Set-GPPrefRegistryValue

Reference

Module:: GroupPolicy

Configures a Registry preference item under either Computer Configuration or User Configuration in a GPO.

Syntax

Set-GPPrefRegistryValue
   -Guid <Guid>
   -Context <GpoConfiguration>
   -Key <String>
   [-ValueName <String>]
   [-Value <PSObject>]
   [-Type <RegistryValueKind>]
   -Action <PreferenceAction>
   [-Order <Int32>]
   [-Domain <String>]
   [-Server <String>]
   [-Disable]
   [-WhatIf]
   [-Confirm]
   [<CommonParameters>]

Set-GPPrefRegistryValue
   [-Name] <String>
   -Context <GpoConfiguration>
   -Key <String>
   [-ValueName <String>]
   [-Value <PSObject>]
   [-Type <RegistryValueKind>]
   -Action <PreferenceAction>
   [-Order <Int32>]
   [-Domain <String>]
   [-Server <String>]
   [-Disable]
   [-WhatIf]
   [-Confirm]
   [<CommonParameters>]

Description

Configures a Registry preference item under either Computer Configuration or User Configuration in a Group Policy Object (GPO).

You can configure the Registry preference item for either a registry key or a registry value:

For a registry key, specify the Key parameter, but do not specify the ValueName, Type, or Value parameters.
For a registry value, specify the Key parameter together with the ValueName, Type, and Value parameters.

You must specify the Context parameter (User or Computer) to indicate whether to configure the Registry preference item in Computer Configuration or User Configuration. You must also specify the Action parameter to set the action that should be applied on the client. You can specify the GPO by its display name or GUID. You can specify the Disable parameter to create a Registry preference item that is disabled.

This cmdlet configures new Registry preference items. It does not modify existing Registry preference items.

This cmdlet can take input from the pipeline:

You can pipe GPO objects to this cmdlet to set a specified Registry preference item on one or more GPOs.
You can pipe PreferenceRegistrySetting objects to this cmdlet to set one or more Registry preference items on a specified GPO.

Examples

Example 1: Configure a Registry preference item for a registry value for a GPO

$params = @{
    Name      = 'TestGPO'
    Context   = 'User'
    Key       = 'HKCU\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Control Panel'
    ValueName = 'ScreenSaveIsSecure'
    Value     = '1'
    Type      = 'String'
    Action    = 'Update'
}
Set-GPPrefRegistryValue @params

DisplayName      : TestGPO
DomainName       : contoso.com
Owner            : CONTOSO\Domain Admins
Id               : 35c12ab3-956c-45d5-973b-46b17d225f47
GpoStatus        : AllSettingsEnabled
Description      :
CreationTime     : 2/24/2009 4:41:03 PM
ModificationTime : 2/25/2009 12:16:28 PM
UserVersion      : AD Version: 1, SysVol Version: 1
ComputerVersion  : AD Version: 34, SysVol Version: 34
WmiFilter        :

This command configures a Registry preference item for the registry value HKCU\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Control Panel\ ScreenSaveIsSecure in User Configuration for the GPO named TestGPO. When the GPO is applied on a client, the registry value is updated with a data type of String (REG_SZ) and value data 1.

Example 2: Configure a Registry preference item for a registry value for a GPO

$params = @{
    Name      = 'TestGPO'
    Context   = 'User'
    Action    = 'Create'
    Key       = 'HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\ExampleKey'
    ValueName = 'ValueOne'
    Value     = 'NewData'
    Type      = 'String'
}
Set-GPPrefRegistryValue @params

This command configures a Registry preference item for the registry value HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\ExampleKey ValueOne in User Configuration for the GPO named TestGPO. When the GPO is applied on a client, the registry value is created with a data type of String (REG_SZ) and value data NewData.

