Add Multiple Devices to SCCM collection using PowerShell

Using PowerShell you can easily bulk add multiple devices to SCCM device collection. Using this guide, you will be able to import multiple devices into a target device collection using ConfigMgr PowerShell module.

There could be situations when you have to add a few hundred devices to a collection in SCCM. If it was a single device, you would use a directly query. However when you have got lot of computers, adding each of them would take a long time.

Thanks to PowerShell because it is a much easier and faster option to bulk add devices to SCCM device collection. We will accomplish our task using Add-CMDeviceCollectionDirectMembershipRule which adds a Direct Rule membership rule to a device collection. More info here.

Step 1 – Create a device collection in SCCM

  • Open the SCCM Console. Go to Assets and Compliance > Overview > Device Collections.
  • Click Create Device Collection in the top ribbon.
  • The Create Device Collection Wizard opens. Specify a name of the new device collection and select the limiting collection. Click Next.

create device collection in sccm

On the Membership Rules page, don’t add any rule. Click Next.

Define membership rules for the collection

When you create a device collection without adding any resources, you get a warning. This collection has no membership rules… Click OK since we will be importing multiple devices into this device collection later.

Add Multiple Devices to SCCM collection using PowerShell Snap3

On the Summary page, click Close.

Summary

On the Completion page, click Close.

Completion

Step 2 – Prepare the Computers List

After creating the target device collection, prepare a TXT file that contains all devices that you wish to add to device collection. In this example, the file name is List_computers.txt and contains the following devices.

Add Multiple Devices to SCCM collection using PowerShell

Step 3 – Import the Computers using ConfigMgr Powershell cmdlets

On the top ribbon of the ConfigMgr console, click to the blue arrow and click Connect via Windows PowerShell.

Add Multiple Devices to SCCM collection using PowerShell Snap7

Copy and paste the below command and don’t forget to change the text file location and the target collection name. Execute the command.

Get-Content "E:\Sources\Import\List_computers.txt" | foreach { Add-CMDeviceCollectionDirectMembershipRule -CollectionName "Computer List" -ResourceID (Get-CMDevice -Name $_).ResourceID }

Add Multiple Devices to SCCM collection using PowerShellAfter few minutes (It depends of the computers number), the device collection import task should be complete. You will find all the devices added to the device collection in SCCM.

24 Comments

  1. Hey Praj ; I don’t know why this isn’t working exactly. But here’s what i’m getting.

    Add-CMUserCollectionDirectMembershipRule : Cannot bind argument to parameter ‘ResourceId’ because it is null.
    At line:1 char:129
    + … tionName “Server List” -ResourceID (Get-CMUser -Name $_).ResourceID }
    + ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo : InvalidData: (:) [Add-CMUserCollectionDirectMembershipRule], ParameterBindingValidationE
    xception
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : ParameterArgumentValidationErrorNullNotAllowed,Microsoft.ConfigurationManagement.PowerSh
    ell.Cmdlets.Collections.AddUserCollectionDirectMembershipRule

    I’m referencing my Server list.txt ; the servers are just listed by name. What am I missing?

  2. Avatar photo Carlos Bta says:

    anyone get this error:

    Add-CMDeviceCollectionDirectMembershipRule : No object corresponds to the specified parameters.
    At line:5 char:1
    + Add-CMDeviceCollectionDirectMembershipRule -CollectionName “RY1-Remov …
    + ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo : ObjectNotFound: (Microsoft.Confi…tMembershipRule:AddDeviceCollectionDirectMembershipRule) [Add-CMDeviceCol…tMembershipRule], ItemNotFoundException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : ItemNotFound,Microsoft.ConfigurationManagement.PowerShell.Cmdlets.Collections.AddDeviceCollectionDirectMembershipRule

    please help me.

  3. Avatar photo cogerino mickael says:

    hello,

    when i try to import some users see what i have :

    Get-CMDevice : This command cannot be run from the current drive. To run this command you must first connect to a Configuration Manager drive.
    At line:1 char:177
    + … odification Profil Chrome” -ResourceID (Get-CMDevice -Name $_).Resour …

    + CategoryInfo : DeviceError: (Microsoft.Confi…tions.GetDevice:GetDevice) [Get-CMDevice], InvalidOperationException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : CommandCannotExecuteFromCurrentDrive,Microsoft.ConfigurationManagement.PowerShell.Cmdlets.Collections.GetDevice

    i don’t understand because i import the file from the server … can you help me with ?

    thanks a lot

  4. Avatar photo Trev Evans says:

    Heres a little improvement that checks 1st if the resource exists.

    Get-Content “D:\Support\source\machines.txt” | foreach {
    write-host “Adding: $_”
    $device_add = Get-CMDevice -Name $_
    if ($device_add ) {
    Add-CMDeviceCollectionDirectMembershipRule -CollectionName “My_Collection” -ResourceID (Get-CMDevice -Name $_).ResourceID }
    else
    { write-host “$_ dont exist in SCCM”
    }
    }

  5. Avatar photo Amit Deore says:

    Thanks Prajwal for sharing the script.
    I have successfully used it multiple times in my organization to create device collections in bulk.

