What Is the Group Policy Editor?

Group Policy Editor is a utility that allows you to configure Group Policy settings for a Windows PC or a group of PCs. Aimed mostly at network administrators, Group Policy defines how you or a group of people can use your machines, restricting or allowing features as necessary.

Group Policy Editor is a Microsoft Management Console app with the filename gpedit.msc, and it’s usually located in the “C:\Windows\System32” folder.

It’s important to note that Group Policy Editor is not available in Windows 10 or Windows 11 Home. It only ships with Windows 10 or Windows 11 Pro or Enterprise editions. If you’re not sure which edition of Windows you have, it’s easy to find out. Open Settings, navigate to System > About, and you’ll see it listed under Edition.

There are several ways to open Group Policy Editor in Windows 10 and Windows 11, so we’ll cover a handful of major ways to do it below. Each one will get you to the same place, so pick whichever suits you best.

Open the Group Policy Editor from the Start Menu

Perhaps the easiest way to open the Group Policy Editor is by using search in the Start menu. First, click the Start button, and when it pops up, type gpedit and hit Enter when you see “Edit Group Policy” in the list of results.

Open the Group Policy Editor from the “Run” Window

You can also quickly launch the Group Policy Editor with a Run command. Press Windows+R on your keyboard to open the Run window, type gpedit.msc, and then hit Enter or click “OK.”

Open the Group Policy Editor from the Command Prompt

If you like working from the command line, open up a Windows Command Prompt and type gpedit or gpedit.msc on a blank line, and then hit Enter. The Group Policy Editor will open instantly.

Launch the Group Policy Editor from Settings

You can also launch the Group Policy Editor from the Settings app. Press Windows+i to open Settings (or launch the Settings app however you normally might), then type group policy or edit group policy in the search bar in the upper-left corner. Click the “Edit Group Policy” result that appears.

Open the Group Policy Editor from Control Panel

And finally, we have one of the slowest ways to open the Group Policy Editor: from Control Panel. To do so, launch Control Panel, and then click the search box in the upper-right corner of the window. Type group policy, and then click the “Edit Group Policy” link just below the “Administrative Tools” heading.

Use great care while changing the Group Policy on your machine.