Export users from Active Directory to .csv file and email as attachment

Here’s a PowerShell script that exports a list of users from Active Directory, creates a CSV file, and sends it as an attachment with an HTML email body:

# Define variables
$smtpServer = "your_smtp_server"
$from = "sender@example.com"
$to = "recipient@example.com"
$subject = "Active Directory Users Report"
$htmlBody = @"
<html>
<head>
<title>Active Directory Users Report</title>
</head>
<body>
<p>Below is the list of users from Active Directory:</p>
</body>
</html>
"@
 
# Error handling function
function Handle-Error {
    param([string]$errorMessage)
    Write-Host "Error: $errorMessage" -ForegroundColor Red
    exit 1
}
 
# Export users from Active Directory to CSV
try {
    Get-ADUser -Filter * -Properties * | Select-Object Name, SamAccountName, Email |
    Export-Csv -Path "AD_Users_Report.csv" -NoTypeInformation -Force
} catch {
    Handle-Error "Failed to export users from Active Directory"
}
 
# Send email with CSV attachment and HTML body
try {
    $attachment = "AD_Users_Report.csv"
    Send-MailMessage -SmtpServer $smtpServer -From $from -To $to -Subject $subject -BodyAsHtml $htmlBody -Attachment $attachment
} catch {
    Handle-Error "Failed to send email with CSV attachment"
}
 
# Clean up CSV file
try {
    Remove-Item "AD_Users_Report.csv" -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
} catch {
    Handle-Error "Failed to delete temporary CSV file"
}

For this script to work, it needs to be executed on a machine that is joined to the Active Directory domain or has access to the Active Directory environment. This is because the Get-ADUser cmdlet, which retrieves user information from Active Directory, requires access to an Active Directory domain controller.

Script explanation:

Variables:
- $smtpServer: SMTP server address for sending emails.
- $from: Sender’s email address.
- $to: Recipient’s email address.
- $subject: Subject of the email.
- $htmlBody: HTML content of the email body.
Error Handling Function (Handle-Error):
- This function takes an error message as input and displays it in red color. It then exits the script with exit code 1.
Export Users from Active Directory:
- Uses Get-ADUser cmdlet to retrieve all users from Active Directory.
- Selects specific properties (Name, SamAccountName, Email).
- Exports the result to a CSV file using Export-Csv.
Sending Email:
- Uses Send-MailMessage cmdlet to send an email.
- $smtpServer, $from, $to, $subject, $htmlBody, and $attachment are used to compose the email.
- -BodyAsHtml parameter is used to specify that the body of the email is in HTML format.
Clean Up:
- Removes the temporary CSV file after sending the email. This ensures that no unnecessary files are left behind.

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Export users from Active Directory to .csv file and email as attachment

Script explanation: