Joining A Domain In Server 2012

To access the System control panel applet in Windows Server 2012 to join a domain, open Server Manager by clicking the blue icon on the desktop taskbar or from the Start menu. In the left pane of Server Manager, click on 'Local Server'. Under Properties in the central pane, click the link to the right of 'Computer name or Domain'. You can then rename the server or join a domain as in previous versions of Windows Server.