Example 3: Configure a Registry preference item for a registry value for a GPO specified by GUID

$params = @{
    Guid    = '35c12ab3-956c-45d5-973b-46b17d225f47'
    Context = 'Computer'
    Action  = 'Create'
    Key     = 'HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\ExampleKey\ExampleKey2'
}
Set-GPPrefRegistryValue @params

This command configures a Registry preference item for the registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\ExampleKey\ExampleKey2 in Computer Configuration in the GPO that has ID 35c12ab3-956c-45d5-973b-46b17d225f47. When the GPO is applied on a client, the registry key is created.

Example 4: Create a disabled Registry preference item for a registry value for a GPO

$removeGPPrefParams = @{
    Name      = 'TestGPO'
    Context   = 'User'
    Key       = 'HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\ExampleKey'
    ValueName = 'ValueOne'
}
$setGPPrefParams = @{
    Context   = 'User'
    Action    = 'Create'
    Disable   = $true
    Key       = 'HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\ExampleKey'
    ValueName = 'ValueOne'
    Value     = 'SomeData'
    Type      = 'String'
}
Remove-GPPrefRegistryValue @removeGPPrefParams |
    Set-GPPrefRegistryValue @setGPPrefParams

This command creates a disabled Registry preference item for the registry value HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\ExampleKey ValueOne in User Configuration in the GPO named TestGPO. The Remove-GPPrefRegistryValue command removes any Registry preference items that configure the value from User Configuration. Then, the GPO named TestGPO returned by the Remove-GPPrefRegistryValue is piped into Set-GPPrefRegistryValue to configure the disabled Registry preference item. After this command completes, the disabled Registry preference item is the only Registry preference item associated with the registry value in User Configuration.

If TestGPO does not initially have a Registry preference item configured for the specified registry value, a non-terminating error occurs. You can suppress the error message by supplying the ErrorAction parameter to Remove-GPPrefRegistryValue and setting its value to SilentlyContinue. For more information about the ErrorAction parameter, see about_CommonParameters.

Example 5: Configure a Registry preference item for a registry value for all GPOs

$removeGPPrefParams = @{
    Context     = 'User'
    Key         = 'HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\ExampleKey'
    ValueName   = 'ValueOne'
    ErrorAction = 'SilentlyContinue'
}
$setGPPrefParams = @{
    Context   = 'User'
    Action    = 'Update'
    Key       = 'HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\ExampleKey'
    ValueName = 'ValueOne'
    Value     = 'SomeData'
    Type      = 'String'
}
Get-GPO -All | Remove-GPPrefRegistryValue @removeGPPrefParams |
    Set-GPPrefRegistryValue @setGPPrefParams

This command configures a Registry preference item to update the registry value HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\ExampleKey ValueOne for every GPO in the domain that previously had a Registry preference item configured for that value in User Configuration.

The command is invoked with the All parameter to get all the GPOs in the domain. These GPOs are piped into the Remove-GPPrefRegistryValue cmdlet. If the GPO contains any Registry preference items configured for the specified key, they are removed. Remove-GPPrefRegistryValue only outputs a GPO to the pipeline if it removes a Registry preference item from a GPO. Finally, these GPOs are piped to the Set-GPPrefRegistryValue to configure the Registry preference item to update the registry value.

If a GPO passed to Remove-GPPrefRegistryValue does not have a Registry preference item configured for the specified value, a non-terminating error occurs. The ErrorAction parameter is set to SilentlyContinue to suppress the error message.

Example 6: Copy all Registry preference items for a registry value for a GPO

$getGPPrefParams = @{
    Name    = 'TestGPO'
    Context = 'User'
    Key     = 'HKLM\Software\Microsoft\ExampleKey'
}
$setGPPrefParams = @{
    Name        = 'TestGPO-1'
    Context     = 'Computer'
    Order       = 1
    ErrorAction = 'SilentlyContinue'
}
Get-GPPrefRegistryValue @getGPPrefParams | Set-GPPrefRegistryValue @setGPPrefParams

