Open windows 7 local security policies. Group Policy Editor: What is it? General concepts and possibilities

The Group Local Policy Editor (gpedit.msc) is a very useful tool for making various system settings - it can be used to quickly and easily disable or enable individual components, prohibit or allow certain actions for users. But, unfortunately, in the Home version of the Windows 7, 8.1, 10 operating systems, the user is faced with the fact that the tool will not find it. Let's see how to add GPEDIT.msc to Windows Home 7, 8.1, 10.

Microsoft deliberately only installs the Local Group Policy Editor on Windows Professional and above, so the Home user does not find it. What to do if it is not found by the Home version, but for security reasons, you need to change the OS configuration.

There is an option to install it in "home" versions of Windows 7, 8.1. 10, where it can be used to fine-tune the system. For example, we can quickly disable or enable individual components, such as Windows Defender, gadgets in Windows 7 or the OneDrive cloud in Windows 8.1/10, block the computer from connecting to the homegroup, prevent users from accessing certain system functions, and so on.

Of course, we can do all this in the Home version, but for this we need to make some changes to the registry.

What do you need to do before starting the installation?

The gpedit.msc tool makes changes to system files and therefore it is imperative to create a system restore point before installing it. The fact is that this is not the official version of gpedit from Microsoft - that is, it was not developed by the programmers of this company.

The gpedit.msc program was added to the installation package, which was compiled by user "davehc" from the Windows 7 Forums. Theoretically, the package has been prepared for Windows 7, but it has also been proven to work correctly on Windows 8.1, 10.

How to install gpedit.msc in Windows Home

You can download the installer for free from the DeviantArt website. To find it follow the link:

drudger.deviantart.com/art/Add-GPEDIT-msc-215792914

and then click on "Download" on the right side of the site window.

The file will be downloaded in a ZIP archive, unpack it anywhere, for example, on your desktop. The installation is pretty standard, just click on "Next" to complete the installation.

Additional setup for 64-bit system

If you have a 32-bit system installed, then you do not need to do anything else, but if it is 64-bit (which is more likely), do the following.

You need to copy several files from the SysWOW64 folder to the System32 folder.
To do this, in the explorer, go to the directory:

C:\Windows\SysWOW64,

where to find the following:
group policy(catalog) ;
GroupPolicyUsers(catalog) ;
gpedit.msc(file) .

Mark these files and folders, right-click and select "Copy".

Then navigate to the following path:

C:\Windows\System32

Right-click anywhere and select Paste.

Launching the GPEdit.msc tool

You can open the tool in the same way as in Windows Professional. To launch it, press the key combination Win + R, and then in the Run window, type the following command gpedit.msc, or enter it in the search bar "Search programs and files" in the Start menu.

After clicking OK, the Local Group Policy Editor window should open.
But sometimes some users on the forums report that when running the command, an MMC error may be displayed. In this case, follow the instructions below.

What should I do if I get an MMC error when opening GPEdit.msc?

An error can occur when the user account name consists of multiple parts. If the editor does not start and an MMC error occurs, then it can be resolved by following these steps:

The corresponding entries will be updated and you can now close the gpedit.msc installer window. The Local Group Policy Editor window should open in Home versions 7, 8.1, 10 without displaying an MMC error.

Local Group Policy Editor, one of the tools in windows 10, windows 7, windows 8, windows 8.1, except for home versions, which is not very popular among ordinary users, but network administrators liked it.

It allows you to control all OS parameters from one point. This is especially useful if you are a network administrator and need to set the same rules for multiple computers/laptops or users in the same area.

Also, the local group policy editor offers a wide range of features and settings that are not found in ordinary places and can be very useful for ordinary users.

Read this guide to learn what Local Group Policy is, where it is located, how to open it, and how to work with it on all versions of Windows.

What is the Local Group Policy Editor

By definition, Group Policy is a feature that gives you a point of access to administer, configure the operating system, programs, and user settings on computers and laptops.

Of course, this is very useful if you are a network administrator and need to enter certain rules or settings for computers and/or users.

However, this scenario is not the focus of this tutorial. Local policies represent the management of computers, not just those who are registered in the group.

Simply put, you should think of Group Policy as a tool that regulates the functioning of windows 10, windows 7, windows 8, windows 8.1 on your computer.

