There are several different common reasons why you might experience the NT AUTHORITY\NETWORK SERVICE error and these will vary depending on your use case. Most commonly, your network administrator might have removed the specific Windows Login due to a variety of reasons. In consequence, you will not be able to grant login access to the SQL server. Another reason you might see this error is when you try to add a new login with the same SID as an existing SQL Server login. In this case, you should also see the 15401 error code. However, ‘NT AUTHORITY/LOCAL SERVICE cannot be found’ error is also confirmed to occur when the login is located in a different domain than the SQL server or if the specific name resolution mechanism that you’re using (WINS, DNS, HOSTS or LMHOSTS) is not configured properly. Below you’ll find a series of confirmed fixes that other affected users have successfully used to get to the bottom of this issue.
1. Check if NT AUTHORITY\LOCAL SERVICE exists and has the necessary permissions
Before you move on to more technical fixes, the first thing you need to do is ensure that the NT AUTHORITY\LOCAL SERVICE account actually exists on the system where you are trying to leverage it. If you conclude that the account exists, take the time to make sure you have enough privileges to actually create the necessary logging and associated user at the SQL Server Level. This procedure will be a little different depending on your version of the Windows server, but the general steps are the same on every Windows Server version. Here’s what you need to do: If you’ve already made sure that NT AUTHORITY\LOCAL SERVICE user account is created and it has the necessary permissions, move down to the next method below.
2. Create SQL Server login (if applicable)
If you get this error while using the SQL Server data-tier application in a Visual Studio project, chances are you see this error after creating the script that adds NT AUTHORITY\LOCAL SERVICE to the login list under Server Level Objects.
If you used the following scripts to create the logins and add them under Database Level objects, this method is applicable:
In this case, you are likely getting the error when trying to compiled the project with the error “Unable to find NT AUTHORITY\LOCAL SERVICE because it does not exist or a permission in not granted”.
If this scenario is applicable, the reason why you can’t create the [NT AUTHORITY\LOCAL SERVICE] login is that NT AUTHORITY\LOCAL SERVICE is nothing more than a built-in Windows Service Accoount in this instance. Each service in SQL Server must have an account defined during installation in order to start and run.
SQL Server startup accounts can be built-in system accounts, local user accounts, or domain user accounts. The Local Service account is a built-in account that has access to the same resources and objects as members of the Users group. This restricted access serves to protect the system in the event that particular services or processes are hijacked.
Services that operate as the Local Service account use a null session to access network resources.
IMPORTANT: Be careful that the SQL Server or SQL Server Agent services do not support the Local Service account. The account’s full name is “NT AUTHORITY/LOCAL SERVICE”.
To get around this issue, you’ll need to create an SQL Server login that uses Windows Authentication via Transact-SQL.
To do this, start by creating a user in Windows, then open up the following Transact-SQL command with Query Editor and make sure the login name is the same as the Windows User name:
Note: Keep in mind that
3. Add proper permissions to SQL (if applicable)
Another reason why you might be experiencing this issue is a scenario in which you didn’t add the proper permissions in SQL for the NT AUTHORITY/LOCAL SERVICE service and only gave control on the folder. To rectify this issue, you’ll need to open SQL Server Management Studio (Enterprise Manager) and explore the SQL instance you are trying to connect to. From there, you’ll need to go to Security > Logins and create a new login using the Windows Authentication method for NT AUTHORITY/LOCAL SERVICE. Here’s a quick guide on how to do this:
4. Rebuild the SQL Server database (if applicable)
If you already tried changing the ‘Log on as’ user inside the SQL server service to NT AUTHORITY/LOCAL SERVICE and it didn’t work, you might be able to get the issue resolved by using the Download Installer to extract the hexadecimal name before rebuilding the SQL database and copying the files right back. Here’s a quick guide on how to do this:
5. Curate MachineGUID & Reboot SQL service
If you get this error while attempting to start your SQL server and the problem started to occur after you changed the built-in logon from Local Service to Local System, the issue is likely caused by a MachineGUID registry key that is no longer pointing towards the correct path. Other users finding themselves in a similar situation have confirmed that they managed to fix the issue by creating a backup of the problematic key before modifying the path and restarting the SQL service. Here’s a quick guide on how to do this:
6. Modify User Mappings
If you get the ‘NT AUTHORITY/LOCAL SERVICE cannot be found’ when trying to fetch data from your SQL server using asp.net, one quick way to fix any local cause is to modify the user mapping to its correct values. Note: This fix is effective in situations where you are using a local SQL Server Management Studio database and you’re trying to input data to it using an asp.net application. If you’ve double-checked the inputs and all the code is correct yet you still get the error, follow the instructions below to use the SQL Server Management Studio to access the Logins page and modify the currently assigned User Maapings from the Properties screen. Here’s a quick step-by-step guide on how to do this:
7. Grant sysadmin role access (if applicable)
In case you get this error while you attempt to access a database for an application created locally, the first thing you should check is whether the current configuration allows NT AUTHORITY/LOCAL SERVICE under the sysadmin role. You can do this by opening up the Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio and modifying the properties of the NT AUTHORITY/LOCAL Service in order to enable the sysadmin role. Here’s a quick guide on how to do this: In case you are not able to access the Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio for any reason, you can also enforce this fix from an elevated Command prompt (if your access allows it). Here’s how to do this:
8. Change server lang to English (if applicable)
If you get the ‘NT AUTHORITY/LOCAL SERVICE cannot be found’ when using Advanced Installer to call upon the NT AUTHORITY\LOCAL SERVICE, the error might be a symptom caused by a bug that is affecting foreign servers. This problem is confirmed to occur when certain Advanced Installer users try to launch the XUA Automation Server service manually via the Service screen or when they try to launch manually by typing the username alone (without NT Authority). Note: This problem occurs because the SCM doesn’t support localized names even though the security subsystem will localize them. While you will receive a localized name for your account on a foreign server, the account must be NT AUTHORITY\LocalService when you use functions like CreateService or ChangeServiceConfig. If this scenario is applicable, the only solution as of now is to use the English version of the naming convention. So instead of using commands in the local server language (e.g. AUTORITE NT\SERVICE LOCAL) use the English equivalent (NT AUTHORITY\LocalService).
