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 Kerberos client searches when attempting to resolve two-part service principal names (SPNs). If you enable this policy setting, the Kerberos client searches the forests in this list, if it is unable to resolve a two-part SPN. If a match is found, the Kerberos client requests a referral ticket to the appropriate domain. If you disable or do not configure this policy setting, the Kerberos client does not search the listed forests to resolve the SPN. If the Kerberos client is unable to resolve the SPN because the name is not found, NTLM authentication might be used.
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\Kerberos\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\Kerberos\Parameters Value name ForestSearchList Type REG_SZ | None |