Who can run the Local Group Policy Editor

Because the Local Group Policy Editor is a well-developed tool, you should be aware that it is not available for home editions. You can only run it on:

• Windows 7 Professional, Ultimate and Enterprise
• Windows 8 and 1 Professional, Enterprise
• Windows 10 Pro and Enterprise

What You Can Do in the Local Group Policy Editor

You can configure many OS settings as an administrator and other users will not be able to change your settings later. Here are some examples:

• You can allow users to use certain applications on your computer.
• Block access to external devices (such as USB memory sticks) connected to the computer.
• Block user access to the control panel or application settings.
• Hide some control panel items.
• Sets the background for the desktop and blocks the ability of users to change it.
• Block enabling or disabling network connections and access to their properties.
• Prevent users from reading or writing data to CDs, DVDs, external storage devices, etc.
• Disable all key combinations that start with the Win button. For example, Win+R (opens Run).

These are just some examples, but in fact there are many other options.

How to open the Local Group Policy Editor on Windows 7

To open the Local Group Policy Editor on Windows 7, use the search function.

To do this, click on the "Start menu", and in the search bar, enter "gpedit.msc" (without quotes) and in the output field, click on the "gpedit.msc" or "Edit Group Policy" icon - depending on which one appears.

Alternatively, you can use the Run tool. The fastest way to run it is to simultaneously press Win+R, type in gpedit.msc, and click OK.

How to enter the local group policy editor on Windows 8.1

As in Windows 7, the tool can be quickly launched using the search and leading to it without quotes - "gpedit.msc".

After that, in the search result, click "gpedit". You can also use the Run window as described in the previous section.

How to open the Local Group Policy Editor in Windows 10

In the Windows 10 operating system, launching the Local Group Policy Editor is the same as in Windows 8.1 and Windows 7.

In the same way, you can write in the search box - "gpedit.msc" and click on the corresponding icon in the results.

Those who like to use the Run window can open it and launch the editor as described in the sections above - it is identical on the top ten.

This is the open view of the Local Group Policy Editor in Windows 10.

NOTE: The Local Group Policy Editor looks almost identical and offers the same options, settings, and features as Windows 7, Windows 8, or Windows 10. Therefore, only Windows 10 screenshots will be used here.

How to work with the Local Group Policy Editor

The Local Group Policy Editor is divided into two parts: on the left side, the contents of the active category are displayed, and on the right side, the contents of the active category.

The group policy is organized in two main sections:

• Computer Configuration - contains settings that are applied to all computers, regardless of users.
• User Configuration - contains settings for users. They apply purely to users, not to the computer.

• Software settings - software, the section of which should be empty by default.
• Windows Settings - Contains security settings. This is the place where you can find or add scripts that should be executed when the computer starts or shuts down.

• Administrative Templates - contains a large number of settings that control many aspects of your computer. Here you can view, edit and even apply all sorts of settings and rules. We will mention just a few examples. You can manage user settings, Control Panel, Network, Start Menu and Taskbar.

How to Edit with the Local Group Policy Editor

In order to better understand the usage process, let's take an example. Let's say you want to set a specific desktop background that will be used for every existing user.

To get to Desktop Settings, you need to go to the User Configuration category in the left pane. Then go to the Administrative Templates option, open Desktop and select Desktop Settings.

In the right panel, you will see all the settings that can be configured from the selected administrative template. For each parameter, two columns are displayed on its right side:

• The Status column tells you which options are not configured and active or not active.

The left side of this panel shows detailed information about what a particular parameter does and its effects. This information is displayed in the left pane whenever you select a setting.

For example, if you select "desktop background", on the left side you will see that the setting can be applied to versions from Windows 2000 and newer.

If you want to change the desktop background settings, double-click on it with the right mouse button or right-click and select "Change".

An editing window will appear. For example, in our case, we can specify the background for the desktop.

To do this, put a bird in front of the word "Enabled" and specify the path to the image.

At the end, you must click the Apply or OK button to activate the setting.

This is just the simplest example. I don't want to even mention writing different scripts right now, since most people won't use them.

In general, the Local Group Policy Editor is a sophisticated tool that, oddly enough, can easily set various rules for your computers and their users.

To consider every aspect and all the available settings, you will have to write a book, but I hope that now you at least know the basic principles of this tool.

If you have any questions about the Local Group Policy Editor, feel free to ask in the comment below. Good luck.

Category: Uncategorized

The Group Policy Editor is not present in Windows 7 Home, but in other versions of this version of the OS it is present and ready to use.

Launching the Group Policy Editor

Launching this editor is very easy. To do this, press on the keyboard Win+R, write in the field gpedit.msc and press " OK».

