!!! Overview
Almost any characters can be used in [Distinguished Names]. However, some must be escaped with the backslash "\" [Escape character]. 

LDAP requires that the following characters be escaped:
||Name||Character
|comma|,
|Backslash character|\
|Pound sign (hash sign)|#
|Plus sign|+
|Less than symbol|<
|Greater than symbol|>
|Semicolon|;
|Double quote (quotation mark)|"
|Equal sign|=
|Leading or trailing spaces|  	 


The space character must be escaped only if it is the leading or trailing character in a component name, such as a Common Name. Embedded spaces should not be escaped.

In addition, [ADSI] requires that the forward slash character "/" also be escaped in [Distinguished Names]. The ten characters above, plus the forward slash, must be escaped in VBScript programs because they use [ADSI]. If you view attribute values with [ADSI] Edit you will see the ten characters above escaped, but not the forward slash. Utilities (like adfind.exe) that __do not use [ADSI]__ need to have the ten characters above escaped, but not the forward slash.

Some "special" characters that are allowed in Distinguished Names and do not need to be escaped include:
{{{
* ( ) . & - _ [ ] ` ~ | @ $ % ^ ? : { } ! '
}}}

From [our|Contact Us] experience, we [discourage any special characters|Best Practices For LDAP Naming Attributes] within the [Naming Attributes]. Many [LDAP] tools may not be able to handle Special Characters.


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