Windows 11 Search Active Directory |top| May 2026

If you manage a Windows 11 endpoint in a corporate environment, you know the drill. You need to find if a user account is locked out, reset a password, or grab a manager’s DN. Your first instinct? Remote Desktop into a Domain Controller.

Search-ADAccount -LockedOut | Select Name, SamAccountName windows 11 search active directory

Windows 11 has quietly become a powerful administrative workstation. While the average user is searching for "Weather" or "Spotify," you can be running LDAP queries from the same search bar. Let’s walk through how to unlock the superpower on your Windows 11 machine. The Problem: The Native "People" Search isn't Enough If you type a username into the Windows 11 taskbar search, you will likely see "People" results from your local contacts or Outlook. That’s useless for an admin. If you manage a Windows 11 endpoint in

Get-ADUser -Filter "Name -like '*Smith*'" -Properties Title,Department,Manager Remote Desktop into a Domain Controller

Beyond the Magnifying Glass: Mastering Active Directory Search in Windows 11 Tagline: Stop RDP’ing into your DC just to find a user. Here is how to query AD straight from your Start Menu.

Get-WindowsCapability -Name Rsat.ActiveDirectory.DS-LDS.Tools* -Online | Add-WindowsCapability -Online Now, search instantly:

Get-ADUser -Filter "EmployeeID -eq '12345'" -Properties * Here is a trick most Windows 11 admins miss.