LIST of WINDOWS User Groups

 

Windows Built-in Users and Default Groups

Items in italics are implicit placeholders, these items don't appear in "Active Directory Users and Computers" but are available when applying permissions – membership is automatically calculated by the OS.GroupUser/ SessionDescriptionAccount Operators A built-in group that exists only on domain controllers. By default, the group has no members. By default, Account Operators have permission to create, modify, and delete accounts for users, groups, and computers in all containers and organizational units (OUs) of Active Directory except the Builtin container and the Domain Controllers OU. Account Operators do not have permission to modify the Administrators and Domain Admins groups, nor do they have permission to modify the accounts for members of those groups. AdministratorA user account for the system administrator. This account is the first account created during operating system installation. The account cannot be deleted or locked out. It is a member of the Administrators group and cannot be removed from that group.Administrators A built-in group . After the initial installation of the operating system, the only member of the group is the Administrator account. When a computer joins a domain, the Domain Admins group is added to the Administrators group. When a server becomes a domain controller, the Enterprise Admins group also is added to the Administrators group. The Administrators group has built-in capabilities that give its members full control over the system. The group is the default owner of any object that is created by a member of the group. AnonymousA user who has logged on anonymously.Authenticated Users A group that includes all users whose identities were authenticated when they logged on. Membership is controlled by the operating system.Backup Operators A built-in group. By default, the group has no members. Backup Operators can back up and restore all files on a computer, regardless of the permissions that protect those files. Backup Operators also can log on to the computer and shut it down.Batch A group that implicitly includes all users who have logged on through a batch queue facility such as task scheduler jobs. Membership is controlled by the operating system.Cert Publishers A global group that includes all computers that are running an enterprise certificate authority. Cert Publishers are authorized to publish certificates for User objects in Active Directory.Cert Server Admins Certificate Authority Administrators - authorized to administer certificates for User objects in Active Directory. (Domain Local)Cert Requesters Members can request certificates (Domain Local)Creator Group A placeholder in an inheritable ACE. When the ACE is inherited, the system replaces this SID with the SID for the primary group of the object's current owner. The primary group is used only by the POSIX subsystem. Creator OwnerA placeholder in an inheritable access control entry (ACE). When the ACE is inherited, the system replaces this SID with the SID for the object's current owner.Dialup A group that implicitly includes all users who are logged on to the system through a dial-up connection. Membership is controlled by the operating system.Domain Admins A global group whose members are authorized to administer the domain. By default, the Domain Admins group is a member of the Administrators group on all computers that have joined a domain, including the domain controllers. Domain Admins is the default owner of any object that is created in the domain's Active Directory by any member of the group. If members of the group create other objects, such as files, the default owner is the Administrators group.Domain Computers A global group that includes all computers that have joined the domain, excluding domain controllers.Domain Controllers A global group that includes all domain controllers in the domain. New domain controllers are added to this group automatically.Domain Guests A global group that, by default, has only one member, the domain's built-in Guest account.Domain Users A global group that, by default, includes all user accounts in a domain. When you create a user account in a domain, it is added to this group automatically.Enterprise Admins A group that exists only in the root domain of an Active Directory forest of domains. It is a universal group if the domain is in native mode, a global group if the domain is in mixed mode. The group is authorized to make forest-wide changes in Active Directory, such as adding child domains. By default, the only member of the group is the Administrator account for the forest root domain.Enterprise Controllers A group that includes all domain controllers an Active Directory directory service forest of domains. Membership is controlled by the operating system.Everyone A group that includes all users, even guests. Membership is controlled by the operating system. In Windows XP and later, the Anonymous Logon security group has been removed from the Everyonesecurity group: see Q278259 and the group policy Let Everyone permissions apply to anonymous usersGroup Policy Creators Owners A global group that is authorized to create new Group Policy objects in Active Directory. By default, the only member of the group is Administrator. The default owner of a new Group Policy object is usually the user who created it. If the user is a member of Administrators or Domain Admins, all objects that are created by the user are owned by the group. Owners have full control of the objects they own. GuestA user account for people who do not have individual accounts. This user account does not require a password. By default, the Guest account is disabled.Guests A built-in group. By default, the only member is the Guest account. The Guests group allows occasional or one-time users to log on with limited privileges to a computer's built-in Guest account.HelpServicesGroup XP - Group for the Help and Support CenterInteractive A group that includes all users who have logged on interactively. Membership is controlled by the operating system. KRBTGTA service account that is used by the Key Distribution Center (KDC) service. Local SystemA service account that is used by the operating system.Network A group that implicitly includes all users who are logged on through a network connection. Membership is controlled by the operating system.Network Configuration Operators XP - Some admin privileges to manage configuration of networking features NobodyNo security principal.Power Users A built-in group. By default, the group has no members. This group does not exist on domain controllers. Power Users can create local users and groups; modify and delete accounts that they have created; and remove users from the Power Users, Users, and Guests groups. Power Users also can install most applications; create, manage, and delete local printers; and create and delete file shares.Pre-Windows 2000 Compatible Access A backward compatibility group which allows read access on all users and groups in the domainPrincipal Selfor SelfPrincipal Selfor SelfA placeholder in an ACE on a user, group, or computer object in Active Directory. When you grant permissions to Principal Self, you grant them to the security principal represented by the object. During an access check, the operating system replaces the SID for Principal Self with the SID for the security principal represented by the object.Print Operators A built-in group that exists only on domain controllers. By default, the only member is the Domain Users group. Print Operators can manage printers and document queues.RAS and IAS Servers A domain local group . By default, this group has no members. Computers that are running the Routing and Remote Access service are added to the group automatically. Members of this group have access to certain properties of User objects, such as Read Account Restrictions, Read Logon Information, and Read Remote Access Information.Remote Desktop Users XP - Members in this group are granted the right to logon remotelyReplicator Windows NT domains, this group is called Replicators and is used by the directory replication service. In 2K/XP the group is present but is not used.Schema Admins A group that exists only in the root domain of an Active Directory forest of domains. It is a universal group if the domain is in native mode , a global group if the domain is in mixed mode . The group is authorized to make schema  changes in Active Directory. By default, the only member of the group is the Administrator account for the forest root domain.Server Operators A built-in group that exists only on domain controllers. By default, the group has no members. Server Operators can log on to a server interactively; create and delete network shares; start and stop services; back up and restore files; format the hard disk of the computer; and shut down the computer.Service A group that includes all security principals that have logged on as a service. Membership is controlled by the operating system.Terminal Server Users A group that includes all users who have logged on to a Terminal Services server. Membership is controlled by the operating system.Users A built-in group. After the initial installation of the operating system, the only member is the Authenticated Users group. When a computer joins a domain, the Domain Users group is added to the Users group on the computer. Users can perform tasks such as running applications, using local and network printers, shutting down the computer, and locking the computer. Users can install applications that only they are allowed to use if the installation program of the application supports per-user installation.

Default Admin Users and Groups:

Related:Groups - Local Domain groups, Global and Universal groupsQ271876 - Large Numbers of ACEs in ACLs Impair Directory Service PerformanceQ243330 - Well-known security identifiers (sids) in Windows operating systemsQ277752 - Security Identifiers for built-in groups are unresolved when modifying group policy



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