New LocalUser - PowerShell

Overview

The New-LocalUser cmdlet in PowerShell allows you to create a new local user account on the computer. It is a versatile tool for user management, often used for adding new users, configuring user permissions, and managing user access.

Syntax

New-LocalUser [-Name] <string> [-Password] <SecureString> [-DisplayName] <string> [-Description] <string> [-Enabled] <bool> [-Force] [-Group] <string[]> [-GroupMembership] <string[]> [-HomeDirectory] <string> [-HomeDrive] <string> [-LocalAccount] [-NoPassword] [-Path] <string> [-ProfilePath] <string> [-ResetPassword] [-Server] <string> [-SID] <string> [-Status] <string> [-Unload] [-WhatIf] [-Confirm]

Options/Flags

  • -Name: The username for the new local user account.
  • -Password: The password for the new user account.
  • -DisplayName: The display name for the new user account.
  • -Description: A description of the new user account.
  • -Enabled: Specifies whether the new user account is enabled or disabled.
  • -Force: Overwrites an existing user account with the same name.
  • -Group: The security groups to which the new user will be added.
  • -GroupMembership: The security groups from which the new user will be removed.
  • -HomeDirectory: The home directory path for the new user account.
  • -HomeDrive: The home drive letter for the new user account.
  • -LocalAccount: Creates a local user account instead of a domain user account.
  • -NoPassword: Creates the new user account without a password.
  • -Path: The path to the user profile for the new user account.
  • -ProfilePath: The path to the user profile for the new user account.
  • -ResetPassword: Resets the password for the new user account.
  • -Server: The computer on which to create the new user account.
  • -SID: The SID for the new user account.
  • -Status: The status of the new user account.
  • -Unload: Unloads the user profile for the new user account.
  • -WhatIf: Shows what would happen if the command were executed without actually executing it.
  • -Confirm: Prompts for confirmation before executing the command.

Examples

Example 1: Create a new local user account named “user1” with a password of “Password1”

New-LocalUser -Name user1 -Password (ConvertTo-SecureString -String "Password1" -AsPlainText -Force)

Example 2: Create a new local user account named “user2” with a description of “New User” and add it to the “Users” group

New-LocalUser -Name user2 -Description "New User" -Group Users

Example 3: Create a new local user account named “user3” with a home directory of “C:\Users\user3” and a home drive of “Z:”

New-LocalUser -Name user3 -HomeDirectory "C:\Users\user3" -HomeDrive Z:

Common Issues

  • Error creating user: Ensure that you have sufficient permissions to create user accounts on the computer.
  • User account already exists: If you try to create a user account with a name that already exists, you will encounter an error. Use the -Force option to overwrite the existing account.
  • Invalid password: The password must meet the complexity requirements set by the local security policy.

Integration

New-LocalUser can be combined with other PowerShell commands for more advanced user management tasks. For example:

  • Get a list of all local user accounts:
Get-LocalUser
  • Disable a local user account:
Disable-LocalUser -Name <username>
  • Get-LocalUser
  • Disable-LocalUser
  • Remove-LocalUser