Useful PowerShell Commands

PowerShell has become an essential tool for Windows Server and Active Directory management. Here’s a guide to some of the most useful PowerShell commands for these types of environments that are guaranteed to make both your life and management easier.

Active Directory Management

User Management

1. Get User Information:

   Get-ADUser username -Properties *

This command retrieves all properties of a specific user.

2. List Users in an OU:

   Get-ADUser -SearchBase "OU=ADPRO Users,dc=ad,dc=atyxit.com" -Filter *

This command lists all users in a specific Organizational Unit.

3. Create a New User:

   New-ADUser -Name "Full Name" -SamAccountName "username" -UserPrincipalName "[email protected]" -Path "OU=Users,DC=domain,DC=com"

Group Management

1. Add User to a Group:

   Add-ADGroupMember SecurityGroupName -Members Username01

2. Remove User from a Group:

   Remove-ADGroupMember SecurityGroupName -Members Username01

3. Create a New Security Group:

   New-ADGroup -Name "GroupName" -GroupScope Global -GroupCategory Security

Computer Management

1. Get Computer Information:

   Get-ADComputer ComputerName -Properties *

2. Create a New Computer Object:

   New-ADComputer -Name "ComputerName" -SamAccountName "ComputerName" -Path "OU=Computers,DC=Domain,DC=com"

Windows Server Management

1. Get Running Processes:

   Get-Process | Sort-Object CPU -Descending | Select-Object -First 5

This command lists the top 5 processes using the most CPU.

2. Restart a Service:

   Restart-Service DHCP

This command restarts the DHCP service.

3. List Directory Contents:

   Get-ChildItem c:\directory -Recurse

This command lists all items in a directory and its subdirectories.

4. Remove Files or Folders:

   Remove-Item C:\ToBeDeleted -Recurse

This command deletes a folder and its contents.

5. Restart a Computer:

   Restart-Computer

This command reboots the local system.

Active Directory Information Gathering

1. Get Domain Information:

   Get-ADDomain

This command displays information about the current domain.

2. Get Forest Information:

   Get-ADForest

This command shows details about the Active Directory forest.

3. List All Active Directory Cmdlets:

   Get-Command -Module ActiveDirectory

This command displays all available Active Directory-related cmdlets.

Best Practices

1. Always use the -WhatIf parameter before executing commands that make changes to ensure you understand the impact.
2. Use Get-Help to learn more about any cmdlet. For example:

   Get-Help Move-ADDirectoryServerOperationMasterRole -Detailed

3. When working with multiple objects, consider using the ForEach-Object cmdlet for batch operations.
4. Use PowerShell ISE or Visual Studio Code for script development, as they provide IntelliSense and debugging capabilities.

By mastering these useful PowerShell commands, IT administrators can significantly improve their efficiency in managing Windows Servers and Active Directory environments. Remember to always test commands in a non-production environment first and ensure you have the necessary permissions before executing them.

For some more useful powershell commands, check out the links below!
https://devblogs.microsoft.com/scripting/table-of-basic-powershell-commands/
https://www.scriptrunner.com/en/blog/administer-active-directory-with-powershell/
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/activedirectory/?view=windowsserver2025-ps

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