Converting a distribution group to a security group in Active Directory is a simple process that can greatly improve your ability to manage permissions and resources. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can ensure a smooth transition and maintain an efficient and secure IT environment. So, if you want to convert Distribution Groups to Security Groups in Windows Server, this post is for you.
What is Security Group and Distribution Group?
The Security Group and Distribution Group serve distinct purposes in the realm of the Active Directory.
Security Group allows you to manage user and computer access to shared resources like files, folders, applications, and printers. It can assign permissions to resources, allowing members to access or modify them. So, if you have a bunch of employees who are supposed to access a certain resource, be it a file, folder, or hardware, create a security group, add them to it, and then assign the privileges to access that resource.
A Distribution Group is used for email distribution, allowing you to send mail to a group of users without separately entering their email addresses. It does not assign any resources to the user; instead, it just clubs them into a grouping of email recipients. So, if a team in your organization is supposed to deal with databases, you can create a distribution group and add all of the members to it; whenever someone sends a mail to that particular DG, you too will receive it.
Convert Distribution Groups to Security Groups in Windows Server
You would want to convert distributed groups to security groups; first of all, it allows you to grant permissions to various resources, including folders, printers, scanners, files, and more. So, if you convert a distribution group into a security group, all its members can access these resources. It also helps you to maintain a unified security group, allowing you to manage the security policies of the members, reducing the risk of discrepancy when using a group for both email distribution and security purposes.
If you want to convert Distribution Groups to Security Groups in Windows Server, follow the steps mentioned below.
- Hit Win + S, type “dsa.msc”, and hit Enter to open the Active Directory console.
- Then, traverse through your AD structure and reach the Distribution Group that you want to convert.
- Right-click on it and then select Properties.
- Make sure that you are on the General tab, and then from the Group type section, select Security.
- Finally, click on Apply > Ok to confirm your actions.
You can refresh your Active Directory to ensure that your changes are applied. To confirm, you can check the group’s properties to determine whether the conversion was successful.
That’s it!
Read: How to create Distribution List in Outlook?
Can I convert a Distribution group to a Security group?
Yes, you can convert a Distribution group to a Security group by configuring its properties. If you are the IT admin and have the privilege to make changes, follow the steps mentioned earlier to convert a Distribution group to a Security Group.
Read: How to Disable Delivery Optimization in Windows
Can a Distribution list be used as a Security group?
No, a Distribution list can not be used as a Security group. In Active Directory, these two are allocated to do two different things. On the one hand, a Security group allows you to allocate resources to the required members, whereas a Distribution list or group allows email distribution. However, you can convert a Distribution group into a Security group and vice-versa using the earlier steps.
Also Read: Install Active Directory and add users.
