How to list Azure Active Directory groups using PowerShell scripts
Administrators use Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) groups to collectively manage users and their permissions. The cmdlet in the table below can be used to retrieve a list of all Azure AD groups and their properties. ADManager Plus, a unified Active Directory, Microsoft 365, Exchange, and Google Workspace management and reporting tool, can also be used to accomplish this task.
The following table is a comparison on how to list Azure AD groups using PowerShell scripts and ADManager Plus.
Azure PowerShell
Steps to list Azure AD groups with their properties using PowerShell scripts:
- Note down the required parameters (eg: -ObjectId, -SearchString, -filter) by which the list of Azure AD groups needs to be listed.
- Obtain the exact values of the parameters chosen.
- Execute the following PowerShell script and get the list of entities in a Azure AD group.
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Get-AzureADMSGroup -filter "<condition>"
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where <condition> refers to the condition used to filter the list of Azure AD groups. For eg: UserPrincipalName eq 'user@zlyck.com'
ADManager Plus
Steps to find the owners of an Azure AD group using ADManager Plus:
- Log in to ADManager Plus and navigate to Microsoft 365 tab > Reports > Group Reports > All groups.
- Under All groups, select the desired Microsoft 365 tenant from the Microsoft Tenant drop-down list and click Generate Now.
- After the report is generated, select the filter icon, fill in the desired filters and click Apply.
Limitations of using PowerShell scripts to list Azure AD groups:
- Administrators must have sufficient permissions to read memberships of Azure AD groups if they wish to use the above-mentioned PowerShell script. However, one wrong move from the administrator can affect the security posture of your organization.
- Only technicians with PowerShell expertise can execute this command.
- PowerShell scripts are time-consuming and can affect productivity.
- The value of the parameters used for filtering the entity list should be exact by default.
Benefits of using ADManager Plus:
- Administrators must have sufficient permissions to read memberships of Azure AD groups if they wish to use the above-mentioned PowerShell script. However, one wrong move from the administrator can affect the security posture of your organization.
- ADManager Plus comes with an intuitive UI and does not demand any knowledge in PowerShell.
- Fine tune your conditions with various attribute-based filters like Display Name, Group Type, Last Directory Sync Time, and Proxy Address.
- Add multiple conditions and decide on what basis they can be used to filter your reports.
- Reports generation comes built-in with ADManager Plus and can be performed at the click of a button.