    Just have one query, once we are done with PowerShell script execution we will be getting the exact device number for collection.
    I have observed that there is change (Increase/Decrease) in collection devices after few days, and it keep on increasing and decreasing.
    As per my understanding as this collection is Static, the number should not change.

  6. Has anyone gotten this error?
    Add-CMDeviceCollectionDirectMembershipRule : Cannot bind argument to parameter ‘ResourceId’ because it is null.
    At line:1 char:146
    + … alo Alto 10 percent” -ResourceID (Get-CMDevice -Name $_).ResourceID }
    + ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo : InvalidData: (:) [Add-CMDeviceCol…tMembershipRule], ParameterBindingValidationExceptio
    n
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : ParameterArgumentValidationErrorNullNotAllowed,Microsoft.ConfigurationManagement.PowerSh
    ell.Cmdlets.Collections.AddDeviceCollectionDirectMembershipRule

    1. Cause the objects are not exist in your directory.

  7. Your articles are always useful and easy to understand. Thank you for sharing.

  8. If servers/systems need to be added or removed from the list, is it as simple as updating the .txt file, or will it also require executing the powershell command again as well?

  9. Avatar photo Indrakumar says:

    Thank you for the command, it worked and saved lot of time.

  10. Thank you for the quick and easy solution, works as expected.

  11. It worked for me after adding a parameter after for Get-CMDevice.
    Get-Content “xxx.txt” | foreach { Add-CMDeviceCollectionDirectMembershi
    pRule -CollectionName “xxx” -ResourceID (Get-CMDevice -Name $_ -Resource).ResourceID}

    1. Thank you! Kept getting an error until I added the -Resource 🙂

  12. Just use the free “Right Click Tools” software for SCCM/MECM, is so much faster, easier and effective for this action and several others 😉

    1. Avatar photo Alexej F. says:

      Damn, I didn’t even know, that they had this function! Thx a lot

  13. Avatar photo Quentin GUIOT says:

    nervermind
    i foud it =)
    just change a few params.
    thanks

    Get-Content “E:\Sources\Import\List_users.txt” | foreach { Add-CMUserCollectionDirectMembershipRule -CollectionName “User List” -ResourceID (Get-CMUser -Name $_).ResourceID }

  14. Avatar photo Quentin GUIOT says:

    Hi
    thanks for this script, real time saving .
    do you know a way to do the same with user collections?

    thank you

  15. Pure genius! Thanks so much!

  16. Avatar photo ron deangelis says:

    New to sccm and packaging deployments. Following the step by step. Not sure how this would solution would work. I”m get the following error when running the cmd:

    Add-CMDeviceCollectionDirectMembershipRule : Cannot bind argument to parameter ‘ResourceId’ because it is null.
    At line:1 char:144
    + … ame “Sophos Machines” -ResourceID (Get-CMDevice -Name $_).ResourceID}
    +                                      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
       + CategoryInfo         : InvalidData: (:) [Add-CMDeviceCol…tMembershipRule], ParameterBindingValidationExceptio
      n
       + FullyQualifiedErrorId : ParameterArgumentValidationErrorNullNotAllowed,Microsoft.ConfigurationManagement.Cmdlets
      .Collections.Commands.AddDeviceCollectionDirectMembershipRuleCommand

    Seems to me if we are trying to populate my sccm Collection with my machines listed in the .txt file, how would Get-CMDevice know about the device to get a ResourceID?

    1. Hey, try importing SCCM modules.
      “Get-CMDevice” these command sccm specific commands

  17. Avatar photo Ranjithkumar says:

    I have faced this before but i can’t recall how i’ve come through. Could anyone help?

  18. not working. TXT is referenced correctly. Error Output: something like this:

    Tunrs out the quotation marks in the article above do not like copy pasty nor the copy cmdlet of the html webpage.

    -ResourceID (Get-CMDevice -Name $_).ResourceID }
    ForEach-Object : Cannot bind parameter ‘RemainingScripts’. Cannot convert the “Get-Content” value of type
    “System.String” to type “System.Management.Automation.ScriptBlock”.
    At line:1 char:53
    + … Alle.txt” | foreach { Add-CMDeviceCollectionDirectMembershipRule -Col …
    + ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo : InvalidArgument: (:) [ForEach-Object], ParameterBindingException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : CannotConvertArgumentNoMessage,Microsoft.PowerShell.Commands.ForEachObjectCommand

    1. Correction: Working, after I replaced the Quotations Marks that came via the copy cmdlet of this webpage to my clipboard. No idea why they copied over wrong. Also, looking correct in powershell, but beeing the wrong characters. Thanks for this solution.

      1. This works perfectly!!
        Thanks

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