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Grant a Member the Right to Logon Locally

Applies To: Windows Server 2008 R2

Domain controllers, by default, restrict the types of user accounts that have the ability to log on locally. By default, only members of the Account Operators, Administrators, Backup Operators, Print Operators, and Server Operators groups have the Allowed logon locally system right. If you want to grant a user account the ability to log on locally to a domain controller, you must either make that user a member of a group that already has the Allowed logon locally system right or grant the right to that user account.

Note

The phrases “log on interactively” and “log on to the console” are alternate expressions that refer to the ability to log on locally and to the Allow Log on locally right.

Regarding the following procedure, it is assumed that you already know how to create Active Directory user accounts and group accounts, as well as knowing how to add members to groups. For procedures to perform any of these tasks, see:

Membership in the local Administrators on a domain controller in your domain, or equivalent, is the minimum required to grant user rights. Review details about default group memberships at Active Directory Local and Domain Default Groups (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=150761).

Perform the following procedure using a domain controller or another domain member computer that has Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT) installed. For more information about RSAT, see Remote Server Administration Tools for AD DS (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=144909).

Grant a user or group the right to log on locally to the domain controllers in the domain

  1. Click Start, type gpmc.msc, and then press ENTER.

  2. Double-click the name of the forest, double-click Domains, double-click the name of the domain in which you want to join a computer, right-click Default Domain Controllers Policy, and then click Edit.

  3. In the console tree, expand Computer Configuration, Policies, Windows Settings, Security Settings, and Local Policies, and then click User Rights Assignment.

  4. In the details pane, double-click Allow Logon Locally.

  5. Ensure that the Define these policy settings check box is selected, and then click Add User or Group.

  6. Type the name of the account that you want to allow to log on locally. As an alternative, click Browse to locate the account with the Select Users, Computers, or Groups dialog box, and then click OK.

  7. After you have the account name entered, click OK in the Add User or Group dialog box, and then click OK in the Allow log on locally Properties dialog box.

Security Note
The domain controllers in the domain share the Default Domain Controllers Group Policy object (GPO). When you grant an account the Allow logon locally right, you are allowing that account to log on locally to all domain controllers in the domain.