Open Active Directory Users and Computers in Windows 10

To open Active Directory Users and Computers in Windows 10, select Start, open the Windows Administrative Tools folder, and select Active Directory Users and Computers. You can also open the Run dialog box, type dsa.msc, and select OK. Both routes only work after the RSAT Active Directory tools have been added to the PC.

Applies to: Windows 10 Pro and Enterprise, version 1809 or later, with the RSAT Active Directory tools installed. Checked against Microsoft Learn on October 7, 2026.

What you need before the console will open

Active Directory Users and Computers (often shortened to ADUC) is a management console for Active Directory Domain Services, the directory that stores an organization’s user accounts, groups, and computers. It is not part of a standard Windows 10 installation. It arrives with Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT), a set of Microsoft tools for managing Windows Server from a desktop PC.

• The right edition. Microsoft only supports RSAT on Professional and Enterprise editions of Windows. It cannot be installed on Windows 10 Home.
• Windows 10 version 1809 or later. From that release on, RSAT is built into Windows as an optional feature. Earlier versions needed a separate RSAT download.
• The Active Directory tools installed. The feature is called RSAT: Active Directory Domain Services and Lightweight Directory Services Tools. If you have not added it yet, follow our guide on how to install Active Directory Users and Computers on Windows 10, then come back here.
• A route to the domain. The PC needs network connectivity to the Windows Server systems you want to manage.
• An account with permission. Opening the console does not give you any rights. Your account needs administrative privileges for the Active Directory work you plan to do.

Open Active Directory Users and Computers from the Start menu

1. Sign in to the Windows 10 PC with the account you use for directory work.
2. Select Start to open the Start menu and its list of apps.
3. Scroll down the list to the letter W and select the Windows Administrative Tools folder. It expands to show the administrative tools installed on this PC.
4. Select Active Directory Users and Computers. The console opens in its own window, with your domain listed in the pane on the left.

If you would rather not scroll, select Start, type Active Directory Users and Computers, and choose it from the search results.

Open it with the dsa.msc command

Dsa.msc is the file name of the Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in. A snap-in is a tool that runs inside Microsoft Management Console (MMC), the shared window that many Windows administrative tools use. Running the file name is the quickest way in when you already have a Run box or command window open.

1. Open the Run dialog box. One way is to select Start, type run, and choose Run from the results.
2. In the Open box, type dsa.msc.
3. Select OK. Active Directory Users and Computers opens, just as it does from the Start menu.

If Windows reports that it cannot find dsa.msc, the Active Directory tools are not installed on this PC. See the troubleshooting section below.

Open it from the Administrative Tools folder or Server Manager

Two other entry points lead to the same console:

• Control Panel. In Windows 10, Administrative Tools is a folder in Control Panel that holds tools for system administrators and advanced users. Open that folder and select Active Directory Users and Computers.
• Server Manager. The Active Directory tools depend on the RSAT Server Manager feature, so Windows adds Server Manager alongside them. In Server Manager, open the Tools menu and select Active Directory Users and Computers. On a domain controller running Windows Server, this is the usual route.

Open it with a different account

Many organizations give administrators a separate account for directory work, so the account you use for email and browsing has no special rights. You can stay signed in with your everyday account and start only the console with the administrative one by using the Windows runas command.

1. Select Start, type cmd, and open Command Prompt.
2. Type the following command, replacing CONTOSO\adminname with your own domain and administrative user name, and press Enter:
   runas /user:CONTOSO\adminname “mmc %windir%\system32\dsa.msc”
3. Type the password for that account when prompted and press Enter. The console opens under the administrative account.

If the PC is not joined to the domain but can reach it over the network, add the /netonly switch. Microsoft describes it as indicating that the user information is for remote access only, so the console runs locally under your current sign-in and uses the domain account when it contacts the network:

runas /netonly /user:CONTOSO\adminname “mmc %windir%\system32\dsa.msc”

The account name can be written as DOMAIN\user or as user@domain. Microsoft documents the full syntax in its runas command reference.

Check that it worked

When the console opens correctly, the left pane shows your domain. Expand it to see its containers and organizational units, which are the folders that hold user, group, and computer accounts. To look for a specific account, right-click the domain and select Find.

Nothing changes in the directory when you simply open and browse the console, so there is nothing to undo. Changes only happen when you create, edit, move, or delete an object. Because those changes can affect sign-in and access for other people, follow your organization’s procedures before you make them.

