How to Change My Active Directory Domain Name: Tips and Tools

I saw someone ask a similar question recently. You might want to check out that discussion for more insights.

I successfully renamed a domain at a previous job using the Microsoft Rendom tool, and it worked great. The Microsoft instructions outline a lot of preparatory tasks, including compiling a list of services running under domain accounts that you’ll need to update later. You can also change users' UPNs to the new name ahead of time. Be sure your new DNS zone is set up before the switch. Also, don't forget to review any third-party integrations, as they might need adjustments. It’s best to choose a time when everything can be offline for a day because changes can lead to unexpected issues, and don’t forget that everything will need to reboot afterward. Monitoring AD closely after the rename is crucial to ensure replication is working smoothly.

Just a heads-up: if you have on-prem Exchange or SCCM, I’ve heard that they don’t support these changes well, so they might break if you go ahead with the rename.

Since you're rolling out new 2022 VMs, make sure your management and orchestration setup is robust. It’s easy to focus solely on AD, but having a streamlined and observable system for your domain controllers will save you headaches later, especially for a smaller team!

Why do you want to change it? Your internal AD domain name doesn’t matter much in the bigger picture, and it might not be worth the hassle. What’s prompting this change for you?