Get-ADComputer -Filter | Syntax Examples - Easy365Manager

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The PowerShell command Get-ADComputer is part of the Active Directory PowerShell module. Go to this article if you want to know how to install it.

To search effectively for computers in your Active Directory you should use the Filter switch. Don’t extract all computers and then search the result set.

Use Get-ADComputer -Filter to search directly for improved performance.

Understand the Get-ADComputer Filter Parameter

With the many various filtering options available (LDAP filtering, oData v3.0 filtering, etc.) the filter switch often causes some confusion.

The filter switch used in the Get-ADComputer command uses the PowerShell expression language in the query string.

This is different than e.g. when using the Get-AzureADUser command (which uses oData v3.0 filtering)!

The following operators should cover most of your needs:

Operator	Meaning	Sample expression
-eq	Equal to	Name -eq “WKS-2021”
-ne	Not equal to	OperatingSystemVersion -ne “10.0 (14393)”
-gt	Greater than	LastLogonTimestamp -gt $date
-ge	Greater than or equal	Created -ge “01-01-2018”
-lt	Less than	Modified -lt “01-02-2021”
-le	Less than or equal	Created -le “01-01-2018”
-like	Wildcard search	OperatingSystem -like “*2008*”
-notlike	Wildcard search with negation	OperatingSystem -notlike “*2016*”
-and	And	OperatingSystem -like “*Server*” -and operatingSystemServicePack -eq “Service Pack 1”
-or	Or	OperatingSystem -like “*2008*” -or OperatingSystem -like “*2016*”

Please notice the following in the above examples:

• Enclose the compared value(s) in apostrophes
• Use -like ‘*’ and -notlike ‘*’ to find empty or non-empty values 
• Filter “cryptic” date/time formats directly with a DateTime variable (like e.g. the LastLogonTimeStamp attribute which uses the FileTime format)

Below you have some code snippets that should point you in the right direction on how to structure your filters for your Get-ADComputer search queries:

Get-ADComputer -Filter 'Name -eq "WKS-2021"' Get-ADComputer -Filter 'OperatingSystemVersion -ne "10.0 (14393)"' $Date = (Get-Date).AddDays(-60) Get-ADComputer -Filter 'lastLogonTimestamp -gt $date' Get-ADComputer -Filter 'Modified -ge "06-04-2021 12:00:00"' $Date = (Get-Date).AddDays(-60) Get-ADComputer -Filter 'lastLogonTimestamp -lt $date' Get-ADComputer -Filter 'Created -le "01-01-2020"' Get-ADComputer -Filter 'OperatingSystem -like "*2008*"' Get-ADComputer -Filter 'OperatingSystem -notlike "*2016*"' Get-ADComputer -Filter 'OperatingSystem -like "*Server*" -and operatingSystemServicePack -eq "Service Pack 1"' Get-ADComputer -Filter 'OperatingSystem -like "*2008*" -or OperatingSystem -like "*2016*"'

Why Struggle With PowerShell in the First Place?

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• ⚡ Instant search results as you typeNo more waiting or hitting “Enter.” EasyEntra returns live search results instantly, even in large environments.

• 🔍 Full support for LDAP queriesPower users can leverage complex LDAP filters, and EasyEntra evaluates them in real time as you type – perfect for testing queries quickly.

• 📝 Relaxed typed queries for everyday useNo need to memorize LDAP syntax for common tasks. Simply type queries like:

  • disabled=true to find disabled accounts

  • lockedout=true to locate locked-out users

  • lastlogon<2025-01-01 to filter by operating system

It’s intuitive and flexible, ideal for both junior IT staff and seasoned administrators.

On top of this, you can easily customize the properties included in the search result and export all data to a .csv file. No more escalation to senior IT when a quick insight into AD is needed.

And the best part? EasyEntra is completely free – forever – for pure AD management and for hybrid and cloud-only environments with up to 25 licensed users.

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EasyEntra mimics the layout of AD Users & Computers to ensure easy adoption within your helpdesk. But it does so much more:

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