{"id":59928,"date":"2022-03-04T11:46:46","date_gmt":"2022-03-04T16:46:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jumpcloud.com\/?p=59928"},"modified":"2024-08-14T17:51:17","modified_gmt":"2024-08-14T21:51:17","slug":"how-to-join-macos-to-active-directory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jumpcloud.com\/blog\/how-to-join-macos-to-active-directory","title":{"rendered":"How to Join a Mac to Active Directory Services"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

(Editorial note: Although this tutorial walks you through the technical steps to bind Macs to Active Directory (AD), recent changes from Microsoft and Apple have made the tutorial below largely unnecessary, depending on how you have AD set up in your environment. The practice of binding Macs to AD has largely been deprecated due to the administrative challenges that it creates and inability to work with an identity provider (IdP) such as JumpCloud or Google. JumpCloud makes it possible to use\/federate<\/a> Google, Entra ID, or Okta credentials to access resources. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Apple has also introduced its Platform SSO feature to macOS, which developers can use to add single sign-on (SSO) extensions. Furthermore, it\u2019s important to know that joining a Mac to an AD domain for authentication will result in password mismatches between the login credentials and the local user’s Keychain password.If you still find it necessary to manage Macs through AD in your environment, the steps below outline the process. However, you should consider using JumpCloud\u2019s integration with AD because it solves this identity and access problem for you by centralizing communications<\/a> between AD and your workforce. You can activate a free demo<\/a> today or check out our guided simulations<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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This article continues our series on helpful commands for every Mac admin. The first article in the series explored how to enable SSH to access a remote Mac\u2019s Shell securely<\/a> while the second article examined how to change the computer name, hostname, and local hostname<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jump to Tutorial<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Active Directory<\/a> <\/a>(AD)<\/a> provides crucial user and device management capabilities as an identity provider for IT systems. However, many IT admins find it challenging to manage Macs with Active Directory<\/a>. Given that Active Directory is a sought-after identity and access management solution, IT admins must still face the challenge of integrating it effectively with macOS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This article will examine how you can join a Mac to Active Directory services via the use of a command in the terminal app.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Is a Directory Service and What Is Active Directory?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Directory Services<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Before delving into Active Directory, it is critical to understand what directory services are all about. Simply put, directory services organize and manage users and IT resources within a network and enable administrators to granularly control user access to those IT resources. For instance, employees in the marketing department would have access to sales content but would be restricted from accessing financial information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A directory can be defined as the ultimate source of truth used in verifying a user identity, and maintains information such as user ID, group membership, SSH keys, passwords, and other unique identifiers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Directory services own the authentication and authorization process. They verify users\u2019 identities (authentication) against the directory\u2019s user database. If the specific access credentials provided match the credentials in the database, a user is granted access (authorization) to their respective IT resources. Otherwise, the user is denied access, which makes directory services a key cybersecurity tool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Active Directory<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Active Directory, a common identity provider, was developed by Microsoft. It pioneered the era of identity management at a time when the majority of IT infrastructure was Windows-based and managed on premises. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With AD in place, IT admins can connect users and\/or groups to IT resources and control policies. The information stored in Active Directory includes users, groups, networks, digital assets, systems, and applications. It also defines the relationship between those entities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\n \"JumpCloud\"\n <\/div>\n
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\n Breaking Up with Active Directory <\/p>\n

\n Don\u2019t let your directory hold you back. Learn why it\u2019s time to break up with AD. <\/p>\n <\/div>\n

\n Read Now<\/a>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n

How to Join a Mac to Active Directory Services via Terminal<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are several ways to bind a Mac into Active Directory services. Methods include running a command in the terminal app, using Apple Directory Utility, or using a cloud identity bridge. In this section, we will explore how to connect Mac to Active Directory services using the terminal app.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Launch the terminal app on your Macbook.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can do this by searching \u201cterminal\u201d using the Spotlight search option on your computer or navigating through Applications > Utilities > Terminal<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Enter and run the command.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can use the dsconfigad<\/code> command to bind a Mac to Active Directory via the terminal app. All you need to do is run the following command. Note that you need to replace the domain name, computer name, password, etc. with your specific information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

sudo dsconfigad -preferred <adserver.example.com> -a <computername> \u2013domain example.com -u administrator -p <password><\/code><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The arguments in the command are explained as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n