Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT) for Windows 10 can be installed through multiple ways. We can install it through PowerShell, dism command line using online method (by connecting to internet), or we can install it in offline mode as well using Feature on Demand package.

What is RSAT

RSAT is a set of tools which helps Administrators to remotely manage roles and features of Windows Server such as Group Policy Management editor, Active Directory users and Computers etc from your local computer running Windows 10 or Windows 7. You can install RSAT only on Professional or Enterprise edition of the Windows client operating system. Check here for more details on Remote Server Administration Tools.

If you are thinking on how to install ad on Windows 10, which refers to download active directory administrative tools using RSAT tools.

Starting onwards Windows 10 version 1809 (Windows 10 October 2018 Update), Microsoft have included RSAT for Windows 10 as set of “Features on Demand” in it.

List of RSAT Windows 10 Components

Microsoft RSAT tools consists of various features, or we can say multiple packages which we can use separately depending upon our needs. I am demonstrating this installation on Windows 10 21H1 (OS Build 19043)

Run following PowerShell command to see list of available RSAT tools:

Get-WindowsCapability -Name Rsat* -Online | Select -Property Name, DisplayName
NameDisplay Name
Rsat.ActiveDirectory.DS-LDS.Tools~~~~0.0.1.0RSAT: Active Directory Domain Services and Lightweight Directory Services Tools
Rsat.BitLocker.Recovery.Tools~~~~0.0.1.0RSAT: BitLocker Drive Encryption Administration Utilities
Rsat.CertificateServices.Tools~~~~0.0.1.0RSAT: Active Directory Certificate Services Tools
Rsat.DHCP.Tools~~~~0.0.1.0RSAT: DHCP Server Tools
Rsat.Dns.Tools~~~~0.0.1.0RSAT: DNS Server Tools
Rsat.FailoverCluster.Management.Tools~~~~0.0.1.0RSAT: Failover Clustering Tools
Rsat.FileServices.Tools~~~~0.0.1.0RSAT: File Services Tools
Rsat.GroupPolicy.Management.Tools~~~~0.0.1.0RSAT: Group Policy Management Tools
Rsat.IPAM.Client.Tools~~~~0.0.1.0RSAT: IP Address Management (IPAM) Client
Rsat.LLDP.Tools~~~~0.0.1.0RSAT: Data Center Bridging LLDP Tools
Rsat.NetworkController.Tools~~~~0.0.1.0RSAT: Network Controller Management Tools
Rsat.NetworkLoadBalancing.Tools~~~~0.0.1.0RSAT: Network Load Balancing Tools
Rsat.RemoteAccess.Management.Tools~~~~0.0.1.0RSAT: Remote Access Management Tools
Rsat.RemoteDesktop.Services.Tools~~~~0.0.1.0RSAT: Remote Desktop Services Tools
Rsat.ServerManager.Tools~~~~0.0.1.0RSAT: Server Manager
Rsat.Shielded.VM.Tools~~~~0.0.1.0RSAT: Shielded VM Tools
Rsat.StorageMigrationService.Management.Tools~~~~0.0.1.0RSAT: Storage Migration Service Management Tools
Rsat.StorageReplica.Tools~~~~0.0.1.0RSAT: Storage Replica Module for Windows PowerShell
Rsat.SystemInsights.Management.Tools~~~~0.0.1.0RSAT: System Insights Module for Windows PowerShell
Rsat.VolumeActivation.Tools~~~~0.0.1.0RSAT: Volume Activation Tools
Rsat.WSUS.Tools~~~~0.0.1.0RSAT: Windows Server Update Services Tools
RSATWin10 00

How to install RSAT Tools

RSAT tools can be installed in multiple ways depending upon your situation and how you want to install it. I will cover all scenarios. I am picking 1 specific component ie. Active Directory Users and Computers from the above list, however you can use the method for any other component as well.

RSAT can easily be install through settings app. Follow the steps to install RSAT tools:

  • Click on Start menu, type “Add Optional feature” and launch it. This will take you to Settings > Apps > Optional Features
  • Click on Add a feature, search for RSAT to display list of available tools, select “RSAT: Active Directory Domain Services and Lightweight Directory Services Tools” to install.

You may check How to install RSAT using SCCM ( Configuration Manager )

Below mentioned installation methods could be more useful for automatic the solution.

Install RSAT Tools using PowerShell

To install RSAT using PowerShell, lets try to find which RSAT component is available for Active Directory Users and Computers. As mentioned in above table, I shared the command to show all RSAT tools, you can find the name of the tool ie. Rsat.ActiveDirectory.DS-LDS.Tools~~~~0.0.1.0. We can also narrow it down above mentioned list by running following PowerShell command with elevated rights:

get-WindowsCapability -Name Rsat.Active* -Online
get-WindowsCapability

Now we know the name of the tool, and can see the status showing as NotPresent. Lets install it using command:

Add-WindowsCapability -Name Rsat.ActiveDirectory.DS-LDS.Tools~~~~0.0.1.0 -Online
Add-WindowsCapability

(Note: -Online doesn’t mean that you are connected to internet, rather it means you are making change into operating system while it up and running)

If you are not connected to internet you will get error code 0x8024402c, which indicates either you are not connected to internet, or there is WSUS / SCCM configuration in place for the workstation.

0x8024402c

In case internet connectivity or direct Microsoft connection is not there because of WSUS / Configuration Manager settings applied, you can use Feature on Demand (FOD) iso which can serve as a source to install the tool. Mount Feature-on-Demand ISO and run following PowerShell command:

Add-WindowsCapability -Name Rsat.ActiveDirectory.DS-LDS.Tools~~~~0.0.1.0 -LimitAccess -Online -Source D:

(where -LimitAccess prevents the system contacting the internet, -source points to FOD directory, -LogPath is optional if you want to capture the install status)

RSATWin10 04

For removal of RSAT component, you can use following command:

remove-WindowsCapability -Name Rsat.ActiveDirectory.DS-LDS.Tools~~~~0.0.1.0 -Online

Install RSAT Tools using Command Prompt

We will use Dism command (Deployment Image Servicing and Management tool) version 10.0.19041.844 which is inbuilt into Windows 10 and can be run via cmd prompt.

To check the status of the tool, run following command:

dism /online /get-capabilityinfo /capabilityname:Rsat.ActiveDirectory.DS-LDS.Tools~~~~0.0.1.0

State is showing as “Not present

get-capabilityinfo

To install with internet and direct access to Microsoft without WSUS/SCCM in place, run the command:

dism /online /add-capability /capabilityname:Rsat.ActiveDirectory.DS-LDS.Tools~~~~0.0.1.0
add-capability

If you see error code 0x8024402c (because of internet access issue), run following command using a source (Feature On Demand source), run the command:

0x8024402c

If you see the exit code 0x800f081f, it means the source location specified doesn’t contain the required files to install the tool.

RSATWin10 08

Conclusion

We can see the RSAT tools can be installed in multiple ways. Whether you use PowerShell, Dism command, the important thing to remember is whether you are directly connected to internet or not, whether there is wsus /configuration manager in place which can stop you downloading from internet. If thats the case, use Feature on Demand iso provided by Microsoft which contains the source of RSAT tool you are looking for.