Deny Log On Locally
Explicitly prevents specified accounts from logging on interactively.
- Policy path
- Computer Configuration > Windows Settings > Security Settings > Local Policies > User Rights Assignment
- Supported on
- Windows 10, Windows 11, Windows Server 2016 and later
Explicitly prevents specified accounts from logging on interactively. Security baselines recommend setting it to Guest, service accounts.
Description
Deny Log On Locally is a Windows Group Policy setting located under Computer Configuration > Windows Settings > Security Settings > Local Policies > User Rights Assignment. It applies to the Computer Configuration branch and is classified as a Informational-level policy in the Local Policies category.
Explicitly prevents specified accounts from logging on interactively.
Microsoft sets the default value to Not defined while industry security baselines (CIS, NIST, DISA STIG) recommend Guest, service accounts.
In-depth explanation
This is primarily an operational or user-experience setting. It does not directly raise or lower the security posture, but it standardizes behavior across the fleet, which is important for predictable support, training, and troubleshooting in an MSP-managed environment.
The policy is grouped under Local Policies – User Rights, which means it is typically applied through a domain-wide GPO linked at the OU level. In a multi-tenant MSP context, scope it through WMI filters or security group filtering rather than linking at the domain root, so that you can roll out progressively (pilot OU → wider rings → all production).
The setting takes effect after the next Group Policy refresh (gpupdate /force for immediate testing, or by default within ~90 minutes for workstations and ~5 minutes on domain controllers). For computer-side policies a reboot may be required; for user-side policies, a sign-off/sign-on cycle is enough.
Use cases
- Apply organization-wide hardening of local policies on all domain-joined Windows endpoints.
- Roll out a CIS Benchmark-aligned baseline targeting 'Deny Log On Locally' via a dedicated GPO.
- Reduce attack surface for accounts that handle privileged credentials or sensitive data.
- Standardize the configuration across multiple customer tenants for an MSP-managed fleet.
Security implications
This control is primarily about consistency and supportability rather than security. The main risk of leaving it unconfigured is divergence between machines, which makes troubleshooting and standardized imaging harder, especially across multiple customer tenants in an MSP context.
How to configure
- Open Group Policy Management Console (
gpmc.msc) on a domain controller or a workstation with RSAT installed. - Create or edit a GPO linked to the OU containing the target computer configurations. We recommend a dedicated baseline GPO (e.g. SEC – Local Policies) instead of editing Default Domain Policy.
- Navigate to
Computer Configuration > Windows Settings > Security Settings > Local Policies > User Rights Assignment. - Open Deny Log On Locally and set it to
Guest, service accounts. - Click OK and close the editor.
- On the target endpoint, run
gpupdate /force(or wait for the next refresh cycle), then verify withrsop.mscorgpresult /h report.html.