What is the intended way to join a Windows 11 PC to an Active Directory Domain in year 2025?
Posted by Reasonable_Host_5004@reddit | sysadmin | View on Reddit | 7 comments
Hi everyone,
if Microsoft keeps making it harder to create a local user account - what is the intended way to join an Active Directory domain in 2025?
We use an autounattend.xml file to create custom ISOs which we install on new computer. After installation we join the active directory manually and after the domain join other tools take care automatically of installing everything else needed.
picklednull@reddit
What even is this post when you ”already know the answer”?
You can skip OOBE with the autounattend.xml file so it never prompts you for anything. The domain join you do as you do.
LordGamer091@reddit
What? Win 11 pro, when it asks for a microsoft account, hit more sign-in options, then domain join.
Reasonable_Host_5004@reddit (OP)
I had no idea this option was even available!
LordGamer091@reddit
If you don’t have any deployment infrastructure, I would look at provisioning packages. When solely placed on the root of a usb drive you can use them to “auto setup” at OOBE. Look at WCD. Although note they aren’t super reliable with downloading apps.
Anti-Ultimate@reddit
You can domain join with the autounattend.xml, just need to create a user that can only domain join devices and then put that into the xml file (use Windows System Image Manager for this).
You can even use WDS and put it there. Just use the Windows 10 boot.wim for it, the Windows 11 boot wim wont work.
turboturbet@reddit
Do you have access to SCCM or intune? Domain Join would usually be done in a task sequence when imaging the machine.
Reasonable_Host_5004@reddit (OP)
No, we do not have SCCM or intune...