To convert a group to another group type using the Windows interface

1. To open Active Directory Users and Computers, click Start, click Control Panel, double-click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Active Directory Users and Computers.

2. In the console tree, click the folder that contains the group that you want to convert to another group type.

   Where?

   • Active Directory Users and Computers\domain node\folder that contains the group
     
     

3. In the details pane, right-click the group, and then click Properties.

4. On the General tab, under Group type, click the group type.

• To perform this procedure, you must be a member of the Account Operators group, Domain Admins group, or Enterprise Admins group in Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS), or you must have been delegated the appropriate authority. As a security best practice, consider using Run as to perform this procedure.
  
  
• Another way to open Active Directory Users and Computers is to click Start, click Run, and then type dsa.msc.
  
  
• To convert a group, the domain functional level must be set to Windows 2000 native or higher. Groups cannot be converted when the domain functional level is set to Windows 2000 mixed.
  
  
• You can also perform the task in this procedure by using the Active Directory module for Windows PowerShell. To open the Active Directory module, click Start, click Administrative Tools, and then click Active Directory Module for Windows PowerShell. For more information, see Convert a Group to Another Type (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=138379). For more information about Windows PowerShell, see Windows PowerShell (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=102372).
  
  

• Managing Groups
  
  

To convert a group to another group type using a command line

1. To open a command prompt, click Start, click Run, type cmd, and then click OK.

2. Type the following command, and then press ENTER:

   dsmod group  <GroupDN> -secgrp {yes|no}
   

To view the complete syntax for this command, and for information about entering user account information, at a command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER:

dsmod group /? 

• To perform this procedure, you must be a member of the Account Operators group, Domain Admins group, or Enterprise Admins group in AD DS, or you must have been delegated the appropriate authority. As a security best practice, consider using Run as to perform this procedure.
  
  
• To convert a group, the domain functional level must be set to Windows 2000 native or higher. Groups cannot be converted when the domain functional level is set to Windows 2000 mixed.
  
  
• You can also perform the task in this procedure by using the Active Directory module for Windows PowerShell. To open the Active Directory module, click Start, click Administrative Tools, and then click Active Directory Module for Windows PowerShell. For more information, see Convert a Group to Another Type (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=138379). For more information about Windows PowerShell, see Windows PowerShell (http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=102372).
  
  

• Managing Groups