We like to create Active Directory users with PowerShell. This time, we need to add…
Bulk create AD Users with random passwords
In the previous article, we discussed how to Create Active Directory Users from CSV with PowerShell. After the article got published, a question got asked by a reader. The question is as follows: Is it possible to automate the password workflow when creating new AD Users? The answer is: Yes, it’s possible. We can automate the passwords with PowerShell. In this article, you will learn how to bulk create AD Users with random passwords.
Table of contents
Before you start to bulk create AD Users
In the article, we are going to use the following files:
| File | Info |
|---|---|
| NewUsersRP.csv | CSV template that contains the user accounts information |
| Add-NewUsersRandomPasswords.ps1 | PowerShell script that will create user accounts with random passwords |
How it works
The PowerShell script will automatically create AD users from CSV file and generate random passwords for the users. After the user accounts are created with random passwords, a new CSV file will be exported. In that file, you will have the passwords column with the created passwords.
Prepare Add-NewUsersRandomPasswords PowerShell script
Before you start, you want to place the files in the right place. We recommend creating two folders with the name Scripts and Temp on the C:\ drive of the Management Server or Domain Controller.
Download the Powershell script Add-NewUsersRandomPasswords.ps1 (direct link). Save the file in the path C:\Scripts\.
- Change line 7 if you are willing to place the CSV file to a different path then C:\scripts\.
- Change line 10 if you want to export the CSV with passwords to a different path then C:\temp\.
- Change line 13 to your UserPrincipalName (UPN). In our example, it’s exoip.com.
Download and edit CSV template
Download the CSV template NewUsersRP.csv (direct link). Save the file in C:\Temp\.
Open the CSV file with your favorite editor. For example, Microsoft Excel. Edit the CSV file to your needs and save it.
Import CSV file in PowerShell
Before you start running the PowerShell script, it’s good to import the CSV file in PowerShell first. Run PowerShell as administrator. Change the directory to C:\temp\. Make use of the Import-Csv cmdlet.
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PS C:\> cd C:\temp PS C:\temp> Import-Csv NewUsersRP.csv | Format-Table FirstName Initials Lastname Username Email StreetAddress City ZipCode State Department --------- -------- -------- -------- ----- ------------- ---- ------- ----- ---------- Max MF Fraser Max.Fraser Max.Fraser@exoip.com 21 Baker St London NW1 6XE IT Piers PB Bower Piers.Bower piers.bower@exoip.com 21 Baker St London NW1 6XE IT Kylie KD Davidson Kylie.Davidson Kylie.Davidson@exoip.com 21 Baker St London NW1 6XE IT Richard RG Grant richard.grant richard.grant@exoip.com 21 Baker St London NW1 6XE IT Boris BC Campbell Boris.Campbell boris.Campbell@exoip.com 21 Baker St London NW1 6XE IT Nicholas NM Murray Nicholas.Murray Nicholas.Murray@exoip.com 21 Baker St London NW1 6XE IT Leonard LC Clark Leonard.Clark Leonard.Clark@exoip.com 21 Baker St London NW1 6XE IT Ruth RD Dickens Ruth.Dickens Ruth.Dickens@exoip.com 21 Baker St London NW1 6XE IT Jonathan JF Fisher Jonathan.Fisher Johnathan.Fisher@exoip.com 21 Baker St London NW1 6XE IT Zoë ZR Rees Zoe.Rees Zoe.Rees@exoip.com 21 Baker St London NW1 6XE IT |
If you don’t see all the information in the output, make use of the Out-GridView cmdlet.
|
1 |
PS C:\temp> Import-Csv NewUsersRP.csv | Out-GridView |
It will show as below screen.
If you get errors when importing the CSV file, troubleshoot further before proceeding to the next step.
Run Add-NewUsersRandomPasswords PowerShell script
Before running the script
Start Active Directory Users and Computers (ADUC). Good to know is that the script will not create the Organizational Unit (OU). Create the OU if you don’t have it in AD.
In our example, the OU with the name IT is created and is empty.
Let’s run the script to create AD users.
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PS C:\> cd scripts PS C:\scripts> .\Add-NewUsersRandomPasswords.ps1 The user account Max.Fraser is created. The user account Piers.Bower is created. The user account Kylie.Davidson is created. The user account Richard.Grant is created. The user account Boris.Campbell is created. The user account Nicholas.Murray is created. The user account Leonard.Clark is created. The user account Ruth.Dickens is created. The user account Jonathan.Fisher is created. The user account Zoe.Rees is created. Press Enter to exit: |
If you run the script and the user is already created in AD, you will get the following.
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PS C:\> cd \scripts PS C:\scripts> .\Add-NewUsersRandomPasswords.ps1 WARNING: A user account with username Max.Fraser already exists in Active Directory. WARNING: A user account with username Piers.Bower already exists in Active Directory. WARNING: A user account with username Kylie.Davidson already exists in Active Directory. WARNING: A user account with username Richard.Grant already exists in Active Directory. WARNING: A user account with username Boris.Campbell already exists in Active Directory. WARNING: A user account with username Nicholas.Murray already exists in Active Directory. WARNING: A user account with username Leonard.Clark already exists in Active Directory. WARNING: A user account with username Ruth.Dickens already exists in Active Directory. WARNING: A user account with username Jonathan.Fisher already exists in Active Directory. WARNING: A user account with username Zoe.Rees already exists in Active Directory. Press Enter to exit: |
After running the script
The OU with the name IT is filled with new users.
New CSV file including the random passwords
A new CSV file will be created in the C:\temp\ folder. The CSV file will have the name Passwords with the date and time appended. For example, Passwords_13-09-2020_20384101.csv.
Open the CSV file with your favorite program. For example, Microsoft Excel. The CSV file will contain a new column with the name Initial Password. These are the generated passwords.
Did this help you to bulk create AD Users with random passwords?
Keep reading: Active Directory weak password checker »
Conclusion
To sum it up, you learned how to bulk create AD Users with random passwords. These random passwords are generated automatically with PowerShell. If you need to bulk create AD users, I recommend you to use this PowerShell script.
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