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Last updateSun, 09 Apr 2017 3pm

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Group Policy Editor for Windows Home Version

What is a group policy editor?

Group Policy Editor is a tool that helps administrators manage Windows policy settings in Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-ins.

It can be found on all versions of Windows Server since the release of Windows Server 2003. It can also be found in Windows 7, 8, and 10 but only in professional versions.

Group Policy editor plays a very important role in Microsoft Windows and servers. It controls the environment and user computer accounts policies. For bringing different changes in your PC, you can edit window settings from the Group Policies. Below is a typical view of the Group Policy Editor for Windows 10.

 

Computer owners and IT professionals have found workarounds to many solutions for Windows problems by using the Windows Registry and/or PowerShell. However, editing the Windows Registry directly or using Windows PowerShell is not the safest way to adjust/modify your system policies. Even if you know what you are doing, you can perform incorrect changes and might cause critical issues or crash your system. Once you crash the system the only option is to reinstall your Windows.

One such example in the use of the Global Policy Editor would be the way to turn Windows Defender off. Windows 10 does not have a direct means to turn off the Windows Defender. It’s not a secret that Windows Defender slows the system significantly by eating up your system resources while scanning the system in background. Many users generally install their own security solutions such as Symantec Endpoint Protection, Bit Defender, Kaspersky, Symantec Norton, Trend Micro, and others and just turn off the Windows Defender.

It is a fact that the Group Policy Editor does not have total equal access to the registry setting. There are many software companies that modify the Registry for their own program setup and configuration. The Group Policy Editor is primarily designed to support Windows specific policy management. It is also known that the Group Policy Editor is available with Windows Professional versions and not in the Home versions. However, computer owners can get the GPedit.exe program added to the Home versions.

Get the Group Policy Editor

  1. Click here to download gpedit.msc.

  2. Once downloaded, install as admim

  3. Go to  C:\Windows\SysWOW64

  4. Copy the GroupPolicy folder, GroupPolicyUsers folder, and gpedit.msc file.

  5. Paste the three items in the C:\Windows\System folder

  6. Paste the same in the C:\Windows\System32 folder

  7. Now hit the Window Key + R keys then type: gpedit.msc