Q. How can I view Active Directory (AD) objects in the Deleted state once the AD Recycle Bin is enabled?

A. The Get-ADObject PowerShell cmdlet can be used to view deleted objects if the -IncludeDeletedObjects switch is passed.

Alternatively, for more general browsing, you can use the Ldp tool. To view deleted objects, you have to enable the "Return deleted objects" control, which is available via the Options - Controls menu.

Once this setting is enabled, you can browse the tree by connecting, binding, and then viewing the tree with the base distinguished name of the domain. As shown here, I can see a deleted object in my domain that has isDeleted set to TRUE. Also note that the users distinguished name has been modified.

Youcan actually take this a step further and enable the return of recycled objects in the Ldp controls. Doing this will show the recycled objects, as shown here. In this case, you also have an isRecycled attribute set to true and fewer attributes.

Related Reading:

Check out hundreds more useful Q&As like this in John Savill's FAQ for Windows. Also, watch instructional videos made by John at ITTV.net.