---
title: Load the Elasticsearch index template
description: Elasticsearch uses index templates to define: Settings that control the behavior of your data stream and backing indices. The settings include the lifecycle...
url: https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3016/reference/beats/winlogbeat/winlogbeat-template
products:
  - Beats
  - Winlogbeat
applies_to:
  - Elastic Cloud Serverless: Generally available
  - Elastic Stack: Generally available
---

# Load the Elasticsearch index template
Elasticsearch uses [index templates](https://docs-v3-preview.elastic.dev/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3016/manage-data/data-store/templates) to define:
- Settings that control the behavior of your data stream and backing indices. The settings include the lifecycle policy used to manage backing indices as they grow and age.
- Mappings that determine how fields are analyzed. Each mapping sets the [Elasticsearch datatype](https://docs-v3-preview.elastic.dev/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3016/reference/elasticsearch/mapping-reference/field-data-types) to use for a specific data field.

The recommended index template file for Winlogbeat is installed by the Winlogbeat packages. If you accept the default configuration in the `winlogbeat.yml` config file, Winlogbeat loads the template automatically after successfully connecting to Elasticsearch. If the template already exists, it’s not overwritten unless you configure Winlogbeat to do so.
<note>
  A connection to Elasticsearch is required to load the index template. If the output is not Elasticsearch (or Elastic Cloud Hosted), you must [load the template manually](#load-template-manually).
</note>

This page shows how to change the default template loading behavior to:
- [Load your own index template](#load-custom-template)
- [Overwrite an existing index template](#overwrite-template)
- [Disable automatic index template loading](#disable-template-loading)
- [Load the index template manually](#load-template-manually)

For a full list of template setup options, see [Elasticsearch index template](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3016/reference/beats/winlogbeat/configuration-template).

## Load your own index template

To load your own index template, set the following options:
```yaml
setup.template.name: "your_template_name"
setup.template.fields: "path/to/fields.yml"
```

If the template already exists, it’s not overwritten unless you configure Winlogbeat to do so.
You can load templates for both data streams and indices.

## Overwrite an existing index template

<warning>
  Do not enable this option for more than one instance of Winlogbeat. If you start multiple instances at the same time, it can overload your Elasticsearch with too many template update requests.
</warning>

To overwrite a template that’s already loaded into Elasticsearch, set:
```yaml
setup.template.overwrite: true
```


## Disable automatic index template loading

You may want to disable automatic template loading if you’re using an output other than Elasticsearch and need to load the template manually. To disable automatic template loading, set:
```yaml
setup.template.enabled: false
```

If you disable automatic template loading, you must load the index template manually.

## Load the index template manually

To load the index template manually, run the [`setup`](/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3016/reference/beats/winlogbeat/command-line-options#setup-command) command. A connection to Elasticsearch is required.  If another output is enabled, you need to temporarily disable that output and enable Elasticsearch by using the `-E` option. The examples here assume that Logstash output is enabled. You can omit the `-E` flags if Elasticsearch output is already enabled.
If you are connecting to a secured Elasticsearch cluster, make sure you’ve configured credentials as described in the [Quick start: installation and configuration](https://www.elastic.co/elastic/docs-builder/docs/3016/reference/beats/winlogbeat/winlogbeat-installation-configuration).
If the host running Winlogbeat does not have direct connectivity to Elasticsearch, see [Load the index template manually (alternate method)](#load-template-manually-alternate).
To load the template:
Open a PowerShell prompt as an Administrator (right-click the PowerShell icon and select **Run As Administrator**).
From the PowerShell prompt, change to the directory where you installed Winlogbeat, and run:
```sh
PS > .\winlogbeat.exe setup --index-management -E output.logstash.enabled=false -E 'output.elasticsearch.hosts=["localhost:9200"]'
```


## Load the index template manually (alternate method)

If the host running Winlogbeat does not have direct connectivity to Elasticsearch, you can export the index template to a file, move it to a machine that does have connectivity, and then install the template manually.
To export the index template, run:
```sh
PS > .\winlogbeat.exe export template --es.version 9.3.2 | Out-File -Encoding UTF8 winlogbeat.template.json
```

To install the template, run:
```sh
PS > Invoke-RestMethod -Method Put -ContentType "application/json" -InFile winlogbeat.template.json -Uri http://localhost:9200/_index_template/winlogbeat-9.3.2
```

Once you have loaded the index template, load the data stream as well. If you do not load it, you have to give the publisher user `manage` permission on winlogbeat-9.3.2 index.
```sh
PS > Invoke-RestMethod -Method Put -Uri http://localhost:9200/_data_stream/winlogbeat-9.3.2
```