Move an Organizational Unit
Applies To: Windows Server 2008
Membership in Account Operators, Domain Admins, or Enterprise Admins, or equivalent, is the minimum required to complete this procedure. Review details about using the appropriate accounts and group memberships at Local and Domain Default Groups (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=83477).
Moving an organizational unit
Using the Windows interface
Using a command line
To move an organizational unit using the Windows interface
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.
In the console tree, right-click the organizational unit (OU) that you want to move.
Where?
- Active Directory Users and Computers/domain node/organizational unit
Click Move, and then click the folder to which you want to move the OU.
Additional considerations
To perform this procedure, you must be a member of the Account Operators group, Domain Admins group, or Enterprise Admins group in Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS), or you must have been delegated the appropriate authority. As a security best practice, consider using Run as to perform this procedure.
Another way to open Active Directory Users and Computers is to click Start, click Run, and then type dsa.msc.
Active Directory Users and Computers can only move OUs within the same domain. To move OUs between domains, use the Active Directory Migration Tool (ADMT). For more information, see ADMT v3 Migration Guide (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=82740).
Additional references
To move an organizational unit using a command line
To open a command prompt, click Start, click Run, type cmd, and then click OK.
Type the following command, and then press ENTER:
dsmove <OuDN> [-newparent <ParentDN>] -pwd {<Password>|*}
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
<OuDN> |
Specifies the distinguished name of the OU object to be moved. |
<ParentDN> |
Specifies the new location to which you want to move the OU object. The new location is specified as the distinguished name of the new parent node. |
-newparent |
Sets <ParentDN> value. |
-pwd |
Specifies to use either a password or a * to log on to a remote server. If you type *, you are prompted for a password. |
<Password> |
Specifies the Domain Administrator password. |
To view the complete syntax for this command, and for information about entering user account information, at a command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:
dsmov /?
Additional considerations
To perform this procedure, you must be a member of the Account Operators group, Domain Admins group, or the Enterprise Admins group in AD DS, or you must have been delegated the appropriate authority. As a security best practice, consider using Run as to perform this procedure.
Active Directory Users and Computers can move OUs only within the same domain. To move OUs between domains, use ADMT. For more information, see ADMT v3 Migration Guide (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=82740).