Other Active Directory tools installed with it

The same RSAT feature installs several related tools, and they appear in the same Windows Administrative Tools folder:

Tool	What it is for
Active Directory Users and Computers	Everyday management of user, group, and computer accounts
Active Directory Administrative Center	A newer console that adds graphical management of the Active Directory Recycle Bin and fine-grained password policies, plus a Windows PowerShell History Viewer. You can also start it by running dsac.exe
Active Directory Domains and Trusts	Managing domains and the trust relationships between them
Active Directory Sites and Services	Managing sites and the services that run across them
ADSI Edit	Low-level editing of directory objects, for experienced administrators
Active Directory module for Windows PowerShell	Managing the directory with PowerShell commands instead of a console

Troubleshooting

Active Directory Users and Computers is not in the Start menu

The tools are probably not installed. To check, select Start > Settings > Apps (on Windows 10 version 22H2, select System instead), and then select Optional features. Look through the installed features for RSAT: Active Directory Domain Services and Lightweight Directory Services Tools. If it is missing, select Add a feature, search for it, and install it.

You can run the same check in a PowerShell window opened as an administrator:

Get-WindowsCapability -Online | Where-Object {$_.Name -like ‘Rsat*’}

If the Active Directory entry is not shown as installed, add it with:

Add-WindowsCapability -Online -Name “Rsat.ActiveDirectory.DS-LDS.Tools~~~~0.0.1.0”

The download is small, about 17 MB according to Microsoft’s feature list. Microsoft’s guide to installing Remote Server Administration Tools covers both methods.

The RSAT feature is not offered, or it will not install

• Windows 10 Home. RSAT cannot be installed on Home edition. You need a PC running Pro or Enterprise.
• A version older than 1809. The optional feature does not exist on those versions. They used a separate RSAT download instead, and they are long out of support, so updating Windows is the better fix.
• No route to the download. When you add the feature, the Windows Update client downloads it. That needs an active internet connection or a connection to your organization’s Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) server. On a work PC where the install fails, ask your IT team, because they control where updates come from and which features you are allowed to add.
• You are not an administrator on the PC. Adding RSAT requires administrative privileges on the computer.

The console opens but cannot reach the domain

This is a network or sign-in problem, not an installation problem. Check that the PC is connected to the organization’s network, either directly or through its VPN, and that you are signed in with a domain account. If you started the console with runas and it failed, Microsoft notes two likely causes: the Secondary Logon service is not running, or the account you entered is not valid. You can check the service in Computer Management under Services and Applications > Services.

You can see accounts but cannot change them

The console shows what your account is allowed to see and lets you change only what your account is allowed to change. If commands are unavailable or you get an access error, your account has not been given rights for that task. Ask a domain administrator to grant them, or open the console with your administrative account as described above.

A tab you expected is missing

Some tabs in an object’s properties stay hidden by default. For example, Microsoft notes that the Object tab, which holds the Protect object from accidental deletion check box, only appears when Advanced Features is turned on in the console.

A note on Windows 10 support

Windows 10 reached the end of support on October 14, 2025, and version 22H2 is its final version, as listed on the Microsoft lifecycle page for Windows 10. The console still opens the same way, but a PC used to administer a domain should be running a supported version of Windows. If you have moved to a newer PC, see our guide on how to access Active Directory in Windows 11.

Frequently asked questions

What is dsa.msc?

It is the file name of the Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in. Typing it in the Run dialog box opens the console directly, without going through the Start menu.

Can I open Active Directory Users and Computers on Windows 10 Home?

No. The console comes with RSAT, and Microsoft only allows RSAT to be installed on Professional and Enterprise editions.

Does opening the console make my PC a domain controller?

No. RSAT only adds management tools. Active Directory itself keeps running on your organization’s Windows Server domain controllers, and the console on your PC connects to them over the network.

Do I need to be a domain administrator to open it?

You need administrative privileges on the PC to install the tools. After that, what you can do inside the console depends on the rights your account has been given in Active Directory. Installing or opening the console does not add any.

Is Active Directory Users and Computers the same as Active Directory Administrative Center?

No. They are separate consoles installed by the same RSAT feature. Active Directory Administrative Center adds graphical tools for the Active Directory Recycle Bin and fine-grained password policies.

How do I remove the tools if I no longer need them?

In a PowerShell window opened as an administrator, run Remove-WindowsCapability -Online -Name “Rsat.ActiveDirectory.DS-LDS.Tools~~~~0.0.1.0”.

Once the console opens and shows your domain, pin it somewhere handy and confirm with your IT team which changes your account is meant to make before you edit anything.