Enable-ADAccount

Enables an Active Directory account.

Syntax

Enable-ADAccount
      [-WhatIf]
      [-Confirm]
      [-AuthType <ADAuthType>]
      [-Credential <PSCredential>]
      [-Identity] <ADAccount>
      [-Partition <String>]
      [-PassThru]
      [-Server <String>]
      [<CommonParameters>]

Description

The Enable-ADAccount cmdlet enables an Active Directory user, computer, or service account.

The Identity parameter specifies the Active Directory user, computer, or service account that you want to enable. You can identify an account by its distinguished name, GUID, security identifier (SID) or Security Accounts Manager (SAM) account name. You can also set the Identity parameter to an object variable such as $<localADAccountObject>, or you can pass an account object through the pipeline to the Identity parameter. For example, you can use the Get-ADUser cmdlet to retrieve an account object and then pass the object through the pipeline to the Enable-ADAccount cmdlet. Similarly, you can use Get-ADComputer and Search-ADAccount to retrieve account objects.

Examples

Example 1: Enable an account by identity

PS C:\>Enable-ADAccount -Identity "PattiFul"

This command enables the account with identity SamAccountName PattiFul.

Example 2: Enable an account by Distinguished Name

PS C:\>Enable-ADAccount -Identity "CN=Patti Fuller,OU=Finance,OU=UserAccounts,DC=FABRIKAM,DC=COM"

This command enables the account with DistinguishedName CN=Patti Fuller,OU=Finance,OU=UserAccounts,DC=FABRIKAM,DC=COM.

Example 3: Enable all accounts in an organizational unit using a filter

PS C:\>Get-ADUser -Filter 'Name -like "*"' -SearchBase "OU=Finance,OU=UserAccounts,DC=FABRIKAM,DC=COM" | Enable-ADAccount

This command enables all accounts in the organizational unit: OU=Finance,OU=UserAccounts,DC=FABRIKAM,DC=COM.

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.

Type:ADAuthType
Accepted values:Negotiate, Basic
Position:Named
Default value:Microsoft.ActiveDirectory.Management.AuthType.Negotiate
Required:False
Accept pipeline input:False
Accept wildcard characters:False

-Confirm

Prompts you for confirmation before running the cmdlet.

Type:SwitchParameter
Aliases:cf
Position:Named
Default value:False
Required:False
Accept pipeline input:False
Accept wildcard characters:False

-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 module for Windows 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 module for Windows PowerShell returns a terminating error.

Type:PSCredential
Position:Named
Default value:None
Required:False
Accept pipeline input:False
Accept wildcard characters:False

-Identity

Specifies an Active Directory account object by providing one of the following property values. The identifier in parentheses is the Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) display name for the attribute. The acceptable values for this parameter are:

  • A distinguished name
  • A GUID (objectGUID)
  • A Security Identifier (objectSid)
  • A SAM account name (sAMAccountName)

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 account object instance.

Derived types such as the following are also accepted:

  • Microsoft.ActiveDirectory.Management.ADUser
  • Microsoft.ActiveDirectory.Management.ADComputer
  • Microsoft.ActiveDirectory.Management.ADServiceAccount
Type:ADAccount
Position:0
Default value:None
Required:True
Accept pipeline input:True
Accept wildcard characters:False

-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 Partition 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 (DSA) object (nTDSDSA) for the AD LDS instance.
  • If none of the previous cases apply, the Partition parameter will not take any default value.
Type:String
Position:Named
Default value:None
Required:False
Accept pipeline input:False
Accept wildcard characters:False

-PassThru

Returns an object representing the item with which you are working. By default, this cmdlet does not generate any output.

Type:SwitchParameter
Position:Named
Default value:None
Required:False
Accept pipeline input:False
Accept wildcard characters:False

-Server

Specifies the Active Directory Domain Services 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: Active Directory Lightweight Domain Services, Active Directory Domain Services or Active Directory snapshot instance.

Specify the Active Directory Domain Services 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 Active Directory Domain Services Windows PowerShell provider drive, when the cmdlet runs in that drive
  • By using the domain of the computer running Windows PowerShell
Type:String
Position:Named
Default value:None
Required:False
Accept pipeline input:False
Accept wildcard characters:False

-WhatIf

Shows what would happen if the cmdlet runs. The cmdlet is not run.

Type:SwitchParameter
Aliases:wi
Position:Named
Default value:False
Required:False
Accept pipeline input:False
Accept wildcard characters:False

Inputs

ADAccount

An account object is received by the Identity parameter.

Derived types, such as the following, are also accepted:

  • Microsoft.ActiveDirectory.Management.ADUser
  • Microsoft.ActiveDirectory.Management.ADComputer
  • Microsoft.ActiveDirectory.Management.ADServiceAccount

Outputs

None

Notes

  • This cmdlet does not work with an Active Directory snapshot.
  • This cmdlet does not work with a read-only domain controller.