On Windows 11, adjusting Group Policy settings gives you the flexibility to tailor and regulate various sophisticated features of your operating system, including security settings and user privileges. Occasionally, you might encounter a situation where resetting these settings to their original state is necessary to fix errors, troubleshoot problems, or start anew. In this tutorial, I will demonstrate several methods to accomplish this task.
As a researcher delving into the intricacies of Windows 11, I’ve discovered multiple methods to restore the Local Group Policy settings to their default state. These include utilizing the Group Policy Editor, Command Prompt, and PowerShell. Regardless of the specific reason, these methods ensure that all policies are returned to their pristine, unaltered condition.
In this how-to guide, I’ll outline three ways to reset the Group Policy settings on Windows 11.
How to reset all Group Policy settings from Local Group Policy Editor
A convenient method to revert the policy settings is by adjusting them back to their “Unspecified” or “Default” condition. This operation should be carried out within both the “Computer Configuration” and “User Configuration” segments, specifically for the “Administrative Templates.
Reset Computer Configuration settings
To reset the Computer Configuration policies, use these steps:
- Open Start.
- Search for gpedit.msc and click the top result to open the Local Group Policy Editor console.
- Navigate to the following path: Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > All Settings
- Click the State column header to sort settings and view the ones that are Enabled and Disabled.
- Double-click one of the policies you previously modified.
- Select the Not configured option.
- Click the Apply button.
- Click the OK button.
If you finish the tasks, you might have to run through steps 5, 6, 7, and 8 again to re-set any leftover policies.
Reset User Configuration settings
To reset the User Configuration settings, use these steps:
- Open Start.
- Search for gpedit.msc and click the top result to open the Local Group Policy console.
- Navigate to the following path: User Configuration > Administrative Templates > All Settings
- Click the State column header to sort settings and view the ones that are
- Double-click one of the policies you previously modified.
- Select the Not configured option.
- Click the Apply button.
- Click the OK button.
Once all the procedures have been carried out, I’d advise going back to perform steps 5, 6, 7, and 8 again if required, in order to reset any policies that may still need adjustment.
How to reset all Group Policy settings from Command Prompt
If your device has numerous customized settings, you can swiftly revert all Group Policy Objects back to their original settings using Command Prompt.
To reset the Group Policy settings with a command line, use these steps:
- Open Start.
- Search for Command Prompt, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.
- Type the following command to reset all the Group Policy settings and press Enter: RD /S /Q “%WinDir%\System32\GroupPolicyUsers” && RD /S /Q “%WinDir%\System32\GroupPolicy”
- Type the following command to update the changes in the Local Group Policy console and press Enter: gpupdate /force
- Restart the computer.
After finishing the given tasks, the command will eliminate the directories housing the Group Policy configurations, causing them to reset back to their original defaults, as the system applies these changes.
How to reset all Group Policy settings from PowerShell
Alternatively, you can quickly reset the Group Policy Objects with PowerShell.
To reset the Group Policy settings with PowerShell, use these steps:
- Open Start.
- Search for Command Prompt, right-click the top result, and select the Run as administrator option.
- Type the following command to reset all the Group Policy settings and press Enter: Remove-Item -Path “$env:windir\System32\GroupPolicy”, “$env:windir\System32\GroupPolicyUsers” -Recurse -Force
- Type the following command to update the changes in the Local Group Policy console and press Enter: gpupdate /force
- Restart the computer.
After you complete the steps, the policies will reset to their default settings.
Keep in mind that after making any system updates, it’s crucial to re-create both the “GroupPolicy” and “GroupPolicyUsers” directories.
This procedure resets the settings managed by the Local Group Policy Editor. However, if your computer is connected to an Active Directory network, these settings can be controlled only by your network administrator. It’s important to note that this guide does not reset any objects within the “Windows Security” (Local Security Policy) section as their locations differ.
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2025-01-29 20:41