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April 5, 2022 Active Directory Group Policies Windows 10 Windows Server 2019

How to Run GPO Logon Script Only Once?

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GPO logon scripts allow you to run a BAT or PowerShell script at computer startup or user logon/logoff. In some cases, an
administrator wants a particular script (command/program) to be run for each user or computer only once and not run at the
next logons.

To solve this task, you can use a standard logon script that checks for a certain flag on the computer. This can be a registry
parameter, a text file on the disk, etc.

For example, you want a certain code block to be executed only once at the first user log on to a computer.

1. Create the following BAT file (corp_user_init.bat) and save it to %SystemRoot%\SYSVOL\sysvol\<domain

name>\scripts on your domain controller: @echo off

IF EXIST C:\Users\%UserName%\AppData\app_init.txt GOTO END

date /t >> C:\Users\%UserName%\AppData\app_init.txt CATEGORIES

time /t >> C:\Users\%UserName%\AppData\app_init.txt

REM Put your code here, which will be executed once  Active Directory

:END
 Group Policies

The script creates a small text file in a user’s profile when it is run for the first time. When the script is run
 Exchange Server
for the next time through the GPO, it checks if the file exists on a disk. If it does, the script has already been

executed and the code doesn’t need to be run again.  Microsoft 365

 Azure
2. Open the domain Group Policy Management console ( gpmc.msc );
 Windows 11
3. Create a new policy and link it to an OU with users (or computers, but then you have to enable the Loopback

Processing mode);
 Windows 10
4. Go to User Configuration -> Windows Settings -> Scripts (Logon / Logoff);
 Windows Server 2022
5. Select Logon;

6. Click Add and specify the path to your BAT file in SYSVOL ( \\woshub.com\SysVol\woshub.com\scripts );  Windows Server 2019

Ejcorp_user_init| DC02.1  Windows Server 2016

&Scripts(Logon/Logoff)
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)[AdministrativeTemp ISYSVOL' Iscriptsloorp_use,
7. After updating Group Policy settings on a client computer, your script will be executed at user logon. Make sure that it

has successfully created the app_init.txt file in a user’s profile.

If the GPO with the script has not been applied, use the gpresult tool and troubleshooting methods

described in the article Why GPO Is not Applied.

8. At the next user logs on to a computer, the main script code will not be executed. So, the script is actually applied to

the user only once.

Another way to run a script only once using GPO is to create a one-time task in the Task Scheduler.

1. Save your script file (it may be either a BAT file or a PowerShell script) to the Sysvol folder on the domain controller

( \\<your_domain_name>\SysVol\<your_domain_name>\scripts );

2. Create a new GPO, link it to the user’s OU, and open its settings;

3. Go to Preferences -> Control Panel Settings -> Scheduled Task -> New -> Immediate Task (At least
RECENT POSTS
Windows 7);

4. Specify the task name;

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5. Open the Actions tab, click New, and specify the full UNC path to your script file in SYSVOL; January 27, 2023

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Profiles in Windows?
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6. Then go to the Common tab and check the Apply once and do not reapply option;

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Windows?
January 18, 2023

Allow or Prevent Non-Admin

Users from
7. This task will run on a computer only once at the first user logon. Reboot/Shutdown Windows
January 17, 2023

If you want to run PowerShell scripts through a GPO, you need to configure the PowerShell script execution policy or
Fix: Can’t Extend Volume in
use the -ExecutionPolicy Bypass option when running your script (see an example here).
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January 12, 2023

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on Windows 10/11
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