The editor's interface is identical to other administration tools: relying on the left tree-like panel, you can get information on each section and make settings.

As you can see in the screenshot, on the left side, all settings are divided into two parts:

Computer configuration;
user configuration.

Each of these parts has three identical sections:

Program configuration;
Windows configuration;
administrative templates.

Software configuration is responsible for the settings of applications installed on the PC.
Windows Configuration is responsible for various system parameters: its settings, security settings, etc.
Administrative Templates contain the configuration from and are a more convenient editor than the registry itself.

Working with the editor

Setting limits and various options is quite simple here. Let's look at an example setup: follow the path User configuration >Administrative Templates > System, where the last item does not need to be expanded - just click on the word with the left mouse button.

Here you can see several options for customization, among which there are settings such as:

Disable the use of the command line;
deny access to registry editing tools;
do not run specified Windows applications;
run only specified Windows applications;
Windows automatic update.

To edit these and other parameters, you can double-click on each of them with the left mouse button. The screenshot shows that changing the state of the parameter by setting it to " Included" or " Disabled».

How group policies work

Let's say you disabled the use of the command line. Now, when the user decides to run it, he will receive the following error message:

The user will receive such messages whenever he tries to perform a prohibited action. In the event that a decision is made to simplify the use of a PC, for example, disable " User Account Control: Administrator Elevation Prompt Behavior”, then the window about launching a program that makes changes to the system will no longer be displayed.

All settings can be customized to your liking, resulting in increased productivity and security when working on a PC with other users.

The Local Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc) is a handy and really powerful utility with which you can fine-tune Windows. Unfortunately, it is not available in the Home Basic and Home Advanced versions. But Microsoft did not remove this tool, but only "hid" it in the windows\winsxs and windows\SysWOW64 folders.

With our solution, the process will become much easier and more reliable. You launch the free installer and wait for it to complete. However, it must be admitted that our convenient method also has a small drawback: Windows displays commands in the editor menu in Russian, and the settings themselves, as well as their descriptions, are listed in English. If this is not a problem for you, nothing else will stop you from enjoying working with a multi-purpose tuning tool.

How to do it:

1. Download the editor

Go to drudger.deviantart.com/art/Add-GPEDIT-msc-215792914 . Click on the small "Download" button to download the ZIP file. Attention! The big buttons are advertising links.

2. Unpack and install

Open your downloads folder and extract the ZIP archive you downloaded. Now double-click on the Setup.exe file located in it and wait until the work is completed. Then close the installation program by clicking the "Finish" button.

3. Copy 64-bit files

If you are running a 64-bit version of Windows, open the Windows\SysWOW64 folder in Explorer. Copy the GroupPolicy and GroupPolicyUsers directories from there, as well as the gpedit.msc file to the Windows\System32 folder.

4. Launch the editor

Press the key combination "Win + R" and enter "gpedit.msc". In the User Account Control message window, click Yes. This should open the Local Group Policy Editor.

5. Editing the batch file

If after starting the editor you receive a message "Management Console (MMC) cannot create a snap-in”, repeat step 2, but this time do not click “Finish”. Instead, open the Windows\Temp\gpedit folder and right-click either x86.bat (32-bit Windows) or x64.bat (64-bit Windows). Select Edit from the context menu.

6. Fixing the Snap Error

In the top third of the code, you'll see six entries containing the "%username%:f" element. Complete it with quotes like this: ""%username%":f" and save the file. Now right-click on the saved batch file and select "Run as administrator". If you now start the Local Group Policy Editor as described in step 4, the snap-in error should disappear.

7. Working with Group Policy

In total, the Group Policy Editor offers you about 3,000 settings that are really easy to apply. Example: if you want your antivirus to automatically check each attachment, select User Configuration | Administrative Templates | Windows Components | attachment manager. In the right half of the window, you will see several entries. Double click "Notify antivirus programs when opening attachments". In the window that appears, select "Enabled" and then click on "OK".

8. Hide obsolete settings

If the Local Group Policy Editor seems too confusing to you, hide any settings that don't exactly apply to your system. To do this, go to the menu to "View | Filtering" and check the box in front of the "Filter by Requirements Information" option. In any case, clear the checkboxes before any entries related to Windows 2000. The settings for XP also work in Windows 7, so leave them alone. After selection, click on "OK". You will immediately see only the options you need.

