Windows is great for customizability and making the OS work how we want it to. But, there can be times when the readily available Settings and customization options won’t just be enough. Well, that’s where the Group policy editor comes into play. With the Group policy editor, you can customize many more aspects of Windows and turn several features on or off. The Group Policy editor allows you to modify and limit settings for other computers on your workgroup if you are the administrator. Group Policy Editor is only available for Windows Pro and Enterprise versions. This article will discuss enabling Group Policy Editor in Windows Home.
What Is Group Policy Editor? Why Is It Not Enabled In Windows Home Versions?
Group Policy editor allows Windows users to make advanced configurations to their computers and across the computer users and even configure settings and restrict certain features on computers across their workgroups. Windows Home copies are supplied for users who don’t use their computers for a large number of users or don’t necessarily need to manage workgroups. The Group Policy Editor is an advanced work-related feature and is only supplied with Windows Pro and Enterprise versions.
But like anything on Windows, there are ways around this, and you can install Group Policy editors or Windows Home versions. This works on Windows 10, Windows 11, and any other version of Windows.
How to Enable Group Policy Editor in Windows Home
There is no direct way to enable the Group Policy editor in Windows Home. But the workarounds are pretty easy to get a hold of. We’ll be going over a total of two methods. Here they are:
- Using BAT File
- Using Policy Plus Application
You will need admin permission to install the Group Policy Editor.
1] Enabling Group Policy Editor In Windows Home Versions Using A BAT File
A batch file is used in the Windows command prompt or Windows terminal to execute multiple commands in a sequential order without executing each one separately, making the whole process much easier. With this method, we’ll first create a BAT file using Notepad and then execute it as administrator to run the commands and complete the installation of the Group policy editor. Here are the detailed steps to do so:
- Open Notepad by searching it in Windows search and paste the following set of commands, all at once, into it.
@echo off
pushd "%~dp0"
dir /b %SystemRoot%\servicing\Packages\Microsoft-Windows-GroupPolicy-ClientExtensions-Package~3*.mum >List.txt
dir /b %SystemRoot%\servicing\Packages\Microsoft-Windows-GroupPolicy-ClientTools-Package~3*.mum >>List.txt
for /f %%i in ('findstr /i . List.txt 2^>nul') do dism /online /norestart /add-package:"%SystemRoot%\servicing\Packages\%%i"
pause
- Once pasted, go to the file menu from the top right corner and click on the Save As option.
- Once now, select the Save as type as All files and type a suitable name for the file. Now, add the BAT extension to the end of the file name.
So, if your file name is OpenGPE, it should be saved as OpenGPEBAT.
- Once you save the file, right-click on it and click on Run as Administrator.
- Now, the file will execute automatically, and install the Group Policy Editor. You can access the feature by searching for it in Windows or using the Run dialog box by executing the Gpedit.Msc command in it.
Related: How to Access Local Users and Groups in Windows Home
2] Using Policy Plus Application
While tweaking Windows settings with commands to enable Group Policy Editor is a good option and works natively. It may also be challenging to use and tampers with necessary Windows settings, which breaks the licensing terms.
You can get around all the hassle of creating a batch file, running it, and breaking terms of Windows licensing by using the safe, open source, and entirely free Policy Plus application, which gives you complete access to the features of the Group Policy editor without having to tamper with any settings and terms.
Policy Plus has a straightforward and easy-to-use interface. The interface resembles the original group policy editor and works in the same way as well. To edit a policy, you must navigate to the policy location from the left pane and then double-click it to edit the settings, just like you’d do for Group Policy Editor.
Download Policy Plus From Github
Conclusion:
Performing a few advanced but guided tweaks to your Windows PC does not harm and will unlock a whole new set of features for your computer. Every time you do such tweaks, follow all the steps closely to prevent your PC from breaking down from a mishap. We hope you found the article to be insightful. Please make sure that you share it with everyone.
Is It Safe To Execute Any BAT File On My Computer?
No, batch files can execute multiple commands sequentially on your computer. If you have received a batch file from a suspicious source or are unsure about the commands, please refrain from executing it. Running a batch file as an administrator gives it all the permissions to change your PC in every way possible.
Can I Change My Computer Settings From Group Policy Editor?
The group policy editor allows you to change all the settings of your computer, and even many additional ones are available on the Group Policy editor. It is recommended to, however, not tweak any policy you don’t know much about.
