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Create a local group

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

To create a local group

  • Using the Windows interface

  • Using a command line

Using the Windows interface

  1. Open Computer Management.

  2. In the console tree, click Groups.

    Where?

    • Computer Management/System Tools/Local Users and Groups/Groups
  3. On the Action menu, click New Group.

  4. In Group name, type a name for the new group.

  5. In Description, type a description of the new group.

  6. To add one or more members to the new group, click Add.

  7. In the Select Users, Computers, or Groups dialog box, do the following:

    • To add a user or group account to this group, under Enter the object names to select, type the name of the user account or group account that you want to add, and then click OK.

    • To add a computer account to this group, click Object Types, select the Computers check box, and then click OK. Under Enter the object names to select, type the name of the computer account that you want to add, and then click OK.

  8. In the New Group dialog box, click Create, and then click Close.

Notes

  • To perform this procedure, you must be a member of the Power Users group, or the Administrators group on the local computer, or you must have been delegated the appropriate authority. If the computer is joined to a domain, members of the Domain Admins group might be able to perform this procedure. 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 Computer Management, click Start, click Control Panel, double-click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Computer Management.

  • A local group name cannot be identical to any other group or user name on the local computer being administered. It can contain up to 256 uppercase or lowercase characters, except for the following:

    " / \ [ ] : ; | = , + * ? < >

    A group name cannot consist solely of periods (.) or spaces.

Using a command line

  1. Open Command Prompt.

  2. To create a group, type:

    net localgroupGroupName**/add**

Notes

  • To perform this procedure, you must be a member of the Power Users group, or the Administrators group on the local computer, or you must have been delegated the appropriate authority. If the computer is joined to a domain, members of the Domain Admins group might be able to perform this procedure. 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 a command prompt, click Start, point to All programs, point to Accessories, and then click Command prompt.

  • A local group name cannot be identical to any other group or user name on the local computer being administered. It can contain up to 256 uppercase or lowercase characters, except for the following:

    " / \ [ ] : ; | = , + * ? < >

    A group name cannot consist solely of periods (.) or spaces.

  • For more information about the net localgroup command, see Related Topics.

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

Default local groups
Add a member to a local group

Other Resources

Net localgroup