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Add a member to a local group on Windows

Add users, groups or computers to a local security group with Add-LocalGroupMember — scriptable group management beyond net localgroup.

WindowsaccountsprivilegespowershellMedium risk
Run Add-LocalGroupMember -Group "Remote Desktop Users" -Member "CONTOSO\jane" to grant group membership.

01Command

Command
$ Add-LocalGroupMember -Group "Remote Desktop Users" -Member "CONTOSO\jane"

02What it does

Compared to net localgroup, this cmdlet resolves the account against the machine, domain and Entra ID in one step and fails loudly if the principal does not exist. -Member accepts several principals in one call, and the exact inverse Remove-LocalGroupMember gives scripts a symmetric grant/revoke pair. Adding to Administrators works but any privileged change should be logged and reviewed.

03Risk

RiskMedium risk
RequirementsRun PowerShell as Administrator
!Warning: Adding accounts to Administrators grants full local control — prefer least-privilege groups like Remote Desktop Users when that is what is actually needed.

04Undo

Undo
$ Remove-LocalGroupMember -Group "Remote Desktop Users" -Member "CONTOSO\jane"

05Sources

  • Add-LocalGroupMember | Microsoft Learn
    Microsoft · vendor-doc · 2026-09-17
    Evidence: Microsoft documents Add-LocalGroupMember as adding users, groups or computers to a local security group, with Remove-LocalGroupMember as the inverse.

Last verified: 2026-09-17 · Category: Security & Privacy

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