Configure server authentication for client

ComputerNative Intune settingTS_SERVER_AUTH

Supported on At least Windows Vista with Service Pack 1

23H2 · 1.0

What it does

This policy setting allows you to specify whether the client will establish a connection to the RD Session Host server when the client cannot authenticate the RD Session Host server. If you enable this policy setting, you must specify one of the following settings: Always connect, even if authentication fails: The client connects to the RD Session Host server even if the client cannot authenticate the RD Session Host server. Warn me if authentication fails: The client attempts to authenticate the RD Session Host server. If the RD Session Host server can be authenticated, the client establishes a connection to the RD Session Host server. If the RD Session Host server cannot be authenticated, the user is prompted to choose whether to connect to the RD Session Host server without authenticating the RD Session Host server. Do not connect if authentication fails: The client establishes a connection to the RD Session Host server only if the RD Session Host server can be authenticated. If you disable or do not configure this policy setting, the authentication setting that is specified in Remote Desktop Connection or in the .rdp file determines whether the client establishes a connection to the RD Session Host server when the client cannot authenticate the RD Session Host server.

What it writes

Hive: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE
Registry key: SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Terminal Services

In Intune

Native Intune setting: Yes — Policy CSP

./Device/Vendor/MSFT/Policy/Config/ADMX_TerminalServer/TS_SERVER_AUTHADMX_TerminalServer on Microsoft LearnADMX-backed: Windows ships this template, so it is set with the template's own values, without an import.Windows builds listed: 10.0.22000, 10.0.19043.1202, 10.0.19042.1202, 10.0.19041.1202.

From Microsoft's Policy CSP DDF files (DDF v2 Files, February 2026), read 18 Oct 2026.

Options

Option	Type	Registry value	Allowed values
Authentication settingDefault: Always connect, even if authentication fails	Drop-down list	`AuthenticationLevel`	Always connect, even if authentication fails`0` Warn me if authentication fails`2` Do not connect if authentication fails`1`

Configure and deploy

Choose a state and the option values; the output below is generated from the template for exactly that.

Enabled · Computer · template defaults

Registry file (.reg)

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Terminal Services]
"AuthenticationLevel"=dword:00000000

PowerShell

$ErrorActionPreference = 'Stop'

function Set-RegistryValue {
    param(
        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Path,
        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Name,
        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $PropertyType,
        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][object] $Value
    )

    if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $Path)) {
        New-Item -Path $Path -Force | Out-Null
    }

    New-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $Name -PropertyType $PropertyType -Value $Value -Force | Out-Null
}

function Remove-RegistryValue {
    param(
        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Path,
        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Name
    )

    if (Test-Path -LiteralPath $Path) {
        Remove-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $Name -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
    }
}

function Clear-RegistryKeyValues {
    param(
        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Path
    )

    if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $Path)) {
        return
    }

    foreach ($propertyName in (Get-Item -LiteralPath $Path).Property) {
        Remove-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $propertyName -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
    }
}

# Policy: Configure server authentication for client
# Name: TS_SERVER_AUTH
# Scope: Machine
# State: Enabled
# Source: TerminalServer.admx

Set-RegistryValue -Path 'Registry::HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Terminal Services' -Name 'AuthenticationLevel' -PropertyType 'DWord' -Value 0

These deployment candidates come from the ADMX template; they are separate from the native CSP mapping above.

The OMA-URI is an inferred ADMX-backed Policy CSP candidate derived from the source ADMX file name and policy name.
Some Microsoft policies use built-in Policy CSP pages whose area names don't match the ADMX file name, so verify the candidate against Microsoft Learn before deployment.

ADMX profile candidate (OMA-URI)

./Device/Vendor/MSFT/Policy/Config/ADMX_TerminalServer/TS_SERVER_AUTH

ADMX SyncML candidate

<SyncML xmlns="SYNCML:SYNCML1.2">
  <SyncBody>
    <Replace>
      <CmdID>1</CmdID>
      <Item>
        <Meta>
          <Format>chr</Format>
          <Type>text/plain</Type>
        </Meta>
        <Target>
          <LocURI>./Device/Vendor/MSFT/Policy/Config/ADMX_TerminalServer/TS_SERVER_AUTH</LocURI>
        </Target>
        <Data>&lt;enabled/&gt;
&lt;data id="TS_SERVER_AUTH_LEVEL" value="0"/&gt;</Data>
      </Item>
    </Replace>
    <Final/>
  </SyncBody>
</SyncML>

