How to open the Group Policy Editor in Windows 11 or 10
A Group Policy is an Active Directory feature that facilitates centralized management and configuration of the operating system, programs, and user settings for all computers in the same domain.
A Local Group Policy is a subset of Group Policy that is available on and applies to an individual computer. It is a set of rules that govern how the device and the user accounts on it work. While the Windows Registry can be used to set low-level configuration settings, it is inadvisable to modify it as incorrect registry settings can compromise system performance. The Local Group Policy Editor tool can be used to modify those settings instead. It is a way to securely modify the Windows Registry without actually going into it.
The Local Group Policy Editor is available only in the Professional (and higher) versions of Windows 10 and Windows 11.
Opening the Local Group Policy Editor
There are several methods that can be used to open the Local Group Policy Editor.
Method 1: Via the Windows Run box
Press Win + R to open the Windows Run box.
Type gpedit.msc in the Run box and press the Enter key to open the Local Group Policy Editor.
Method 2: Via the Search box
Press the Win key or click the Windows icon in the bottom-left corner of the Desktop.
Type gpedit.msc in the Search box and select Run as administrator to open the Local Group Policy Editor.
Method 3: Via the Command Prompt
Open the Command Prompt as an administrator by searching for it from the Windows Search box.
Type gpedit.msc and press the Enter key to open the Local Group Policy Editor.
Method 4: Via the Settings charm
Press Win + I to open the Settings charm.
Type Edit Group Policy and press the Enter key to open the Local Group Policy Editor.
Method 5: Via Windows PowerShell
Open Windows PowerShell as an administrator by searching for it from the Windows Search box.
Type gpedit.msc and press the Enter key to open the Local Group Policy Editor.
Method 6: Via the Task Manager
Right click the Taskbar and select Task Manager.
Click File and select Run new task.
Type gpedit.msc in the textbox and click OK to open the Local Group Policy Editor.
Method 7: Via Windows Explorer
Open File Explorer.
Type gpedit.msc in the Quick Access box and press the Enter key to open the Local Group Policy Editor.
That's it! You can use any of these methods to open the Local Group Policy Editor. If you are unable to find it using any of these methods, you might be using Windows 10 Home or Windows 11 Home. These versions do not support this functionality, and it is recommended that you upgrade to the Professional or higher versions of Windows to use this feature.
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