cmd Viewing user groups


Viewing user groups in the Windows Command Prompt (cmd) allows you to see the various groups that exist on your system, as well as which users are part of those groups. This is particularly useful for system administrators who need to manage permissions and access rights effectively. Below, I’ll explain how to view user groups in cmd, along with examples and expected outputs.

1. Viewing All User Groups

To view all user groups on your Windows system, you can use the net localgroup command.

Basic Syntax:

net localgroup

Example:

To list all local groups, simply enter:

C:\> net localgroup

Output:

C:\> net localgroup These are the local groups on \\YOUR-COMPUTER ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * Administrators * Guests * Users * Power Users * Backup Operators * Replicator The command completed successfully.

Output Explanation:

  • This command displays a list of all local groups on the computer. Groups like Administrators, Guests, and Users are commonly found on Windows systems.

2. Viewing Members of a Specific User Group

To view the members of a specific user group, you can use the net localgroup command followed by the group name.

Basic Syntax:

net localgroup [groupname]

Example:

To view the members of the Administrators group, enter:

C:\> net localgroup Administrators

Output:

C:\> net localgroup Administrators Members of the Administrators group ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- YourUsername Administrator The command completed successfully.

Output Explanation:

  • This command lists all users that are members of the Administrators group. In this example, YourUsername and Administrator are shown as members.

3. Viewing Group Membership of a Specific User

To view which groups a specific user belongs to, you can use the net user command followed by the username.

Basic Syntax:

net user [username]

Example:

To view the group memberships of a user named YourUsername, enter:

C:\> net user YourUsername

Output:

C:\> net user YourUsername User name YourUsername Full Name Your Full Name Comment Your comment here User's comment <none> Country/Region info 000 (System Default) Account active Yes Account expires Never Password last set 10/01/2024 1:00 PM Password expires Never Password changeable 10/01/2024 1:00 PM Password required Yes User may change password Yes Last logon 10/29/2024 10:00 AM Logon hours allowed All Local Group Memberships *Users Global Group memberships *None The command completed successfully.

Output Explanation:

  • This command provides detailed information about the specified user, including their local group memberships (e.g., Users in this case).

4. Summary

Viewing user groups in the Windows Command Prompt can be accomplished using commands like net localgroup to list all groups and net user to find group memberships for specific users. These commands are valuable for managing user access and permissions within a Windows environment, helping administrators ensure that users have appropriate rights based on their roles.