Move a computer account

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

To move a computer account

  1. Open Active Directory Users and Computers.

  2. In the console tree, click Computers.

    Where?

    • Active Directory Users and Computers/domain node/Computers

    Or, click the folder that contains the computer that you want to move.

  3. In the details pane, right-click the computer, and then click Move.

  4. In the Move dialog box, click the domain node.

  5. Click the folder to which you want to move the computer, and then click OK.

Notes

  • To perform this procedure, you must be a member of the Account Operators group, Domain Admins group, or the Enterprise Admins group in Active Directory, or you must have been delegated the appropriate authority. As a security best practice, consider using Run as to perform this procedure. For more information, see Default local groups, Default groups, and Using Run as.

  • To open Active Directory Users and Computers, click Start, click Control Panel, double-click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Active Directory Users and Computers.

  • You cannot use Active Directory Users and Computers to move computer accounts between domains. To move a computer account between domains, use Movetree, one of the Active Directory support tools. For more information, see Related Topics.

  • Members of the Account Operators group can move computer accounts to organizational units but not to default containers, such as Builtin or Computers. However, Account Operators cannot move computer accounts into the Domain Controllers organizational unit but can move computer accounts from the Domain Controllers organizational unit.

Information about functional differences

  • Your server might function differently based on the version and edition of the operating system that is installed, your account permissions, and your menu settings. For more information, see Viewing Help on the Web.

See Also

Concepts

Working with MMC console files
Find a computer account
Active Directory support tools