How to create Active Directory users in bulk using a CSV file

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Objective

ADManager Plus enables administrators to create Active Directory users from a CSV file by importing user account details in bulk. This approach simplifies large-scale user provisioning during employee onboarding, contractor onboarding, and organizational expansion, while eliminating the need for PowerShell scripting and manual user creation.

Prerequisites

Before importing users, ensure that:

  • You must be logged in as an ADManager Plus administrator or a help desk technician with permissions to create user accounts.
  • The CSV file contains all mandatory user attributes required for account creation. Any user creation templates referenced in the CSV file have already been created. When preparing the CSV file for bulk user creation, follow these guidelines:
    • The first row of the CSV file must contain the LDAP names of the AD attributes whose values need to be populated.
    • Each subsequent row represents a user account and contains values for the specified LDAP attributes.
    • Mandatory attributes such as givenName, sn, and other required fields must be included for successful user creation.
    • Refer to the supported LDAP attributes documentation for a complete list of attributes that can be used for user creation and modification.
    • Refer to the sample CSV file for the required format.
Tip:

For security reasons, avoid specifying passwords directly in the CSV file. Instead, configure passwords through a user creation template and specify the template name in the CSV file using the templateName attribute.

Steps to create Active Directory users in bulk using a CSV file

  1. Log in to ADManager Plus.
  2. Navigate to Management > User Management > User Creation > Create Bulk Users. Alternatively, navigate to Management > User Management > CSV Import > Create Users.
  3. Select the required domain from the Select Domain field.
  4. Select the required template from the Select Template field to apply predefined user attributes and settings during account creation.
    • Templates can automatically populate attribute values such as passwords, group memberships, logon hours, and other user settings.
    • If a template is specified in the CSV file using the templateName attribute, it overrides the template selected on the Create Bulk Users page.
  5. Click Import, select the CSV file containing the user account details, and click Import again to upload the file.
  6. Review the imported user records. If required, modify individual user details using the Modify icon next to the corresponding user account.
  7. Click Next.
  8. Select the destination OU where the user accounts should be created. To create a new OU, click Create New OU.
    Note:

    To create users in different OUs, specify the OU names in the CSV file under the OUname attribute.

  9. Click Create Users to provision the user accounts.

Tips

  • Use user creation templates to standardize passwords, group memberships, logon hours, and other account settings.
  • Validate the CSV file before importing it to avoid user creation failures.
  • Use the sample CSV file as a reference when preparing large user imports.
  • Test the process with a small number of users before performing large-scale provisioning.