Windows Starter Edition, Home and Home Premium do not include gpedit, how do I install it?

I want to make some changes to Windows that require using the Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc).

Unfortunately the Group Policy Editor is not included with the Starter Edition, Home and Home Premium editions of Windows.

How can I install it?

Answer

How do I install gpedit.msc on Windows Starter Edition, Home and Home Premium?

I used the following procedure to successfully install gpedit.msc on Windows 7 64 bit Home Premium.

Notes:

• Confirmed as working on Windows 10 by Moab




• It apparently works on Windows 8, Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 as well. I have not personally tested this.

UPDATE: According to our readers, this tool also works fine in Windows 8, Windows 8.1 and Windows 10.

Today we are going to share a simple installer which installs the required system files in Windows so that you can enjoy Group Policy Editor in all Windows 7 editions.

1. First download the setup file using following link:

   
   

   Download Group Policy Editor Installer

   
   

   You'll find the download link in right-side section of the above
   mentioned page:
   




2. After downloading the ZIP file, extract it using WinRAR or 7-Zip.




3. Run the extracted setup.exe file.

   
   

   It will install the files and you'll be able to access gpedit.msc
   command via RUN or Start Menu search box.

Note:

• For Windows 7 64-bit (x64) users! You'll also need to go to "SysWOW64" folder present in "C:\Windows" folder and copy
  "GroupPolicy", "GroupPolicyUsers" folders and gpedit.msc file from
  there and paste them in "C:\Windows\System32" folder.

If you are getting "MMC could not create the snap-in" error message
while running gpedit.msc, check out following steps to fix the
problem. Basically it happens when your username in Windows contains
more than one word.

1. Run the installer and leave it at the last step (do not click on the "Finish" button).




2. Now go to C:\Windows\Temp\gpedit\ folder.




3. If you are running 32-bit (x86) edition of Windows 7, right-click on x86.bat file and choose "Open With -> Notepad" option. If you are
   running 64-bit (x64) edition of Windows 7, right-click on x64.bat file
   and choose "Open With -> Notepad" option.




4. You'll find a total of 6 lines containing the following string in the file:

   
   

   %username%:f




5. Edit those lines and replace %username%:f with "%username%":f

   
   

   Original: icacls %WinDir%\SysWOW64\gpedit.dll /grant:r %username%:f

   
   

   New: icacls %WinDir%\SysWOW64\gpedit.dll /grant:r "%username%":f




6. Save and run the file (right-click -> Run as Administrator).




7. That's it. You'll have working gpedit.msc.

Source How to Enable "Group Policy Editor" (gpedit.msc) in Windows 7 Home Premium, Home Basic and Starter Editions?

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Group Policy Settings Reference Guide

Microsoft has updated and made available as a download, the complete Group Policy Settings Reference Guide for Windows 10, Windows 8.1, Windows 8, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2003 SP2, Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows Server 2012 R2.

The download is available in the form of spreadsheets for different operating systems. So you can download the spreadsheet only for those operating system/s which you may be interested in.

Spreadsheet Download Link

...

What is also very useful in these spreadsheets, is that it also lists the registry keys which are affected when the settings are changed. Of course, you can always use the Group Policy Settings Search, to know the registry key and value name that backs a particular policy setting, but these spreadsheets put them all in one place.

The Administrative Template spreadsheet contains three columns that provide more information about each policy setting’s behavior related to reboots, logoffs, and schema extensions. These columns are the following:

1. Logoff Required: A “Yes” in this column means that the Windows operating system requires the user to log off and log on again before
   it applies the described policy setting.


2. Reboot Required: A “Yes” in this column means that the Windows operating systems requires a restart before it applies the described
   policy setting.


3. Active Directory Schema or Domain Requirements: A “Yes” in this column means that you must extend the Active Directory schema before
   you can deploy this policy setting.


4. Status: A “New” in this column means that the setting did not exist prior to Windows Server 2012 and Windows 8. It does not mean
   that the setting applies only to Windows Server 2012 and Windows 8.
   Refer to the column entitled “supported on” to determine to which
   operating system the policy setting applies.

Source Group Policy Settings Reference Guide for Windows 10/8.1/7/Server