Policy overview

Key metadata and intent for this policy.

ClassComputer
CategoryWindows Components > Event Logging
Supported onAt least Windows Server 2016, Windows 10

Supported OS tags: Windows10, Windows10RT, Windows11, WindowsServer2016

This policy setting lets you configure Protected Event Logging. If you enable this policy setting, components that support it will use the certificate you supply to encrypt potentially sensitive event log data before writing it to the event log. Data will be encrypted using the Cryptographic Message Syntax (CMS) standard and the public key you provide. You can use the Unprotect-CmsMessage PowerShell cmdlet to decrypt these encrypted messages, provided that you have access to the private key corresponding to the public key that they were encrypted with. If you disable or do not configure this policy setting, components will not encrypt event log messages before writing them to the event log.

Internal name
EnableProtectedEventLogging
Policy ID
cae51b78a521
Elements
1

Registry values

How enabled and disabled states update the registry.

Registry locationTypeEnabled valueDisabled value
HKLM\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\EventLog\ProtectedEventLogging\EnableProtectedEventLoggingREG_DWORD
1
0

Policy elements

Inputs and configuration options exposed by this policy.

ElementTypeRegistry mappingConstraints & behavior
EncryptionCertificate
ID EncryptionCertificate
list
HKLM\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\EventLog\ProtectedEventLogging\EncryptionCertificate
Type REG_MULTI_SZ
None