Intune remediation scripts

Detection

$ErrorActionPreference = 'Stop'
$reasons = [System.Collections.Generic.List[string]]::new()

function Test-RegistryValueExists {
    param(
        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Path,
        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Name
    )

    if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $Path)) {
        return $false
    }

    return $null -ne (Get-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $Name -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue)
}

function Test-RegistryValueEquals {
    param(
        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Path,
        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Name,
        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Kind,
        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][object] $Expected
    )

    if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $Path)) {
        return $false
    }

    $valueObject = Get-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $Name -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
    if ($null -eq $valueObject) {
        return $false
    }

    $actual = $valueObject.$Name
    switch ($Kind) {
        'String' { return [string]$actual -ceq [string]$Expected }
        'ExpandString' { return [string]$actual -ceq [string]$Expected }
        'DWord' { return [uint32]$actual -eq [uint32]$Expected }
        'QWord' { return [uint64]$actual -eq [uint64]$Expected }
        'MultiString' {
            $actualArray = @($actual)
            $expectedArray = @($Expected)
            if ($actualArray.Count -ne $expectedArray.Count) { return $false }
            for ($index = 0; $index -lt $actualArray.Count; $index++) {
                if ([string]$actualArray[$index] -cne [string]$expectedArray[$index]) { return $false }
            }
            return $true
        }
        'Binary' {
            $actualArray = [byte[]]$actual
            $expectedArray = [byte[]]$Expected
            if ($actualArray.Length -ne $expectedArray.Length) { return $false }
            for ($index = 0; $index -lt $actualArray.Length; $index++) {
                if ($actualArray[$index] -ne $expectedArray[$index]) { return $false }
            }
            return $true
        }
        default { return [string]$actual -ceq [string]$Expected }
    }
}

# Policy: Configure server authentication for client
# Name: TS_SERVER_AUTH
# Scope: Machine
# State: Enabled
# Source: TerminalServer.admx

$isMatch = Test-RegistryValueEquals -Path 'Registry::HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Terminal Services' -Name 'AuthenticationLevel' -Kind 'DWord' -Expected 0
if (-not $isMatch) {
    $reasons.Add('Value mismatch: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Terminal Services\AuthenticationLevel') | Out-Null
}

if ($reasons.Count -eq 0) {
    Write-Output 'Compliant'
    exit 0
}

$reasons | ForEach-Object { Write-Output $_ }
exit 1

Remediation

$ErrorActionPreference = 'Stop'

function Set-RegistryValue {
    param(
        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Path,
        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Name,
        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $PropertyType,
        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][object] $Value
    )

    if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $Path)) {
        New-Item -Path $Path -Force | Out-Null
    }

    New-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $Name -PropertyType $PropertyType -Value $Value -Force | Out-Null
}

function Remove-RegistryValue {
    param(
        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Path,
        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Name
    )

    if (Test-Path -LiteralPath $Path) {
        Remove-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $Name -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
    }
}

function Clear-RegistryKeyValues {
    param(
        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string] $Path
    )

    if (-not (Test-Path -LiteralPath $Path)) {
        return
    }

    foreach ($propertyName in (Get-Item -LiteralPath $Path).Property) {
        Remove-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $propertyName -Force -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
    }
}

# Policy: Configure server authentication for client
# Name: TS_SERVER_AUTH
# Scope: Machine
# State: Enabled
# Source: TerminalServer.admx

Set-RegistryValue -Path 'Registry::HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Terminal Services' -Name 'AuthenticationLevel' -PropertyType 'DWord' -Value 0

History 3 retained releases

22H2 · 1.015 Jul 2024
- Already present in the first release ChangeIntel keeps.

2 later releases left it unchanged.

Template

Internal name: TS_SERVER_AUTH
Namespace: Microsoft.Policies.TerminalServer
Template file: TerminalServer.admx
Release: Windows 11 23H2 · 1.0 · file set d784d0ea5f14a680…

Definition, editor controls and support

Definition

<policy class="Machine" displayName="$(string.TS_SERVER_AUTH)" explainText="$(string.TS_SERVER_AUTH_EXPLAIN)" key="SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows NT\Terminal Services" name="TS_SERVER_AUTH" presentation="$(presentation.TS_SERVER_AUTH)" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions">
      <parentCategory ref="Microsoft.Policies.TerminalServer:TS_CLIENT" />
      <supportedOn ref="Microsoft.Policies.TerminalServer:TS_SUPPORTED_Vista_SP1" />
      <elements>
        <enum id="TS_SERVER_AUTH_LEVEL" valueName="AuthenticationLevel">
          <item displayName="$(string.TS_SERVER_AUTH_NONE)">
            <value>
              <decimal value="0" />
            </value>
          </item>
          <item displayName="$(string.TS_SERVER_AUTH_ATTEMPT)">
            <value>
              <decimal value="2" />
            </value>
          </item>
          <item displayName="$(string.TS_SERVER_AUTH_REQUIRE)">
            <value>
              <decimal value="1" />
            </value>
          </item>
        </enum>
      </elements>
    </policy>

