HOw To Reset Windows workstation local Group Policy

Resetting Group Policy in Windows 11 can be done using the following steps. This process will revert Group Policy settings to their default state:

1. Reset Group Policy for Local Machine (System-wide)

Using Command Prompt:

1. Open Command Prompt as Administrator:
   • Press Win + S, type cmd, right-click, and select Run as Administrator.
2. Run the following commands:

RD /S /Q “%WinDir%\System32\GroupPolicy”
RD /S /Q “%WinDir%\System32\GroupPolicyUsers”
gpupdate /force

1. • The first two commands delete the Group Policy folder where local settings are stored.
   • The gpupdate /force command refreshes Group Policy, applying default settings.

Using PowerShell:

1. Open PowerShell as Administrator:
   • Press Win + X, then select Windows Terminal (Admin).

2. Run the following commands:

Remove-Item -Recurse -Force “$env:WinDir\System32\GroupPolicy”
Remove-Item -Recurse -Force “$env:WinDir\System32\GroupPolicyUsers”
gpupdate /force

2. Reset Individual Group Policy Settings

If you want to reset individual Group Policy settings rather than all, follow these steps:

1. Open the Local Group Policy Editor:
   • Press Win + R, type gpedit.msc, and press Enter.
2. Navigate to the specific policy path, such as:

Computer Configuration ? Administrative Templates ?
User Configuration ? Administrative Templates ?

3. Set any modified policies back to Not Configured.

3. Reset Group Policy Registry Keys

Some policies are enforced via the Registry. To reset them:

1. Open Registry Editor:
   • Press Win + R, type regedit, and press Enter.
2. Navigate to the following paths and delete any custom entries:
   • For Computer Configuration:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies

For User Configuration:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Policies

3. Restart the system to apply changes.

4. Verify the Reset

1. Open Command Prompt and run:

gpresult /h gp_report.html

2. Open the generated gp_report.html file to confirm all policies are now default.