DisplayName      : TestGPO-1
DomainName       : contoso.com
Owner            : CONTOSO\Domain Admins
Id               : ef4d0f7e-1a1a-4fd1-b735-0bc6620e7f51
GpoStatus        : AllSettingsEnabled
Description      :
CreationTime     : 3/1/2009 11:14:06 AM
ModificationTime : 3/1/2009 11:15:16 AM
UserVersion      : AD Version: 0, SysVol Version: 0
ComputerVersion  : AD Version: 1, SysVol Version: 1
WmiFilter        :


DisplayName      : TestGPO-1
DomainName       : contoso.microsoft.com
Owner            : CONTOSO\Domain Admins
Id               : ef4d0f7e-1a1a-4fd1-b735-0bc6620e7f51
GpoStatus        : AllSettingsEnabled
Description      :
CreationTime     : 3/1/2009 11:14:06 AM
ModificationTime : 3/1/2009 11:15:16 AM
UserVersion      : AD Version: 0, SysVol Version: 0
ComputerVersion  : AD Version: 2, SysVol Version: 2
WmiFilter        :

This command copies all Registry preference items that configure first-level values under the registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\ExampleKey from User Configuration in a source GPO named TestGPO to Computer Configuration in destination GPO named TestGPO-1. A copy of the destination GPO TestGPO-1 is returned for each Registration preference item set.

The Get-GPPrefRegistryValue command gets all the Registry preference items that configure values under User Configuration in the source GPO. This command also returns all first level subkeys that have values configured (though not the Registry preference items for the values themselves). These Registry preference items and the subkeys are then piped into the Set-GPPrefRegistryValue cmdlet.

The Set-GPPrefRegistryValue command configures the Registry preference items for the registry values in the destination GPO.

The subkeys returned by Get-GPPrefRegistryValue do not have an Action property, and so a non-terminating error occurs for each subkey. The ErrorAction parameter is specified to suppress these error messages.
It is a good practice to specify an order of one -Order 1 in Set-GPPrefRegistryValue when it accepts input from the pipeline. This is because Registry preference items passed on the pipeline have an Order property. If the Order property of a Registry preference item passed on the pipeline is greater than the number of Registry preference items currently configured in the destination GPO, an out of range error occurs and the Registry preference item is not configured in the destination GPO. By specifying the order as one in the Set-GPPrefRegistryValue command, you override the Order property of the source Registry preference item, and prevent such errors from occurring.

Parameters

-Action

Specifies the action for the Registry preference item.

The acceptable values for this parameter are:

Create
Update
Replace
Delete

The action specifies how the Registry preference item is applied to the registry key or registry value on the client when Group Policy is processed.

Type:	PreferenceAction
Accepted values:	Create, Replace, Update, Delete
Position:	Named
Default value:	None
Required:	True
Accept pipeline input:	True
Accept wildcard characters:	False

-Confirm

Prompts you for confirmation before running the cmdlet.

Type:	SwitchParameter
Aliases:	cf
Position:	Named
Default value:	False
Required:	False
Accept pipeline input:	False
Accept wildcard characters:	False

-Context

Specifies whether the Registry preference item is configured under User Configuration or Computer Configuration in the GPO. The acceptable values for this parameter are: User or Computer.

Type:	GpoConfiguration
Accepted values:	User, Computer
Position:	Named
Default value:	None
Required:	True
Accept pipeline input:	False
Accept wildcard characters:	False

-Disable

Indicates that the cmdlet configures the Registry preference item as disabled. A disabled Registry preference item is not applied when Group Policy is processed on the client, and, therefore, does not modify any existing registry keys or values on the client.

This parameter does not disable an existing Registry preference item in the GPO, rather, it creates a new Registry preference item that is disabled. Any existing Registry preference items that configure the same key or value will still be applied when the GPO is processed on a client. This behavior is different than disabling an existing Registry preference item using the GPMC.

You can use the Remove-GPPrefRegistryValue cmdlet to remove any existing Registry preference items associated with the specified key or value from the appropriate configuration (User or Computer) in the GPO before you create the new disabled Registry preference item. This ensures that after you create the disabled Registry preference item, it will be the only Registry preference item associated with the key or value in the specified configuration in the GPO.

