Using PowerShell to Bulk Reset Active Directory User Properties

Video Transcript:

Recently, I imported a number of users into my Active Directory Database, using a comma delimited file. As a result of importing the Users, the person who created the comma delimited file had accidentally misspelled the Users’ Department.

By looking at the department, they should be in the Propulsion Department but they misspell “Propulsion.” I have in this case, 50 users in this OU. I could change one user at a time or I could do a select all the users, right-click, Properties,

And then change their Organization.

But I’m going to change their User Accounts using PowerShell.

Let’s get started.

If I come into my PowerShell prompt, the first thing I want to do is make sure that I’m going to grab the right users.

I’m going to “get‑aduser”

And I’m going to tell it, I want to do a Filter on enabled accounts = True.

I also want to do a SearchBase on User Accounts that are in the OU=Propulsion, the domain container=USSHQ, and the domain container = Local.

Now I go grab those users, there’s the 50 user objects that are in the container called “Propulsion”

And if you noticed, if I come down, if I look in here, it shows me the users are in here, but notice that I don’t see their actual attribute for the department.

I could actually go on do a search, strictly on the department with a “Select Object.” But I already showed that in the graphical, so I’m just going to go ahead and change their department.

So I’ll do a “set‑aduser“, and do a “‑department” that is one of my attributes.

And I want to set the department to “Propulsion” and hit enter.

No news is good news.

I minimize my PowerShell and refresh my Active Directory container.

I’ll go back and look at any of these users.

Notice I go to the “Organization” their department has been changed to “Propulsion.”

I just changed 50 User Object’s Department, in a matter of a couple of minutes. Imagine if I had to do more than just one line item. I could set any attribute, that’s on that User Object or multiple User Objects in a matter of minutes, instead of spending hours right clicking, and changing those individual users.

Hope this helps you change user attributes in your environment, and until next time, ride safe.
Rick Trader
Windows Server Instructor – Interface Technical Training
Phoenix, AZ