A photo: manufacturing companies

Microsoft's desire to bury it deep in the system is not at all surprising - in the hands of an inexperienced user, the Local Group Policy Editor can disrupt the normal functioning of the OS. This is a kind of Pandora's electronic box, capable of plunging the Windows world into a series of misfortunes and misfortunes, if it falls into the wrong hands.

Of course, these gloomy prophecies have nothing to do with you, dear readers. After all, you are careful and attentive users of system tools, and of course, do not forget to create a system restore point before you start editing local group policies. I have no doubt that you can be relied upon.

In short, Group Policies are settings that control how the system functions. They can be used to customize the Windows 7 interface, restrict access to certain areas, define security settings, and so on. You can edit group policies using the Local Group Policy Editor snap-in. In versions of Windows 7 Home and the Editor is not available, so for each item I will also give recommendations on how to achieve the desired result using the Registry Editor (Regedit). To launch the Local Group Policy Editor:

1. Press the Start button.
2. Type "gpedit.msc" in the search bar.
3. Press .

On fig. A shows the Local Group Policy Editor window. The word "local" indicates that group policies are being edited on the local computer, and not on a remote one.

Figure A Using the Local Group Policy Editor to edit Group Policy on the local computer.

When deleting files or folders in Windows 7, a dialog box always appears asking you to confirm the deletion. If that bothers you, confirmations can be disabled by right-clicking on the Recycle Bin icon and unchecking the Display Delete Confirmation Dialog in the Properties dialog box.

On the other hand, the system by default asks for confirmation of deletion for a reason, but so that the user does not accidentally delete the necessary files. We are experienced people and we understand well what can be deleted and what not. But not everyone is like that. If the computer is used by small children or elderly parents who are new to the system, the confirmation request for deletion is an excellent protection against accidental errors by inexperienced users.

In this case, it makes sense to make it so that ordinary users do not have the ability to disable deletion confirmation requests on their own. This is possible in two ways:

Or by disabling the "Ask confirmation for deletion" checkbox in the Recycle Bin properties dialog box;
. or by blocking the Properties dialog box itself so that the user cannot access it.

To use one of these methods:

1. In the Local Group Policy Editor, expand the User Configuration node.
2. Expand the Administrative Templates element.
3. Call the properties window of the policy you are interested in.

If you want to disable the "Ask confirmation to delete" checkbox in the properties window, expand the item "Windows Components" (Windows Components) and select the item "Windows Explorer" (Windows Explorer). Double-click the Display Confirmation Dialog When Deleting Files policy.

If you don't have access to , open the Registry Editor and create a DWORD value named "ConfirmFileDelete" (no quotes) and value "1" (no quotes) under "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer".

To disable the Properties command in the Recycle Bin context menu, select the Desktop option and double-click the Remove Properties From The Recycle Bin Context Menu policy.
If you do not have access to the Local Group Policy Editor, open the Registry Editor and create a DWORD value named "NoPropertiesRecycleBin" (no quotes) and value "1" (no quotes) under HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies \Explorer".

4. Select "Enabled".
5. Click OK to apply the changes.

2. Disable Notification Area

If you don't use the notification area, you can turn it off completely. For this:

1. In the Local Group Policy Editor window, expand the User Configuration node.
2. Expand the "Administrative Templates" item.
3. Expand the Start Menu And Taskbar item.
4. Double-click the Hide The Notification Area policy, select Enabled, and click OK.
5. Double-click the Remove Clock From The System Notification Area policy, select Enabled, and click OK.
6. Log out and log back in for the changes to take effect.

To implement this policy through the registry, click the Start button, type "regedit" in the search bar, click and confirm to continue the operation in the window. The Registry Editor will open. Find the section "HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Explorer" in it. If the "Explorer" section is missing, select the "Policies" section, select the menu item "Edit | Create | Section" (Edit | New | Key), type "Explorer" (without quotes) and press .

Now do the following:
1. Select the menu item "Edit | Create | DWORD (32-bit) Value” (Edit | New | DWORD (32-bit) Value).
2. Type "NoTrayItemsDisplay" (without quotes) and click .
3. Click to bring up the "NoTrayItemsDisplay" property window, enter "1" (without quotes) and click "OK".
4. Select the menu item "Edit | Create | DWORD value (32 bits)."
5. Type "HideClock" (without quotes) and press .
6. Click to bring up the "HideClock" property window, enter "1" (without quotes) and click "OK".
7. Log out and log back in for the changes to take effect.

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