The local group policy editor in Windows 10 enables you to make crucial changes in settings without editing the registry. It provides a common graphical interface for computer configurations and user configuration settings.

Here, computer configurations are settings applied to the computer irrespective of the logged-in user. While user configurations are the settings configured for individual users. The group policy editor in Windows 10 is a powerful tool with all in one settings control. You can fix errors like Windows Defender blocked by group policy by tweaking into group policy editor.  

How To Open Local Group Policy Editor in Windows 10 – Professional and Enterprise Edition

The group policy editor is only available for Windows 10 Professional or Enterprise users. If you belong to a Windows Home version user, then you may not have a local group policy editor on your computer. However, you can still make the required configurations by editing the registry files.

Modifying a registry file is a difficult thing to do for a non-tech savvy person. If you are not used to the registry editor, then finding a particular setting is a tricky task. So, if you belong to the Windows Home users group and want a group policy editor on your computer, then you can follow the solutions mentioned below.

This guide also covers how to open local group policy editor for Windows Professional and Enterprise users. There are 8 different ways for Professional and Enterprise users to access gpedit in Windows 10.

1. Open Local Group Policy Editor in Windows 10 via Search Menu

One of the simplest ways to access the group policy editor is to use the search menu.

Type gpedit in the search menu and click on Edit group policy from the search result on your Windows 10 system.

Search menu group policy editor
Search for gpedit in the group policy editor

You can now make the required changes in the group policy editor.

2. Open Group Policy Management Console via Command Prompt

Command Prompt can help you open group policy editor using a single word command. To access Local Group Policy Editor in Windows 10 in Windows 10, follow the steps mentioned below.

Type cmd in the search menu, right-click on Command Prompt and select Run as administrator.

command prompt
Open command prompt as administrator

Once the command prompt opens, type gpedit and hit Enter.

gpedit local group policy editor windows 10
Opening local group policy editor using the command

You can opt for this way if you are more comfortable with the command prompt.

3. Open Windows 10 Group Policy via Run

If you are comfortable opening apps or folders using Run, then you may like this option to access Local Group Policy Editor in Windows 10.

Open Run by pressing

Windows key + R

Now, type gpedit.msc in the textbox next to Open and click on OK.

use run to open local group policy editor windows 10
Use Run to open Group Policy Editor

Here, gpedit is a group policy editor, and .msc is an extension used for Microsoft management console files.

4. Open Local Group Policy Editor in Windows 10 via Settings

You can find Windows 10 local group policy editor in settings as well. Open Settings by pressing Windows key + I. Once the Settings open, type edit group policy in the search box of settings and hit Enter when you encounter Edit group policy in the search results.

settings gpedit windows 10
Search for Edit group policy in Windows Settings

Although the name says edit group policy, it will open Group Policy Editor for you.

5. Open Windows 10 group policy settings via Control Panel

You can access Local Group Policy Editor in Windows 10 from the control panel, just in the same way as it is accessed via Settings.

Type control panel in the search menu and click on the Control Panel.

Search group policy in the search box and under Administrative Tools click on Edit group policy.

control panel local security policy windows 10
Search group policy in Control Panel

You can either opt for Control Panel or Windows Settings app to open Local Group Policy Editor depending on your convenience.

6. Generate a Shortcut for Group Policy Editor

A shortcut on the Desktop can help you access Windows 10 group policy without any hassle. Follow the steps to have the shortcut for the group policy editor.

Go to

C: WindowsSystem32

Search for

gpedit.msc

Right-click on gpedit.msc and click on Send to ➞ Desktop (create shortcut) from the context menu.

create shortcut group policy windows 10
Creating Group Policy Editor shortcut

You may now see a shortcut created on the Desktop.

7. Open Local Group Policy Editor in Windows 10 via PowerShell

You can open your group policy editor via PowerShell as well. PowerShell is the advanced version of the command prompt. You can run batch and PowerShell commands in the PowerShell environment provided by Microsoft. On the other hand, you can only interpret batch commands in the command prompt. To open a local group policy editor using PowerShell in Windows 10, you can go through the instructions mentioned below.

Press Windows key + X to open the power user menu.

Next, click on Windows PowerShell (Admin) from it.

powershell windows 10 group policy
Open Windows PowerShell (Admin)

Next, type gpedit on PowerShell window and hit Enter.

gpedit windows 10 group policy settings
Execute gpedit in PowerShell

Well, this is similar to the command prompt, only the terminal used to execute the command is different.

