3 Ways to Find a Group Policy on Windows
Changing a group policy is something that many Windows users will have to do at some point in their life. However, knowing the path to a particular setting in the Local Group Policy Editor (LGPE) is not so simple, considering the sheer scale of the folders and subfolders within the tool.
In this guide, we’re going to show you three ways to search for the group policies you need so you don’t get lost.
1. Search Using the Local Group Policy Editor’s Filter Option
PressWin + Sto bring up Windows Search, search foredit group policy, and click onEdit group policyin the search results. This will launch the LGPE.
Only the Pro and Enterprise editions of Windows come with the LGPE pre-installed, but there is a way you canaccess the LGPE on Home editions.
In the left pane, right-click theAdministrative Templatesfolder (it’s the only folder that allows you to search this way), and clickFilter Onto enable filtering. Right-click the folder again, and this time, selectFilter Options.
In the Filter Options dialog box, make sure to check theEnable Keyword Filterscheckbox. Next, in the text box next toFilter for word(s), enter the search terms for the policy or, if you know it, the exact name of the policy.
In the dropdown next to that filter text box, you can choose the following options:
Next, check theEnable Requirement Filterscheckbox and click theSelect Allbutton (this means you want to search for the policy on all platforms). Then, clickOK.
Back in the LGPE, you should start to see the folders and policies decrease in number since others have been filtered out. To quickly find the policy you were searching for, clickAll Settings.
While editing, keep in mind that changing the rightgroup policies can make your PC better, or, if you tweak the wrong one, make it worse.
2. Search Using the Group Policy Website
Besides using filters in the LGPE, you’re able to also use theGroup Policy Searchwebsite. While on the site, click thefilter iconin the top left corner and uncheck all the products you don’t want to include in the search.
Click on the search box at the top, enter the search terms for the policy, and hit theEnterkey. If you want to do an exact search, be sure to put the search string within quotes, like “disable context menu,” for example.
The search policy will appear in the second column, so click on it to reveal more information about it in a pop-up. You will see where to find the policy in the LGPE directly under the heading.
Where it saysKey, you can see where to find the setting in the Registry Editor.
3. Search Using the Group Policy Settings Reference
If you prefer something offline and a little easier to access compared to searching with the LGPE’s filters and the Group Policy Search website, Microsoft has a document you can use. So, download theGroup Policy Settings Referencesheet and open it in Excel.
To search for a policy, click on thefilter iconnext to thePolicy Setting Nameheading in theCcolumn. In the text box that saysSearch, type in search terms for the policy you want to find, and then hit theEnterkey.
The policies that match the search terms will appear in columnC. You can find the location of the policy in columnEunder thePolicy Pathheading.
That’s the folder you need to look at in the LGPE to find the policy that you need to edit.
Find the Group Policy You Need on Windows
Now you should be able to find the group policies you need to make your PC better. We know how overwhelming it can be to use the Local Group Policy Editor, but with these tools, it should become a little easier. And if your edits don’t take effect right away, there’s a way for you to manually refresh the LGPE to apply the settings immediately.
Here’s how to automatically apply changes to the Group Policy Settings whenever you tweak them.
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