What does Windows error code 8550 (ERROR_DS_CANT_ADD_TO_GC) mean?

ERROR_DS_CANT_ADD_TO_GC

ERROR_DS_CANT_ADD_TO_GC (8550) is an Active Directory Domain Services error. The request attempted to add an attribute to the Global Catalog partial attribute set, but Active Directory rejected it for security reasons. The Global Catalog replicates selected attributes forest-wide, so this is a schema and data-exposure decision, not a local tuning option.

What to check

• Review the attribute definition, confidentiality requirements, and the reason it should be searchable forest-wide.
• Confirm that the change is being made by an authorized schema administrator through a reviewed schema change process.
• Do not try to force the partial attribute set flag when the directory rejects the attribute.

Useful command

Get-ADObject -SearchBase (Get-ADRootDSE).schemaNamingContext -LDAPFilter "(lDAPDisplayName=<attributeName>)" -Properties isMemberOfPartialAttributeSet

Microsoft: Attributes included in the Global Catalog · Microsoft: Impact of schema changes · Microsoft: Directory Service system error codes

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