JSI Tip 2929. How do I increase the 10,000 object 'find Users, Contacts, and Groups' limit in the Active Directory Users and Computers MMC snap-in?

If you have a very large number of objects in your Active Directory domain, you may notice that the find Users, Contacts, and Groups is limited to 10,000 objects returned.

The objects are NOT returned in the order that they are stored. The object picker uses a second thread to perform the query while you work with the User Interface. The object picker does a prefix search on your parameters, there is no need to wait for the browser to fully populate.

The 10,000 object limit was designed to help speed the search and to relieve load on the domain controller and network resources.

To defeat the 10,000 object limit, search from:

1. Start / Programs / Administrative Tools / Active Directory Users and Computers.

2. Right-click the domain object.

3. Press Find.

4. Select the Advanced tab.

5. Use the Field button to add criteria to the search list.