PowerShell Script for Active Directory User Creation with CSV and Log Output

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👤 Bulk User Creation in Active Directory with PowerShell

Creating users manually in Active Directory is time-consuming and error-prone. This PowerShell script automates the entire process, including secure password generation, detailed logging, and CSV output — perfect for labs, onboarding, or testing environments. —

✨ Key Features

  • User and Password Generation:
    • Creates a specified number of users (default: 10)
    • Generates complex, secure passwords with a mix of uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and special characters
    • Usernames follow a predictable pattern (e.g., User1, User2, etc.)
  • Active Directory Integration:
    • Uses the AD module to create all users in a specified Organizational Unit
    • Validates that the target OU exists before attempting user creation
    • Sets attributes like Department and Description
  • CSV Output:
    • Exports a CSV with SamAccountName, UserPrincipalName, DisplayName, Password, and creation timestamp
  • Logging:
    • Writes timestamped entries to a log file
    • Console output is color-coded: errors in red, warnings in yellow, successes in green
  • Customization:
    • Customizable parameters: user count, prefix, domain, password length, department
    • Output paths for CSV and log files can be configured
—

📦 How to Use

Run the script with the required OU parameter: 
.\AD_Bulk_User_Creation.ps1 -TargetOU "OU=TestUsers,DC=domain,DC=com"
Customize it with additional parameters: 
.\AD_Bulk_User_Creation.ps1 -TargetOU "OU=TestUsers,DC=domain,DC=com" `
    -UserCount 20 `
    -UserPrefix "Employee" `
    -Department "Sales" `
    -PasswordLength 16
The script will: – Create the specified number of users in the given OU – Save all credentials to a CSV file – Write a full log of actions and results —

💻 Full Script

# Bulk User Creation in Active Directory with Passwords and Logging
# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
# This script generates a specified number of users in Active Directory with secure passwords,
# places them in a designated OU, exports credentials to CSV, and logs all activities.

# Import required module
Import-Module ActiveDirectory

# Script parameters
param (
    [Parameter(Mandatory=$false)]
    [int]$UserCount = 10,
    
    [Parameter(Mandatory=$true)]
    [string]$TargetOU,
    
    [Parameter(Mandatory=$false)]
    [string]$UserPrefix = "User",
    
    [Parameter(Mandatory=$false)]
    [string]$UserDomain = "yourdomain.com",
    
    [Parameter(Mandatory=$false)]
    [string]$Department = "IT",
    
    [Parameter(Mandatory=$false)]
    [int]$PasswordLength = 12,
    
    [Parameter(Mandatory=$false)]
    [string]$CsvOutputPath = ".\AD_Created_Users_$(Get-Date -Format 'yyyyMMdd_HHmmss').csv",
    
    [Parameter(Mandatory=$false)]
    [string]$LogFilePath = ".\AD_User_Creation_Log_$(Get-Date -Format 'yyyyMMdd_HHmmss').log"
)

# Function to write to log file
function Write-Log {
    param (
        [string]$Message,
        [string]$Level = "INFO"
    )
    
    $timestamp = Get-Date -Format "yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss"
    $logEntry = "[$timestamp] [$Level] $Message"
    
    switch ($Level) {
        "ERROR"   { Write-Host $logEntry -ForegroundColor Red }
        "WARNING" { Write-Host $logEntry -ForegroundColor Yellow }
        "SUCCESS" { Write-Host $logEntry -ForegroundColor Green }
        default   { Write-Host $logEntry }
    }
    
    Add-Content -Path $LogFilePath -Value $logEntry
}

# Function to generate a random password
function New-RandomPassword {
    param (
        [int]$Length = 12
    )
    
    $Lowercase = 'abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz'
    $Uppercase = 'ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ'
    $Numbers = '0123456789'
    $SpecialChars = '!@#$%^&*()_-+={}[]<>?'
    
    $Password = (Get-Random -Count 1 -InputObject $Lowercase.ToCharArray()) + 
                (Get-Random -Count 1 -InputObject $Uppercase.ToCharArray()) + 
                (Get-Random -Count 1 -InputObject $Numbers.ToCharArray()) + 
                (Get-Random -Count 1 -InputObject $SpecialChars.ToCharArray())
    
    $AllChars = $Lowercase + $Uppercase + $Numbers + $SpecialChars
    $Password += (Get-Random -Count ($Length - 4) -InputObject $AllChars.ToCharArray())
    
    $Password = -join ($Password | Get-Random -Count $Password.Length)
    
    return $Password
}

# Initialize credential storage
$UserCredentials = @()

# Begin script
try {
    Write-Log "Script started. Creating $UserCount users in OU: $TargetOU"
    
    try {
        Get-ADOrganizationalUnit -Identity $TargetOU -ErrorAction Stop | Out-Null
        Write-Log "Target OU validated: $TargetOU"
    } catch {
        Write-Log "Target OU does not exist or is invalid: $TargetOU" -Level "ERROR"
        exit 1
    }
    
    for ($i = 1; $i -le $UserCount; $i++) {
        $SamAccountName = "$UserPrefix$i"
        $DisplayName = "$UserPrefix $i"
        $UserPrincipalName = "$SamAccountName@$UserDomain"
        $Password = New-RandomPassword -Length $PasswordLength
        
        try {
            if (Get-ADUser -Filter "SamAccountName -eq '$SamAccountName'" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue) {
                Write-Log "User $SamAccountName already exists. Skipping." -Level "WARNING"
                continue
            }
            
            $UserParams = @{
                SamAccountName = $SamAccountName
                UserPrincipalName = $UserPrincipalName
                Name = $DisplayName
                DisplayName = $DisplayName
                Path = $TargetOU
                Department = $Department
                Description = "Automatically generated user account"
                Enabled = $true
                ChangePasswordAtLogon = $true
                AccountPassword = (ConvertTo-SecureString -String $Password -AsPlainText -Force)
            }
            
            New-ADUser @UserParams
            Write-Log "Created user: $SamAccountName" -Level "SUCCESS"
            
            $UserCredentials += [PSCustomObject]@{
                SamAccountName = $SamAccountName
                UserPrincipalName = $UserPrincipalName
                DisplayName = $DisplayName
                Password = $Password
                CreationDate = Get-Date -Format "yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss"
            }
            
        } catch {
            Write-Log "Error creating user $SamAccountName. Error: $($_.Exception.Message)" -Level "ERROR"
        }
    }
    
    if ($UserCredentials.Count -gt 0) {
        $UserCredentials | Export-Csv -Path $CsvOutputPath -NoTypeInformation
        Write-Log "Exported $($UserCredentials.Count) user credentials to $CsvOutputPath" -Level "SUCCESS"
    } else {
        Write-Log "No users were created successfully. CSV not generated." -Level "WARNING"
    }
    
    Write-Log "Script completed successfully. Created $($UserCredentials.Count) out of $UserCount users."
    
} catch {
    Write-Log "Script execution failed. Error: $($_.Exception.Message)" -Level "ERROR"
} finally {
    Write-Log "Script execution finished."
}
—

🛡️ Final Notes

  • Test First: Always test in a non-production environment.
  • Secure Files: The CSV contains passwords — protect or encrypt it appropriately.
  • Use Cases: Ideal for labs, test migrations, or simulated onboarding flows.

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