Type:	SwitchParameter
Position:	Named
Default value:	None
Required:	False
Accept pipeline input:	False
Accept wildcard characters:	False

-Domain

Specifies the domain for this cmdlet. You must specify the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) of the domain.

For the Set-GPPrefRegistryValue cmdlet, the GPO for which to configure the Registry preference item must exist in this domain.

If you do not specify the Domain parameter, the domain of the user that is running the current session is used. If the cmdlet is being run from a computer startup or shutdown script, the domain of the computer is used. For more information, see the Notes section in the full Help.

If you specify a domain that is different from the domain of the user that is running the current session (or, for a startup or shutdown script, the computer), a trust must exist between that domain and the domain of the user or the computer.

You can also refer to the Domain parameter by its built-in alias, DomainName. For more information, see about_Aliases.

Type:	String
Aliases:	DomainName
Position:	Named
Default value:	None
Required:	False
Accept pipeline input:	True
Accept wildcard characters:	False

-Guid

Specifies the GPO in which to configure the Registry preference item by its globally unique identifier (GUID). The GUID uniquely identifies the GPO.

You can also refer to the Guid parameter by its built-in alias, Id.

Type:	Guid
Aliases:	Id
Position:	Named
Default value:	None
Required:	True
Accept pipeline input:	True
Accept wildcard characters:	False

-Key

Specifies the registry key for the Registry preference item; for instance: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Colors.

You can specify any of the following registry hives: HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT (HKCR), HKEY_CURRENT_USER (HKCU), HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE (HKLM), HKEY_USERS (HKU), and HKEY_CURRENT_CONFIG (HKCC). Any of these hives can be specified for Registry preference items in both Computer Configuration and User Configuration.

You can configure a preference registry setting for a registry key or a registry value.

To configure a setting for a registry key, specify the Key parameter without the ValueName, Value, or Type parameters.
To configure a setting for a registry value, specify the Key parameter together with the ValueName, Value, and Type parameters.

Type:	String
Aliases:	FullKeyPath
Position:	Named
Default value:	None
Required:	True
Accept pipeline input:	True
Accept wildcard characters:	False

-Name

Specifies the GPO in which to configure the Registry preference item by its display name.

The display name is not guaranteed to be unique in the domain. If another GPO with the same display name exists in the domain, an error occurs. You can use the Guid parameter to uniquely identify a GPO.

You can also refer to the Name parameter by its built-in alias, DisplayName.

Type:	System.String.String.String
Aliases:	DisplayName
Position:	0
Default value:	None
Required:	True
Accept pipeline input:	True
Accept wildcard characters:	False

-Order

Specifies the order in which the Registry preference item is processed relative to other Registry preference items in the GPO when the GPO is applied on a client computer. If two Registry preference items in the GPO change the same registry value, the one that has the highest order is the last to modify the value on the client.

By default, if the Order parameter is not specified, the order is set to one plus the current number of Registry preference items in the GPO. You can specify any value greater than zero. If you specify a value larger than the default value, the order is set to the default.

The order of a setting can change as Registry preference items are added or removed from the GPO. For instance, if the GPO has five Registry preference items, and you add another one and specify an order of 4, the Registry preference items that previously were at order 4 and 5, are at order 5 and 6 after the change.

Type:	Int32
Position:	Named
Default value:	None
Required:	False
Accept pipeline input:	True
Accept wildcard characters:	False

-Server

Specifies the name of the domain controller that this cmdlet contacts to complete the operation. You can specify either the fully qualified domain name (FQDN) or the host name.

If you do not specify the name by using the Server parameter, the primary domain controller (PDC) emulator is contacted.

You can also refer to the Server parameter by its built-in alias, DC.

Type:	String
Aliases:	DC
Position:	Named
Default value:	None
Required:	False
Accept pipeline input:	False
Accept wildcard characters:	False

-Type

Specifies the data type of the registry value for the Registry preference item.

