How to Remotely Add Domain Users to Local Administrators Group in Windows Server 2025

Managing user permissions across multiple workstations in an Active Directory environment can be challenging, especially when you need to grant local administrator rights to specific users without physically accessing each machine. If you’re running Windows Server 2025 and need to remotely add domain users to the local Administrators group, you’re in the right place.

This comprehensive guide walks you through multiple proven methods to accomplish this task efficiently, whether you’re managing a handful of computers or an entire enterprise network. I’ve personally implemented these techniques across various organizational environments, and I’ll share the practical insights you need to make informed decisions.

Why Add Domain Users to Local Administrators Group?

Before diving into the how-to, let’s understand the practical scenarios where this becomes necessary:

Common Real-World Scenarios:

• Remote workers who need to install software or troubleshoot their own systems
• IT support staff requiring elevated permissions on specific machines
• Developers needing local admin access for testing environments
• Department managers who oversee specialized workstations
• Temporary contractors requiring elevated permissions for specific projects

However, granting local administrator privileges requires careful consideration. Microsoft’s security best practices recommend limiting administrator accounts to minimize potential security risks. You should only grant these permissions when absolutely necessary and use security groups rather than individual user accounts for easier management.

Understanding the Security Context

When you join a computer to an Active Directory domain, two groups are automatically configured:

• Domain Admins group is added to the local Administrators group
• Domain Users group is added to the local Users group

For security reasons, daily administrative tasks should not be performed under Domain Admin privileges. Instead, create specialized groups like HelpDesk Admins or Workstation Admins with carefully scoped permissions. This principle of least privilege significantly reduces your attack surface.

Method 1: Using Group Policy Preferences (Recommended for Multiple Computers)

Group Policy Preferences (GPP) offers the most scalable and maintainable approach for managing local administrator permissions across your domain. This method is ideal when you need to manage permissions for multiple computers or entire organizational units.

Step-by-Step Implementation:

Step 1: Create a Security Group

First, create a dedicated security group in Active Directory. This makes permission management much easier than adding individual users.

Open PowerShell on your domain controller and run:

powershell

New-ADGroup -Name "WorkstationAdmins" -Path "OU=Groups,OU=IT,DC=yourdomain,DC=com" -GroupScope Global -PassThru

Add users to this group:

powershell

Add-ADGroupMember -Identity "WorkstationAdmins" -Members jsmith, mjohnson, kdavis

Step 2: Create and Configure the GPO

1. Open Group Policy Management Console (gpmc.msc) on your domain controller
2. Navigate to your domain structure and right-click on Group Policy Objects
3. Select New and name it something descriptive like “Add-LocalAdmins-Policy”
4. Right-click your new GPO and select Edit

Step 3: Configure the Local Administrators Group

Navigate through the console to:

Computer Configuration → Preferences → Control Panel Settings → Local Users and Groups

1. Right-click in the main panel and select New → Local Group
2. In the Action dropdown, select Update
3. In the Group name dropdown, select Administrators (built-in)

Important Note: Even if the Administrators group has been renamed on target computers, selecting “Administrators (built-in)” ensures the policy applies correctly because it references the group’s Security Identifier (SID: S-1-5-32-544), which never changes.

Step 4: Add Your Security Group

1. Click the Add button
2. Click Browse and search for your “WorkstationAdmins” group
3. Select it and click OK

Critical Security Configuration:

If you want complete control over the Administrators group membership (removing all existing members except those you specify):

1. Check Delete all member users
2. Check Delete all member groups
3. Important: You must manually re-add the Domain Admins group, otherwise all domain administrators will lose local admin access!

To re-add Domain Admins:

• Click Add again
• Browse and select Domain Admins
• Click OK

If you want to preserve existing members and simply add your new group, leave both delete options unchecked.

Step 5: Link the GPO to Target OUs

1. Close the Group Policy Editor
2. In Group Policy Management Console, right-click the OU containing your target computers
3. Select Link an Existing GPO
4. Choose your “Add-LocalAdmins-Policy” GPO
5. Click OK

Step 6: Verify the Policy Application

On a target workstation, force a Group Policy update:

powershell

gpupdate /force

Then verify the local Administrators group membership:

powershell

net localgroup Administrators

Or using PowerShell:

powershell

Get-LocalGroupMember -Group "Administrators"

Advanced Targeting with Item-Level Targeting

For granular control, you can apply this GPO only to specific computers or conditions:

1. In the Group Policy Editor, go to the Common tab in your Local Group properties
2. Check Item-level targeting
3. Click Targeting
4. Add conditions such as:
   • Computer name matches specific patterns
   • Operating system version
   • IP address range
   • Site membership
   • Security group membership

This allows you to apply the policy selectively without creating multiple GPOs.

