Include command line in process creation events

Verified with Windows 11 25H2 — updated on July 30, 2026

Supported on: At least Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows 8.1 or Windows RT 8.1

Path in the GPO console

Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\System\Audit Process Creation

Description

This policy setting determines what information is logged in security audit events when a new process has been created. This setting only applies when the Audit Process Creation policy is enabled. If you enable this policy setting the command line information for every process will be logged in plain text in the security event log as part of the Audit Process Creation event 4688, "a new process has been created," on the workstations and servers on which this policy setting is applied. If you disable or do not configure this policy setting, the process's command line information will not be included in Audit Process Creation events. Default: Not configured Note: When this policy setting is enabled, any user with access to read the security events will be able to read the command line arguments for any successfully created process. Command line arguments can contain sensitive or private information such as passwords or user data.

Registry

HKLM Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System\Audit

Value name: ProcessCreationIncludeCmdLine_Enabled

Enabled: ProcessCreationIncludeCmdLine_Enabled = 1

Disabled: ProcessCreationIncludeCmdLine_Enabled = 0

MDM / Intune (CSP)

./Device/Vendor/MSFT/Policy/Config/ADMX_AuditSettings/IncludeCmdLine

Device Since Windows 10, version 2004 with KB5005101 [10.0.19041.1202] and later | Windows 10, version 20H2 with KB5005101 [10.0.19042.1202] and later | Windows 10, version 21H1 with KB5005101 [10.0.19043.1202] and later | Windows 11, version 21H2 [10.0.22000] and later Official mapping (Microsoft Learn)

Microsoft Learn documentation Mapping data: Microsoft Learn (CC BY 4.0)

Export Builder

BETA

Configure the state, scope and options, then generate .reg, PowerShell, Intune and SCCM outputs — or add the setting to a multi-setting collection.

These exports write the registry — this is not a managed GPO. ⓘ

Not configured Enabled Disabled

.reg file

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

; Exported from gporais.com
; Policy: Include command line in process creation events
; State: Enabled
; Supported on: At least Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows 8.1 or Windows RT 8.1

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System\Audit]
"ProcessCreationIncludeCmdLine_Enabled"=dword:00000001

More formats (PowerShell, Intune, SCCM)

PowerShell

# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Include command line in process creation events
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: At least Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows 8.1 or Windows RT 8.1

$path = 'HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System\Audit'
New-Item -Path $path -Force | Out-Null
Set-ItemProperty -Path $path -Name 'ProcessCreationIncludeCmdLine_Enabled' -Value 1 -Type DWord

Intune XML

OMA-URI: ./Device/Vendor/MSFT/Policy/Config/ADMX_AuditSettings/IncludeCmdLine
Data type: String
Value:
<enabled/>

Intune Remediation

# === Detection script ===
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Include command line in process creation events
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: At least Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows 8.1 or Windows RT 8.1

function Test-RegistryValue {
  param(
    [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string]$Path,
    [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string]$Name,
    [object]$Expected,
    [ValidateSet('String', 'DWord', 'MultiString')][string]$Kind = 'String',
    [switch]$Absent
  )

  try {
    $item = Get-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $Name -ErrorAction Stop
  } catch {
    return $Absent.IsPresent
  }

  if ($Absent.IsPresent) { return $false }
  $actual = $item.$Name

  if ($Kind -eq 'DWord') { return ([int64]$actual) -eq ([int64]$Expected) }
  if ($Kind -eq 'MultiString') {
    $actualValues = @($actual)
    $expectedValues = @($Expected)
    if ($actualValues.Count -ne $expectedValues.Count) { return $false }
    for ($i = 0; $i -lt $expectedValues.Count; $i++) {
      if ([string]$actualValues[$i] -ne [string]$expectedValues[$i]) { return $false }
    }
    return $true
  }

  return [string]$actual -eq [string]$Expected
}

$checks = @(
  (Test-RegistryValue -Path 'HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System\Audit' -Name 'ProcessCreationIncludeCmdLine_Enabled' -Expected 1 -Kind DWord)
)

if ($checks -notcontains $false) {
  Write-Output 'Compliant'
  exit 0
}

Write-Output 'Non-compliant'
exit 1

# === Remediation script ===
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Include command line in process creation events
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: At least Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows 8.1 or Windows RT 8.1

$path = 'HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System\Audit'
New-Item -Path $path -Force | Out-Null
Set-ItemProperty -Path $path -Name 'ProcessCreationIncludeCmdLine_Enabled' -Value 1 -Type DWord

SCCM scripts

# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Include command line in process creation events
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: At least Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows 8.1 or Windows RT 8.1
# SCCM Configuration Item guidance:
# Create a Configuration Item of type "Setting: Script".
# Discovery script: use the Detection script below.
# Remediation script: use the Remediation script below.
# Compliance rule: the Discovery script output equals 'Compliant'.

# === Detection script ===
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Include command line in process creation events
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: At least Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows 8.1 or Windows RT 8.1

function Test-RegistryValue {
  param(
    [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string]$Path,
    [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string]$Name,
    [object]$Expected,
    [ValidateSet('String', 'DWord', 'MultiString')][string]$Kind = 'String',
    [switch]$Absent
  )

  try {
    $item = Get-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $Name -ErrorAction Stop
  } catch {
    return $Absent.IsPresent
  }

  if ($Absent.IsPresent) { return $false }
  $actual = $item.$Name

  if ($Kind -eq 'DWord') { return ([int64]$actual) -eq ([int64]$Expected) }
  if ($Kind -eq 'MultiString') {
    $actualValues = @($actual)
    $expectedValues = @($Expected)
    if ($actualValues.Count -ne $expectedValues.Count) { return $false }
    for ($i = 0; $i -lt $expectedValues.Count; $i++) {
      if ([string]$actualValues[$i] -ne [string]$expectedValues[$i]) { return $false }
    }
    return $true
  }

  return [string]$actual -eq [string]$Expected
}

$checks = @(
  (Test-RegistryValue -Path 'HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System\Audit' -Name 'ProcessCreationIncludeCmdLine_Enabled' -Expected 1 -Kind DWord)
)

if ($checks -notcontains $false) {
  Write-Output 'Compliant'
  exit 0
}

Write-Output 'Non-compliant'
exit 1

# === Remediation script ===
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Include command line in process creation events
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: At least Windows Server 2012 R2, Windows 8.1 or Windows RT 8.1

$path = 'HKLM:\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System\Audit'
New-Item -Path $path -Force | Out-Null
Set-ItemProperty -Path $path -Name 'ProcessCreationIncludeCmdLine_Enabled' -Value 1 -Type DWord

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