The acceptable values for this parameter are:

String
ExpandString
Binary
DWord
MultiString
ExpandString
Qword

For more information about these data types, see Microsoft.Win32.RegistryValueKind Enumeration in the MSDN library.

When you configure a Registry preference item for a registry key, do not specify this parameter. When you configure a Registry preference item for a registry value, specify this parameter together with the Key, ValueName, and Value parameters.

Type:	RegistryValueKind
Accepted values:	Unknown, String, ExpandString, Binary, DWord, MultiString, QWord, None
Position:	Named
Default value:	None
Required:	False
Accept pipeline input:	True
Accept wildcard characters:	False

-Value

Specifies the value data of the registry value for the Registry preference item. For instance, the registry value HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Colors ActiveTitle can have the following (value) data: 10 36 106.

Type:	PSObject
Position:	Named
Default value:	None
Required:	False
Accept pipeline input:	True
Accept wildcard characters:	False

-ValueName

Specifies the value name of the registry value for the Registry preference item. For instance, the registry key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Colors can have a value with the following name: ActiveTitle. For the default value of a registry key, specify either (default) or an empty string "".

Type:	String
Position:	Named
Default value:	None
Required:	False
Accept pipeline input:	True
Accept wildcard characters:	False

-WhatIf

Shows what would happen if the cmdlet runs. The cmdlet is not run.

Type:	SwitchParameter
Aliases:	wi
Position:	Named
Default value:	False
Required:	False
Accept pipeline input:	False
Accept wildcard characters:	False

Inputs

Microsoft.GroupPolicy.Gpo, Microsoft.GroupPolicy.PreferenceRegistrySetting

You can pipe a GPO object (in which to configure a specified preference registry setting) to this cmdlet, or a PreferenceRegistrySetting object (to configure in a specified GPO). Collections that contain GPOs from different domains are not supported.

Outputs

Microsoft.GroupPolicy.Gpo

This cmdlet returns the GPO in which the Registry preference item was configured.

Notes

You can use the Domain parameter to explicitly specify the domain for this cmdlet.

If you do not explicitly specify the domain, the cmdlet uses a default domain. The default domain is the domain that is used to access network resources by the security context under which the current session is running. This domain is typically the domain of the user that is running the session. For instance, the domain of the user who started the session by opening Windows PowerShell from the Program Files menu, or the domain of a user that is specified in a runas command. However, computer startup and shutdown scripts run under the context of the LocalSystem account. The LocalSystem account is a built-in local account, and it accesses network resources under the context of the computer account. Therefore, when this cmdlet is run from a startup or shutdown script, the default domain is the domain to which the computer is joined.

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Set-GPPrefRegistryValue

Syntax

Description

Examples

Example 1: Configure a Registry preference item for a registry value for a GPO

Example 2: Configure a Registry preference item for a registry value for a GPO

Example 3: Configure a Registry preference item for a registry value for a GPO specified by GUID

Example 4: Create a disabled Registry preference item for a registry value for a GPO

Example 5: Configure a Registry preference item for a registry value for all GPOs

Example 6: Copy all Registry preference items for a registry value for a GPO

Parameters

-Action

-Confirm

-Context

-Disable

-Domain

-Guid

-Key

-Name

-Order

-Server

-Type

-Value

-ValueName

-WhatIf

Inputs

Outputs

Notes

Feedback

Additional resources

Share via

Set-GPPrefRegistryValue

Syntax

Description

Examples

Example 1: Configure a Registry preference item for a registry value for a GPO

Example 2: Configure a Registry preference item for a registry value for a GPO

Example 3: Configure a Registry preference item for a registry value for a GPO specified by GUID

Example 4: Create a disabled Registry preference item for a registry value for a GPO

Example 5: Configure a Registry preference item for a registry value for all GPOs

Example 6: Copy all Registry preference items for a registry value for a GPO

Parameters

-Action

-Confirm

-Context

-Disable

-Domain

-Guid

-Key

-Name

-Order

-Server

-Type

-Value

-ValueName

-WhatIf

Inputs

Outputs

Notes

Related Links

Feedback

Additional resources