The local group policy editor is not available on Windows Home edition. You will have to install the Windows Pro edition to be able to use it. You can follow this article to learn about all the ways to open it.
How to Open Local Group Policy Editor?
The group policy editor is a Windows system tool that you can use to restrict certain users from accessing specific features of the system. For example, you can use it to disable the command prompt or other programs for other users. Since the Local Group Policy Editor is only available on Windows Pro and Enterprise, you will have to check your Windows edition first. Follow these steps to check your Windows edition: After you’ve confirmed your OS edition is other than Windows Home, you can try any of the methods below to launch the policy editor.
Using Windows Search
The Windows search is one of the most convenient tools for a Windows user. It builds a search index that can help you find results faster. It searches your computer for the keyword and provides you with optimum results.
Using Run Application
The most common way to open the local group policy editor is from the run app. These steps will guide you on how to do it:
From File Explorer
A group policy editor is an essential system program that is preinstalled as a system program. Such system applications can be generally found in the system32 folder of your computer. However, you may require administrator privileges to access this folder. Follow these steps to see where to find it:
Using Task Manager
A task manager is a handy tool that can help you manage all the processes currently running on your PC. You can end unresponsive tasks directly using this program. Similarly, you can also use it to launch programs.
Create Shortcut
You can create a shortcut using the Windows shortcut creation tool. It allows the user to create a shortcut to any file location, folder, network address, and computer program. That includes the local group policy editor. You can save the shortcut on your desktop for easy access. Here’s how you create a shortcut:
From Settings
The Windows settings also have a shortcut to open the group policy editor of your PC. Follow these steps to learn how:
From Control Panel
The control panel includes all windows related settings. So naturally, it also has the option to launch the group policy editor as well.
Using Command Prompt/PowerShell
The Command prompt and PowerShell are the Command User-Interface programs of a Windows system that you can use to operate your computer. You can use this program to execute basic and special commands, including launching the group policy editor. Although the PowerShell and command prompt are completely different programs, both have similar commands to launch the group policy editor.
How to Open Group Policy Editor in Other Windows Editions?
The group policy editor is only available for Windows Pro and Enterprise users. The older version of Windows had group policy completely disabled on the Windows home version. However, in newer versions of Windows, Home edition users can also access it. The policy editor is just disabled by default in the newer versions. It needs to be enabled from the command prompt first to be able to use it normally. To enable it, run the command prompt with administrator privileges and execute the following commands one at a time.
