Enable Protected Event Logging
Verified with Windows 11 25H2 — updated on July 30, 2026
Supported on: At least Windows Server 2016, Windows 10
Path in the GPO console
Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Event Logging Description
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.
Registry
HKLM
Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\EventLog\ProtectedEventLogging Value name: EnableProtectedEventLogging
Enabled: EnableProtectedEventLogging = 1
Disabled: EnableProtectedEventLogging = 0
MDM / Intune (CSP)
./Device/Vendor/MSFT/Policy/Config/ADMX_EventLogging/EnableProtectedEventLogging Microsoft Learn documentation Mapping data: Microsoft Learn (CC BY 4.0)
Export Builder
BETAConfigure 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. ⓘ
.reg file
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
; Exported from gporais.com
; Policy: Enable Protected Event Logging
; State: Enabled
; Supported on: At least Windows Server 2016, Windows 10
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\EventLog\ProtectedEventLogging]
"EnableProtectedEventLogging"=dword:00000001
"EncryptionCertificate"=hex(7):00,00
; REG_MULTI_SZ: one string per input line; edit in regedit if you need richer formatting.More formats (PowerShell, Intune, SCCM)
PowerShell
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Enable Protected Event Logging
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: At least Windows Server 2016, Windows 10
$path = 'HKLM:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\EventLog\ProtectedEventLogging'
New-Item -Path $path -Force | Out-Null
Set-ItemProperty -Path $path -Name 'EnableProtectedEventLogging' -Value 1 -Type DWord
Set-ItemProperty -Path $path -Name 'EncryptionCertificate' -Value @() -Type MultiString
# REG_MULTI_SZ: one string per input line; edit in regedit if you need richer formatting.Intune XML
OMA-URI: ./Device/Vendor/MSFT/Policy/Config/ADMX_EventLogging/EnableProtectedEventLogging
Data type: String
Value:
<enabled/>
<!-- EncryptionCertificate: enter one value per line before copying this XML payload. -->Intune Remediation
# === Detection script ===
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Enable Protected Event Logging
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: At least Windows Server 2016, Windows 10
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
}
$checks = @(
(Test-RegistryValue -Path 'HKLM:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\EventLog\ProtectedEventLogging' -Name 'EnableProtectedEventLogging' -Expected 1 -Kind DWord)
(Test-RegistryValue -Path 'HKLM:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\EventLog\ProtectedEventLogging' -Name 'EncryptionCertificate' -Expected @() -Kind MultiString)
)
if ($checks -notcontains $false) {
Write-Output 'Compliant'
exit 0
}
Write-Output 'Non-compliant'
exit 1
# === Remediation script ===
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Enable Protected Event Logging
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: At least Windows Server 2016, Windows 10
$path = 'HKLM:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\EventLog\ProtectedEventLogging'
New-Item -Path $path -Force | Out-Null
Set-ItemProperty -Path $path -Name 'EnableProtectedEventLogging' -Value 1 -Type DWord
Set-ItemProperty -Path $path -Name 'EncryptionCertificate' -Value @() -Type MultiString
# REG_MULTI_SZ: one string per input line; edit in regedit if you need richer formatting.SCCM scripts
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Enable Protected Event Logging
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: At least Windows Server 2016, Windows 10
# 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: Enable Protected Event Logging
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: At least Windows Server 2016, Windows 10
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
}
$checks = @(
(Test-RegistryValue -Path 'HKLM:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\EventLog\ProtectedEventLogging' -Name 'EnableProtectedEventLogging' -Expected 1 -Kind DWord)
(Test-RegistryValue -Path 'HKLM:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\EventLog\ProtectedEventLogging' -Name 'EncryptionCertificate' -Expected @() -Kind MultiString)
)
if ($checks -notcontains $false) {
Write-Output 'Compliant'
exit 0
}
Write-Output 'Non-compliant'
exit 1
# === Remediation script ===
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Enable Protected Event Logging
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: At least Windows Server 2016, Windows 10
$path = 'HKLM:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\EventLog\ProtectedEventLogging'
New-Item -Path $path -Force | Out-Null
Set-ItemProperty -Path $path -Name 'EnableProtectedEventLogging' -Value 1 -Type DWord
Set-ItemProperty -Path $path -Name 'EncryptionCertificate' -Value @() -Type MultiString
# REG_MULTI_SZ: one string per input line; edit in regedit if you need richer formatting.Building a multi-setting collection? Add this setting and generate combined .reg / PowerShell / GPO scripts.