8. Open Local Group Policy Editor in Windows 10 via gpedit.msc File

You can directly click on gpedit.msc file in Windows 10 to open group policy editor. The gpedit.msc is present in the System32 folder.

Go to the C: WindowsSystem32 and locate the gpedit.msc file in that folder. Once found, double-click on it to open the group policy editor.

gpedit.msc windows 10 windows 10 group policy
Click on gpedit.msc file

In this manner, you can directly access Group Policy Editor from the System32 folder.

How To Access Local Group Policy Editor in Windows 10 Home

1. Use Registry Editor

One of the most common ways to access the local group policy editor in the Windows 10 Home version is to use the registry editor. However, we suggest taking a backup of the registry files.

Follow the below steps to open the registry editor.

Step 1: Type registry editor in search option and click on Registry Editor from the search result.

Step2: You can access the policy via registry values and navigate to appropriate folders through the folders in the left panel.

regedit local security policy windows 10
Accessing the Registry Editor

If you wish to modify any policy then you need to know the proper registry folder, file, and key-value for it, you can get all these options on web-based on your requirement. You have to be very careful while editing the registry, as all the computer settings are configured in the registry.

You can also go through the below alternatives for easy access to local group policy editor in Windows 10.

2. Run the Script

As mentioned above, Windows 10 Home version does not have a local group policy editor. However,  if you need one to ease your computer and user-based configurations, then you can try running the batch script.

A script is posted by a Reddit user to enable local group policy editor for Windows 10 Home users. You can copy-paste that script from below and save it in a file with a .bat extension. If you don’t want to save the scripts yourself, you can download it from the link given below.

Batch File Script

@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

Download Script File

Once you finish with the download or creating the batch file, you can proceed with the next steps.

Step 1: Right-click on the gpedit-install.bat file and select Run as administrator from the context menu.

run the script as administrator
Run the Script

Step 2: After running the script, wait until the command prompt finishes the execution and then press any key to finish the process.

command prompt group policy management console
Command prompt executing the script

Step 3: Go to C: WindowsSystem32 and double-click on gpedit.msc to open group policy editor.  

system32 folder group policy management console windows 10
Click on gpedit file

Now you can access the group policy management console in Windows 10 Home version as well.

Note: If you do not see gpedit.msc in the System32 folder, then try restarting your PC. Some PCs require a restart after running this batch script file.

3. Download Policy Plus (third-party software)

If you do not wish to follow the lengthy procedure of running the scripts, then you can try Policy Plus. It is a third-party software for group policy editor. Policy Plus is a free and open-source software to help you out with local security policies and much more in Windows 10.

You can download the executable (.exe) file from the link below.

It is an executable file, which means there is no need to install Policy Plus; you can use it with just one click. Whenever you wish to edit group policy in Windows 10, you need to click on Policy Plus executable file.

Download Policy Plus here

Click on the above link and scroll down to the Download section. Click on Download a Release build to download the latest released version of Policy Plus.

download policy plus group policy management
Download the third-party app to access Group Policy Editor in Windows 10 Home

Once the Policy Plus.exe file gets downloaded, click on it.

Group policy editor is now accessible to you via Policy Plus.

policy plus windows 10
Policy Plus

Policy Plus can also be used by Windows 10 Professional and Enterprise users, as it offers more than standard group policy editor.

You can perform a search in three different ways, that is by Text, Registry, and ID.

Click on the Find from the menu bar and select any one option to search required policies.

find by id, text, registry
Search by 3 different ways

Many administrative templates are missing in the Home edition; you can download these administrative templates using Policy Plus.

Go to Help from the menu bar and click on Acquire ADMX Files. This option can help you get all the missing administrative files in Windows 10 Home edition.

acquire admx file
Get all missing administrative files using Acquire ADMX files

You can edit the group policy, and the required changes will be observed on your Windows 10 system. Editing group policy is similar to the local group policy editor available in Windows 10 Professional and Enterprise versions.

In Windows 10 Home edition it might require restarting the PC after making any change using Policy Plus. While in Windows 10 Pro and Enterprise, the changes might be immediately seen.

Conclusion

The local group policy editor is an essential tool when it comes to managing computer and user configurations. The above guide will help you with all the possible ways to access the local group policy editor in Windows 10.

You can also find different ways to access and manage Windows 10 group policy in the Home version, rather than opting for a traditional registry editor. Policy Plus is the best way to edit group policies in all the editions of Windows 10. Based on the technicality and complexity, you can use the option to open a local group policy editor in Windows 10.