There are two ways to add or remove many users from groups at once:
- Select users on All users: best when the same users go
into, or come out of, the same groups. For example, add 20 new starters to
All StaffandVPN Users. - Upload a CSV file: best when each user goes into different groups, or for very large changes. For example, a list from HR of who joins which team.
Option 1: Select users on All users
- Go to Tools > Users > All users.
- Tick the users you want to change. Use the search and filters to find them.
- Select Modify Groups in the actions bar.
- Under Add a group, start typing a group name. Matching groups appear.
- Tick one or more groups. If a group can't be used, the Why column says so.
- Select Add to add the users to the ticked groups, or Remove to take them out.
The change is made straight away; there's no separate save. A summary under the list shows what was done. Select Close when you're finished.
Remove only appears when more than one user is ticked. With one user ticked, the dialog also lists their Current groups, each with its own Remove button.
Option 2: Upload a CSV file
Go to Tools > Users > Bulk group membership.
1. Prepare the CSV file
Select Download template for an example file, or make your own. It needs a Group column and a Member column, and can have an Action column:
Group,Action,Member
Helpdesk,add,jsmith
Helpdesk,add,adietrich
IT-Admins,add,"jsmith;jdoe;bwilson"
Finance,remove,jsmith
| Column | What to put in it |
|---|---|
| Group | The group's name or distinguished name. |
| Member | The user's logon name, UPN, display name or distinguished name. To put several users in one row, separate them with semicolons and wrap the cell in quotes. |
| Action | add or remove. Optional. Rows without an action use the default action you choose on the page. |
Column headings are matched without regard to case, and common alternatives work too, for example
User or Username for Member, and Group Name for Group.
2. Upload and choose the default action
- Select Choose CSV… and pick your file.
- Under Default action, choose Add to groups or Remove from groups. It's only used for rows with no Action.
3. Check the preview
Every row is checked against Active Directory before anything changes. The Result column shows what will happen:
| Result | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Will be added / Will be removed | This row will make a change. |
| Already a member / Not a member | Nothing to do. The row is skipped. |
| Group not found / Member not found | The name doesn't match anything in Active Directory. The row is skipped. |
The line above the table sums it up, for example "40 rows · 35 to change · 3 already as asked · 2 cannot be resolved".
4. Apply
Select Apply N changes. The rows are updated one at a time, and each row's Result shows Added, Removed or the error. A row that fails doesn't stop the others.
To fix rows that couldn't be resolved, correct the file and upload it again. Rows that are already done show Already a member the second time, so nothing is changed twice.
Things to know
- Changes are made by AD Pro Toolkit's service account. It needs permission to change the membership of the groups. See Permissions.
- Changes are logged. The audit log under Settings > Logs records who made each change.
- Group membership takes effect at sign-in. A user added to a group gets its access the next time they sign in to Windows.
Troubleshooting
- "The file needs a Group column and a Member column": rename your columns to
GroupandMember. - "Action '...' is neither add nor remove": use
addorremovein the Action column, or leave it blank to use the default action. - "Group not found": check the group's name, or use its distinguished name. If two groups share a name, use the distinguished name.
- "Member not found": check the logon name. A display name only matches if it's exactly the same.
- "Insufficient access rights": AD Pro Toolkit's service account doesn't have permission to change that group.