Method 2: Using PowerShell Remoting (For Immediate Changes)

PowerShell remoting provides instant results without waiting for Group Policy replication. This method is perfect for one-time additions or urgent access requirements.

Prerequisites:

• PowerShell Remoting must be enabled on target computers
• You need administrative credentials
• Windows Firewall must allow remote administration (or file and printer sharing exception)

Single Computer Configuration:

powershell

# Define the target computer and domain user
$computerName = "WORKSTATION01"
$domainUser = "YOURDOMAIN\username"

# Add the user to the local Administrators group
Invoke-Command -ComputerName $computerName -ScriptBlock {
    param($user)
    Add-LocalGroupMember -Group "Administrators" -Member $user
} -ArgumentList $domainUser

Write-Host "Successfully added $domainUser to Administrators group on $computerName"

Multiple Computers Configuration:

powershell

# Define an array of target computers
$computers = @("PC001", "PC002", "PC003", "PC004")
$domainGroup = "YOURDOMAIN\WorkstationAdmins"

# Loop through each computer and add the group
foreach ($computer in $computers) {
    try {
        Invoke-Command -ComputerName $computer -ScriptBlock {
            param($group)
            Add-LocalGroupMember -Group "Administrators" -Member $group
        } -ArgumentList $domainGroup
        
        Write-Host "✓ Successfully added $domainGroup to $computer" -ForegroundColor Green
    }
    catch {
        Write-Warning "✗ Failed to add $domainGroup to $computer - Error: $_"
    }
}

Verify Membership Remotely:

powershell

Invoke-Command -ComputerName "WORKSTATION01" -ScriptBlock {
    Get-LocalGroupMember -Group "Administrators"
}

Method 3: Using Active Directory Users and Computers (Single Computer)

This method works well when you need to quickly grant permissions to a single user on a specific computer and you have physical or remote desktop access.

Steps:

1. On your administrative workstation, press Win + R
2. Type compmgmt.msc and press Enter
3. Right-click Computer Management (Local) in the left pane
4. Select Connect to another computer
5. Enter the name of the target computer
6. Expand Local Users and Groups
7. Click Groups → Administrators
8. Right-click and select Add to Group
9. Click Add
10. Enter the domain user account in the format: DOMAIN\username
11. Click Check Names to verify
12. Click OK to save

Alternative: Direct Connection from Active Directory

1. Open Active Directory Users and Computers (dsa.msc)
2. Navigate to Computers container
3. Right-click the target computer
4. Select Manage
5. This opens Computer Management connected to that specific machine
6. Follow the same steps as above to add users to the local Administrators group

Firewall Requirement: For this method to work, you must enable the Group Policy setting “Allow inbound remote administration exception” under:

Computer Configuration → Administrative Templates → Network → Network Connections → Windows Firewall → Domain Profile

Method 4: Using PsExec from Sysinternals (Legacy but Reliable)

PsExec is part of Microsoft’s Sysinternals suite and works even in environments where PowerShell remoting isn’t configured.

Setup:

1. Download PsTools from Microsoft Sysinternals
2. Extract to a folder like C:\Tools\PsTools

Usage:

cmd

psexec \\COMPUTERNAME net localgroup Administrators "DOMAIN\username" /add

Example:

cmd

psexec \\WORKSTATION01 net localgroup Administrators "CONTOSO\jsmith" /add

The advantage of PsExec is that it only requires the same firewall exceptions as Computer Management (file and printer sharing).

Method 5: Using ADSI (Advanced PowerShell Method)

This method uses the ADSI type adapter for direct manipulation of the local group:

powershell

$computerName = "WORKSTATION01"
$domainUser = "YOURDOMAIN\username"

# Create reference to the local Administrators group
$group = [ADSI]"WinNT://$computerName/Administrators,group"

# Create reference to the domain user
$user = [ADSI]"WinNT://YOURDOMAIN/$username,user"

# Add the user to the group
$group.Add($user.Path)

Write-Host "Successfully added $domainUser to Administrators group on $computerName"

Firewall Note: This method requires the “Allow inbound file and printer sharing exception” policy to be enabled.

Windows Server 2025 Specific Considerations

Windows Server 2025 introduces several enhancements that affect Active Directory management:

Enhanced Security Features

Windows Server 2025 includes improved security baselines and group policy templates. When implementing local administrator policies, ensure you’ve updated your administrative templates:

1. Download “Administrative Templates for Windows Server 2025”
2. Install the MSI package
3. Copy the PolicyDefinitions folder to your SYSVOL:

   \\yourdomain.com\SYSVOL\yourdomain.com\Policies\PolicyDefinitions

Improved Group Policy Processing

Server 2025 offers faster group policy processing and better targeting options, making the GPP method even more efficient than previous versions.

