Then she remembered: Active Directory isn’t an app you install by default on Windows 11. It’s a management console that you access only if your computer is joined to a domain and you have the right tools.

She took a breath and followed these steps: Sarah opened Settings > Apps > Optional features . She clicked “View features” and searched for “RSAT: Active Directory Domain Services and Lightweight Directory Tools” . It wasn’t there.

So she clicked (requires admin rights), found the RSAT AD tools, and installed them. A restart wasn’t needed, but she waited a minute for the installation to finish. 2. Find the AD tools after installation She pressed the Windows key and typed “Active Directory Users and Computers” (or dsa.msc ). Finally, the icon appeared.

She opened the Start menu and typed “Active Directory” — nothing useful appeared. A moment of panic set in.

Sarah had just started her new IT support role at a mid-sized company. On her first day, her manager asked her to check if a user account was locked in . Sarah’s work laptop ran Windows 11 , and she had no idea where to start.