmation before running the cmdlet.
-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.
-Identity (required)
Specifies an Active Directory group object by providing one of the following values. The identifier in parentheses is the LDAP display name for the attribute. The acceptable values for this parameter are: -A distinguished name -A GUID (objectGUID) The cmdlet searches the default naming context or partition to find the object. If two or more objects are found, the cmdlet returns a non-terminating error. This parameter can also get this object through the pipeline or you can set this parameter to an object instance.
-Partition
Specifies the distinguished name of an Active Directory partition. The distinguished name must be one of the naming contexts on the current directory server. The cmdlet searches this partition to find the object defined by the *Identity* parameter. In many cases, a default value is used for the *Identity* parameter if no value is specified. The rules for determining the default value are given below. Note that rules listed first are evaluated first and once a default value can be determined, no further rules are evaluated. In Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) environments, a default value for *Partition* is set in the following cases: - If the *Identity* parameter is set to a distinguished name, the default value of *Partition* is automatically generated from this distinguished name. - If running cmdlets from an Active Directory provider drive, the default value of *Partition* is automatically generated from the current path in the drive. - If none of the previous cases apply, the default value of *Partition* is set to the default partition or naming context of the target domain. In Active Directory Lightweight Directory Services (AD LDS) environments, a default value for *Partition* is set in the following cases: - If the *Identity* parameter is set to a distinguished name, the default value of *Partition* is automatically generated from this distinguished name. - If running cmdlets from an Active Directory provider drive, the default value of *Partition* is automatically generated from the current path in the drive. - If the target AD LDS instance has a default naming context, the default value of *Partition* 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 pre
-Recursive
Indicates that this cmdlet removes the OU and any child items it contains. You must specify this parameter to remove an OU that is not empty. Note: Specifying this parameter removes all child objects of an OU that are marked with ProtectedFromAccidentalDeletion.
-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
-WhatIf
Shows what would happen if the cmdlet runs. The cmdlet is not run.
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.
This command removes an OU and all of its children. If the OU is protected from deletion, then the OU and its children are not deleted. If the OU is not protected but any of the children are, then the OU and its children are deleted. Source: Microsoft, CC BY 4.0; transcript prompt/output removed. This example was not executed.