Share via

Edit a GPO Offline

  • Article

To make changes to a controlled Group Policy object (GPO), you must first check out a copy of the GPO from the archive. No one else will be able to modify the GPO until it is checked in again, preventing the introduction of conflicting changes by multiple Group Policy administrators. When you have finished modifying the GPO, you check it into the archive, so it can be reviewed and deployed to the production environment.

A user account with the Editor or AGPM Administrator (Full Control) role, the user account of the Approver who created the GPO, or a user account with the necessary permissions in Advanced Group Policy Management is required to complete this procedure. Review the details in "Additional considerations" in this topic.

Editing a GPO offline

To edit a GPO, you check out the GPO from the archive, edit the GPO offline, and then check the GPO into the archive, so it can be reviewed and deployed (or modified by other Editors).

To check out a GPO from the archive for editing

  1. In the Group Policy Management Console tree, click Change Control in the forest and domain in which you want to manage GPOs.

  2. On the Contents tab in the details pane, click the Controlled tab to display the controlled GPOs.

  3. Right-click the GPO to be edited, and then click Check Out.

  4. Type a comment to be displayed in the History of the GPO while it is checked out, then click OK.

  5. When the Progress window indicates that overall progress is complete, click Close. On the Controlled tab, the state of the GPO is now identified as Checked Out.

To edit a GPO offline

  1. On the Controlled tab, right-click the GPO to be edited, and then click Edit.

  2. In the Group Policy Object Editor, make changes to an offline copy of the GPO.

  3. When you have finished modifying the GPO, close the Group Policy Object Editor.

To check a GPO into the archive

  1. On the Controlled tab:

    • If you have made no changes to the GPO, right-click the GPO and click Undo Check Out, then click Yes to confirm.

    • If you have made changes to the GPO, right-click the GPO and click Check In.

  2. Type a comment to be displayed in the audit trail of the GPO, and then click OK.

  3. When the Progress window indicates that overall progress is complete, click Close. On the Controlled tab, the state of the GPO is identified as Checked In.

Additional considerations

  • To check out and edit a GPO, by default, you must be the Approver who created or controlled the GPO, an Editor, or an AGPM Administrator (Full Control). Specifically, you must have List Contents and Edit Settings permissions for the GPO. Additionally, to edit the GPO you must be the individual who has checked out the GPO.

  • To check in a GPO, by default, you must be an Editor, an Approver, or an AGPM Administrator (Full Control). Specifically, you must have List Contents and either Edit Settings or Deploy GPO permissions for the GPO. If you are not an Approver or AGPM Administrator (or other Group Policy administrator with Deploy GPO permission), you must be the Editor who has checked out the GPO.

  • When editing a GPO, any Group Policy Software Installation upgrade of a package in another GPO should reference the deployed GPO, not the checked-out copy.

Additional references