Local Group Policy Editor will allow you to manage many settings that don’t necessarily have a graphical representation without changing the Registry. When appropriately used, Group policy is a powerful resource that can enable and disable features typically inaccessible through traditional means. In this post, we will share how to open the Group Policy Editor in Windows.
What is a Local Group Policy Editor?
The Local Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc), a standard interface for all Computer Configuration and User Configuration settings, is a Management Console (MMC). With the Local Group Policy Editor tool, the administrator can define policies that will be applied to the computer (regardless of who accesses it) or only to specific users who log in using their user accounts.
Regardless of who is signed on, all users will be subject to the policy settings if the administrator uses Computer Configuration to set them. If administrators use User Configuration to enforce a policy, those users will be subject to it (regardless of the computer they use).
Unless the administrator decides otherwise, the local Group Policy Editor policies impact all users by default.
Note: Only the Windows Enterprise, Windows Education, and Windows Pro editions come with the Local Group Policy Editor. You can install the Local Group Policy Editor on Windows Home Edition if you do not have one of these editions but still wish to use the tool.
How to Open Group Policy Editor in Windows
Given below are five different methods you can open the Local Group Policy Editor using your Windows PC:
- Run Dialogue Box
- Windows Terminal
- Task Manager
- Control Panel
- Windows Settings
Some of these will require administrator account permission.
1] Open Group Policy Editor via Run Dialogue Box
This is one of the fastest methods to open the Group Policy Editor. This is how you open it using the Run prompt:
- Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialogue box
- Type gpedit.msc into the text field and press OK
- It will open the Local Group Policy Editor window.
If this does not work, you need Administrator rights or are using Windows Home and can’t access the Local Group Policy Editor.
2] Open Group Policy Editor via Windows Terminal
Using the Windows Terminal, you can open the Local Group Policy Editor. Follow the instructions given below:
- Right-click on the Windows logo at the bottom left corner of your Windows PC and click on the Windows Terminal option from the context menu. You need not choose Windows Terminal (Admin).
- In the Windows Terminal window, type gpedit.msc and press Enter. It will open the Local Group Policy Editor window.
3] Open Group Policy Editor via Task Manager
Access to the Local Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc) is also possible through Windows Task Manager. This has always been a built-in function in Task Management. Let us see how to open Local Group Policy Editor via Task Manager:
- Access the Task Manager by pressing the shortcut keys Ctrl + Shift + Esc together.
- In the Task Manager window, click the File tab and choose the Run new task option from the context menu.
- In the Create new task window, type gpedit.msc into the text field and press OK. This will open the Local Group Policy Editor window.
This method is handy when you cannot access Run prompt, Windows Terminal, and File Explorer.
4] Open Group Policy Editor via Control Panel
You can also access the gpedit.msc tool from the Control Panel option. Even though Microsoft is gradually replacing the old Control Panel with the new Settings menu, you can still access it. To access the Local Group Policy Editor from the Control Panel menu, follow the instructions below:
- Press the Windows key + R, type control into the text field, and press OK to open the Control Panel.
- Type group policy into the Control Panel search bar in the Control Panel window, and press Enter.
- Click on the Edit group policy link given under Windows Tools. This will open the Local Group Policy Editor window.
5] Open Group Policy Editor via Settings
Opening the Local Group Policy Editor via Windows Settings is another effortless way to open it. Check out the instructions given below:
- Open Settings (Windows key + I).
- Type group policy into the Settings search engine and click on the Edit group policy to open the Local Group Policy Editor window.
Conclusion
There are plenty of powerful Windows settings available in the Group Policy Editor. It is a crucial tool in Windows OS. You may modify various settings from here and apply them to multiple computers. It is mainly used in business where the IT admin needs to apply the same policy to every PC. However, the tool is available to all users who clearly understand and like to modify the change.
