Windows 10 lets you reset Group Policy Settings via the Editor or from the Command Prompt. Here’re the steps to reset Group Policy in Windows 10.
In Windows, you can customize almost anything you want. Most changes can be configured via the Settings app. For advanced settings, you need to edit the registry or the group policy settings. Though the group policy editor is not available for Home users, if you are running Windows 10 Pro or Enterprise, the Group Policy Editor provides an easy to use interface to quickly configure a variety of advanced settings. All you have to do is find the policy you want to change and either enable or disable it. What’s more, you can even backup group policy for safekeeping or to apply them on other machines too.
As good as the group policy editor is, there might be times when you need to reset group policy to its original condition. This is especially true when a policy is interfering with normal system operations or when policies are in conflict. Thankfully, though not in a straightforward way, Windows 10 lets you restore group policy gpo either at the individual policy level or as a whole (bulk reset).
In this quick guide, let me show the steps to reset Group Policy gpo in Windows 10.
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Reset a Single Group Policy GPO Setting
If you want to reset a single or individual group policy, just set it to “not configured” and save the changes. This method is especially useful if you know what policies to restore and where to find them. Here’re the exact steps on how you can do it.
- Open the Run dialog box. You do that by pressing the “Start key + R”. Alternatively, you can also search for “Run” in the Start menu.
- Type “gpedit.msc” and click the “Ok” button to open the Group Policy Editor.
- In the group policy editor, find the policy you want to reset.
- Double-click on the policy to open its properties.
- Select the “Not Configured” option.
- Click the “Apply” and “Ok” buttons to save changes.
- Close the group policy editor.
- Restart Windows 10 to apply the policy changes.
That is all. After restarting, the modified policy setting will be applied. In case you are wondering, the “Not Configured” option defaults the policy to its original setting. Not Configured doesn’t mean the policy is enabled or disabled but it is directly managed by Windows itself.
Related article: How to find all active group policies in Windows 10.
Bulk Reset All Group Policy Settings
When you have multiple group policies to reset, you can use the bulk reset method. This is especially useful if you have a lot of group policy objects to reset. Here’re the steps to bulk reset group policy settings in Windows 10.
- Open the Start menu.
- Search for “Command Prompt“.
- Right-click on the Command Prompt result and select the “Run as administrator” option.
- After opening the elevated Command Prompt window, execute the command given below.
RD /S /Q "%WinDir%\System32\GroupPolicy"
- After that, execute this command.
RD /S /Q "%WinDir%\System32\GroupPolicyUsers"
- Once done, close the Command Prompt window.
- Restart Windows 10 apply the policy updates.
That is all. It is that simple to reset group policy settings in Windows.
Important Note:
Like with anything, there are limitations to both the methods shown above. That is if your system is maintained by a system or network administrator, some policies may not reset due to them being managed by the said administrator. In those cases, you have to contact the system administrator and tell them the policies you want to reset. Whether to reset the policies are not is up to the system administrator or the organization. There is nothing much you can do in that situation.
I hope that helps. If you are stuck or need some help, comment below and I will try to help as much as possible.
