gpeditmsc

gpedit.msc, commonly known as Local Group Policy Editor, is a Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-in that allows administrators to view and modify policy settings on a Windows computer. It provides a graphical interface to configure many Windows components and features without editing the registry directly.

The tool is included by default in Windows Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions, but is not part of the Home edition by default. It can be enabled on some Home systems through unofficial methods, which are not officially supported by Microsoft.

gpedit.msc organizes policies into two main containers: Computer Configuration and User Configuration. Each contains subnodes such as Administrative Templates that expose policy settings for Windows components, security, networking, and applications. The policy templates are provided as ADMX/ADML files stored in C:\Windows\PolicyDefinitions and locale folders. Changes made through the editor map to registry keys under HKLM\Software\Policies and HKCU\Software\Policies, among other locations, and may require a restart or a policy refresh to take effect.

Policies set locally can be overridden by domain-level Group Policy Objects (GPOs) in environments using Active Directory. In such environments, administrators manage centralized policies with Group Policy Management Console (gpmc.msc) and link GPOs to sites, domains, or organizational units.

Because misconfiguration can restrict access or affect security and usability, changes should be tested and backed up. Some policies are version-specific or edition-specific, so availability may vary by Windows version. For auditing applied settings, tools such as gpresult can be used to review which policies are in effect.