Specify Web Application User Policy In SharePoint 2013 Central Administration

In this article, we will see how to specify the Web Application user policy in SharePoint 2013 Central Admin. This configuration will help admins to map the users based on zones and then provide them access to the Web Application.

How do we configure it?

Let’s open Central Admin of SharePoint on your machine. On your Windows desktop screen, click Start >> Administrative Tools >> SharePoint 2013 Central Administration.


  • Run it as an administrator to have the elevated privileges.
  • You will see the screenshot given below.


  • Central Admin is configured under the categories given above.
  • Click Security.


  • Go to "Users".


  • Click Specify Web Application user policy.
  • You will see the screen given below.


  • Here, you need to add/edit/delete the users and configure them according to the zones.
  • Click Add Users.

  • Web Application
    Select a Web Application, where you want to add the user policy.

  • Zone
    Choose the zone, where you want to add this user in.

Once configured, click Next.




  • Web Application
    It shows the Web, where the policy is going to be applied.

  • Zone
    Select the zone, where you want to add the users.

  • Choose users
    Add the users to whom you want to provide access to the Web Application.

  • Choose Permissions
    Choose the level of access from the options given below.
    • Full Control

    • Deny All

    • Deny Write

    • Full Read

  • Choose System Settings
    Using this option, you can allow or disallow the user’s account to act like a system admin.

Once you click OK, the configuration selected by you will be added by default in all the sites within the Web and all the users will be configured under their zones.

This is an important feature as the policy will be inherited by all the sites under the Web Applications.

In this article, we saw how to specify Web Application user policy in SharePoint 2013 Central Administration. There are more features under managing the Web Applications, which we will see in the next article.

Until then, keep reading and keep learning.