Modern PowerShell Cmdlets

All PowerShell methods in this guide use the modern *-LocalGroupMember cmdlets, which are fully supported and recommended in Windows Server 2025 environments.

Security Best Practices and Recommendations

1. Use Security Groups, Not Individual Accounts

Always add security groups to the local Administrators group rather than individual user accounts. This approach offers several advantages:

• Easier management: Add or remove users from the group without modifying GPOs
• Better auditing: Track group membership changes in a single location
• Scalability: One group can be used across multiple GPOs and computers
• Consistency: Ensures uniform access control across your environment

2. Implement the Principle of Least Privilege

Microsoft recommends creating separate administrative groups with specific scopes:

• Domain Admins: Use only on domain controllers and for AD management tasks
• Server Admins: Manage member servers without domain-level privileges
• Workstation Admins: Manage workstations only
• Domain Users: Standard users with no administrative privileges

Never perform daily administrative tasks under Domain Admin accounts. This limits the potential damage from compromised credentials.

3. Consider LAPS (Local Administrator Password Solution)

For enhanced security, consider implementing LAPS instead of granting widespread local admin rights:

• Unique, complex passwords for each computer’s local administrator account
• Passwords automatically rotated on schedule
• Passwords stored securely in Active Directory
• Access controlled through AD permissions

LAPS is particularly useful for break-glass scenarios where users need temporary administrative access.

4. Audit Administrator Group Changes

Implement auditing to track changes to local Administrators groups:

powershell

# Enable auditing in Group Policy
# Navigate to: Computer Configuration → Policies → Windows Settings → 
# Security Settings → Advanced Audit Policy Configuration → 
# Audit Policies → Account Management → Audit Security Group Management

Configure alerts for unauthorized changes to maintain security oversight.

5. Document Your Administrative Structure

Maintain clear documentation of:

• Which users/groups have administrative access
• On which computers or OUs
• Business justification for access
• Review schedule for access rights

This documentation is crucial for security audits and compliance requirements.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Issue 1: GPO Not Applying

Symptoms: Group policy doesn’t add the user/group to local Administrators

Solutions:

1. Verify GPO is linked to the correct OU containing target computers
2. Check that the computers are actually in that OU
3. Run gpresult /h report.html on the target computer to see which policies are applying
4. Ensure there are no conflicting GPOs with higher precedence
5. Verify that Group Policy replication has completed across all domain controllers

Issue 2: Access Denied Errors

Symptoms: PowerShell commands fail with “Access Denied”

Solutions:

1. Verify you’re running PowerShell as an administrator
2. Check that you have administrative credentials for the target computer
3. Ensure your account is in Domain Admins or has been delegated appropriate permissions
4. Verify that Windows Remote Management service is running on target computers

Issue 3: Computer Management Won’t Connect

Symptoms: Cannot connect to remote computer via compmgmt.msc

Solutions:

1. Check Windows Firewall settings on the target computer
2. Verify the Remote Registry service is running
3. Ensure DNS is resolving the computer name correctly
4. Test basic network connectivity with ping or Test-Connection
5. Enable the “Allow inbound remote administration exception” firewall rule

Issue 4: PowerShell Remoting Not Working

Symptoms: Invoke-Command fails to connect

Solutions:

1. Enable PowerShell Remoting on target computers:

powershell

   Enable-PSRemoting -Force

2. Configure TrustedHosts if needed (for workgroup scenarios):

powershell

   Set-Item WSMan:\localhost\Client\TrustedHosts -Value "COMPUTERNAME" -Force

3. Verify WinRM service is running:

powershell

   Get-Service WinRM

4. Test basic connectivity:

powershell

   Test-WSMan -ComputerName WORKSTATION01

Issue 5: Domain Admins Removed After GPO Application

Symptoms: Domain Admins lose access to computers after applying GPO

Solution: This happens when you select “Delete all member groups” without re-adding Domain Admins. Edit your GPO and explicitly add Domain Admins back to the Administrators group. The GPO should contain both your custom group and Domain Admins.

Conclusion

Managing local administrator permissions in Active Directory doesn’t have to be complicated. The Group Policy Preferences method offers the best balance of scalability, maintainability, and security for most organizations running Windows Server 2025. For immediate needs or smaller environments, PowerShell remoting provides quick and reliable results.

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