Policy
Use forest search order
Microsoft Windows
Policy overview
Key metadata and intent for this policy.
Supported OS tags: Windows10, Windows10RT, Windows11, Windows7, Windows8, Windows81, WindowsRT, WindowsRT81, WindowsServer2008, WindowsServer2012, WindowsServer2012R2, WindowsServer2016
This policy setting defines the list of trusting forests that the Key Distribution Center (KDC) searches when attempting to resolve two-part service principal names (SPNs). If you enable this policy setting, the KDC will search the forests in this list if it is unable to resolve a two-part SPN in the local forest. The forest search is performed by using a global catalog or name suffix hints. If a match is found, the KDC will return a referral ticket to the client for the appropriate domain. If you disable or do not configure this policy setting, the KDC will not search the listed forests to resolve the SPN. If the KDC is unable to resolve the SPN because the name is not found, NTLM authentication might be used. To ensure consistent behavior, this policy setting must be supported and set identically on all domain controllers in the domain.
Registry values
How enabled and disabled states update the registry.
| Scope | Registry location | Type | Enabled value | Disabled value | Copy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Computer | Path Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System\KDC\Parameters Value name UseForestSearch | REG_DWORD | HKLM 1 | HKLM 0 |
Policy elements
Inputs and configuration options exposed by this policy.
| Scope | Element | Type | Registry mapping | Constraints & behavior | Copy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Computer | Forests to Search ID ForestSearchList | text | Path Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System\KDC\Parameters Value name ForestSearchList Type REG_SZ | None |