Unlocking AD accounts automatically using PowerShell

Step 1: Identify locked accounts

Retrieve a list of locked-out AD accounts.

Step 2: Unlock specific AD accounts

To manually unlock a specific user account using their SamAccountName, run the script below by replacing "johndoe" with the actual username.

Step 3: Unlock all locked accounts

To unlock all locked accounts in the domain, run the script below.

Step 4: Automate the unlock process with a scheduled task

To automatically unlock accounts every hour, save the script below as UnlockAccounts.ps1.

After this, create a scheduled task to run it periodically. This schedules the script to run at midnight daily, but you can modify it as needed.

FAQs

1. How do I manually unlock a user’s AD account?

Unlock a user’s AD account using the script below.

2. Can I unlock all locked-out users at once?

Yes, run the script below to unlock all locked-out users at once.

3. How can I automate account unlocks?

Schedule the unlock script to run periodically via Task Scheduler.