Editor controls

<presentation id="TS_SERVER_AUTH" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions">
        <dropdownList defaultItem="0" noSort="true" refId="TS_SERVER_AUTH_LEVEL">Authentication setting:</dropdownList>
      </presentation>

Supported platforms and category

Microsoft.Policies.TerminalServer:category:TS_CLIENT
<category displayName="$(string.TS_CLIENT)" explainText="$(string.TS_CLIENT_HELP)" name="TS_CLIENT" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions">
      <parentCategory ref="Microsoft.Policies.TerminalServer:TS_GP_NODE" />
    </category>
Microsoft.Policies.TerminalServer:category:TS_GP_NODE
<category displayName="$(string.TS_GP_NODE)" explainText="$(string.TS_User_Help)" name="TS_GP_NODE" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions">
      <parentCategory ref="Microsoft.Policies.Windows:WindowsComponents" />
    </category>
Microsoft.Policies.TerminalServer:definition:TS_SUPPORTED_Vista_SP1
<definition displayName="$(string.TS_SUPPORTED_Vista_SP1)" name="TS_SUPPORTED_Vista_SP1" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions">
        <or>
          <reference ref="Microsoft.Policies.Products:MicrosoftWindowsVista_SP1" />
        </or>
      </definition>
Microsoft.Policies.TerminalServer:unresolved:Microsoft.Policies.Products:MicrosoftWindowsVista_SP1
<unresolved reference="Microsoft.Policies.Products:MicrosoftWindowsVista_SP1" />
Microsoft.Policies.Windows:category:WindowsComponents
<category displayName="$(string.WindowsComponents)" explainText="$(string.WindowsComponents_Help)" name="WindowsComponents" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions" />
Microsoft.Policies.TerminalServer:category:TS_CLIENT
<category displayName="$(string.TS_CLIENT)" explainText="$(string.TS_CLIENT_HELP)" name="TS_CLIENT" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions">
      <parentCategory ref="Microsoft.Policies.TerminalServer:TS_GP_NODE" />
    </category>
<strings><string id="Microsoft.Policies.TerminalServer:TS_CLIENT">Remote Desktop Connection Client</string><string id="Microsoft.Policies.TerminalServer:TS_CLIENT_HELP">Controls Remote Desktop Connection client settings</string></strings>
Microsoft.Policies.TerminalServer:category:TS_GP_NODE
<category displayName="$(string.TS_GP_NODE)" explainText="$(string.TS_User_Help)" name="TS_GP_NODE" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions">
      <parentCategory ref="Microsoft.Policies.Windows:WindowsComponents" />
    </category>
<strings><string id="Microsoft.Policies.TerminalServer:TS_GP_NODE">Remote Desktop Services</string><string id="Microsoft.Policies.TerminalServer:TS_User_Help">Controls configuration of Remote Desktop Services technologies that enable access to a server running Windows-based programs or the full Windows desktop</string></strings>
Microsoft.Policies.TerminalServer:definition:TS_SUPPORTED_Vista_SP1
<definition displayName="$(string.TS_SUPPORTED_Vista_SP1)" name="TS_SUPPORTED_Vista_SP1" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions">
        <or>
          <reference ref="Microsoft.Policies.Products:MicrosoftWindowsVista_SP1" />
        </or>
      </definition>
<strings><string id="Microsoft.Policies.TerminalServer:TS_SUPPORTED_Vista_SP1">At least Windows Vista with Service Pack 1</string></strings>
Microsoft.Policies.Windows:category:WindowsComponents
<category displayName="$(string.WindowsComponents)" explainText="$(string.WindowsComponents_Help)" name="WindowsComponents" xmlns="http://schemas.microsoft.com/GroupPolicy/2006/07/PolicyDefinitions" />
<strings><string id="Microsoft.Policies.Windows:WindowsComponents">Windows Components</string><string id="Microsoft.Policies.Windows:WindowsComponents_Help">Contains settings for operating system components.</string></strings>