How to List Local Users with PowerShell (Get-LocalUser)

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To list local users with PowerShell, run Get-LocalUser. It returns every local account on the PC, including the built-in ones, with whether each is enabled:

Get-LocalUser | Sort-Object -Property Name | ForEach-Object {
    '{0,-20} Enabled: {1,-5}  Source: {2}' -f $_.Name, $_.Enabled, $_.PrincipalSource
}

Output:

Administrator        Enabled: False  Source: Local
DefaultAccount       Enabled: False  Source: Local
alice                Enabled: True   Source: MicrosoftAccount
Guest                Enabled: False  Source: Local
svc-backup           Enabled: False  Source: Local
WDAGUtilityAccount   Enabled: False  Source: Local
PowerShell Get-LocalUser list local user accounts
Six local accounts, most of them disabled built-in ones (PowerShell 7)

Below I filter enabled accounts, compare Get-LocalUser with net user and CIM, export a report and check remote PCs. I masked my own account names in the output.

What the built-in accounts are

Every Windows PC has a few built-in accounts, and they’re normally disabled:

AccountWhat it’s for
AdministratorThe built-in admin account, disabled by default
GuestTemporary access with very limited rights
DefaultAccountUsed by Windows itself; never sign in with it
WDAGUtilityAccountUsed by Microsoft Defender Application Guard

PrincipalSource shows where an account comes from. Local means a normal local account, and MicrosoftAccount means someone signs in with a Microsoft account.

Find enabled accounts

Where-Object filters the list, and Group-Object counts accounts by type:

$users = Get-LocalUser
"Enabled accounts:  $(@($users | Where-Object Enabled).Count) of $(@($users).Count)"
$users | Group-Object -Property { $_.PrincipalSource } | Sort-Object -Property Name |
    ForEach-Object { '{0,-17}  {1}' -f "$($_.Name):", $_.Count }

Output:

Enabled accounts:  1 of 6
Local:             5
MicrosoftAccount:  1
PowerShell count enabled local users by account type
One of six accounts is enabled, and one is a Microsoft account (Windows PowerShell 5.1)

For a security review, check enabled accounts regularly. Listing local administrators shows which of them have admin rights.

List local users with net user

The classic net user command works everywhere, including PCs without the LocalAccounts module:

net user

Output:

User accounts for \\DESKTOP-4T7K2QX

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Administrator            DefaultAccount           alice
Guest                    svc-backup               WDAGUtilityAccount
The command completed successfully.
PowerShell net user list local accounts
net user lists the same accounts as plain text (PowerShell 7)

It only returns plain text, though. Use Get-LocalUser when you want to filter, sort or export.

List local users with CIM

Win32_UserAccount also works in both versions and on remote PCs. Filter it to local accounts so it doesn’t query your domain:

Get-CimInstance -ClassName Win32_UserAccount -Filter 'LocalAccount = True' |
    Select-Object -Property Name, Disabled

Export local users to CSV

Select the properties you need and export them for a report:

Get-LocalUser |
    Select-Object -Property Name, Enabled, PrincipalSource, LastLogon, PasswordLastSet |
    Export-Csv -Path C:\Reports\local-users.csv -NoTypeInformation

LastLogon can be empty for Microsoft accounts, because Windows records their sign-ins differently. Microsoft lists every property in the Get-LocalUser reference.

List local users on remote computers

Run Get-LocalUser through Invoke-Command. You need admin rights and WinRM on each PC:

Invoke-Command -ComputerName PC-SALES-07, PC-SALES-08 -ScriptBlock {
    Get-LocalUser | Where-Object Enabled | Select-Object -Property Name, PrincipalSource
} | Select-Object -Property PSComputerName, Name, PrincipalSource

Enabling WinRM helps if the connection fails.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I list local users in PowerShell?

Run Get-LocalUser. It lists every local account with its Enabled status.

How do I list only enabled local users?

Run Get-LocalUser | Where-Object Enabled.

Does Get-LocalUser work in PowerShell 7?

Yes. It works in PowerShell 7 and Windows PowerShell 5.1 on Windows.

What is the DefaultAccount user?

A built-in account Windows uses internally. It stays disabled, and you shouldn’t sign in with it.

How do I list local users on a remote computer?

Run Get-LocalUser inside Invoke-Command -ComputerName PC01 with admin rights on that PC.

More account management guides: