You often need to make certain changes to the system, like group policies for network administrators and reconfiguration of certain settings which are otherwise challenging to manage via the conventional approach. This is where Group Policy Editor comes into the picture.

However, the Group Policy Editor is innately unavailable in the Windows Home edition of Windows. But, there are ways to enable/install it in no time. For those on the Pro and higher editions of Windows 11, here are the different ways you can open the Group Policy Editor on your computer.

What is the Group Policy Editor (Gpedit.msc)?

The Group Policy Editor is primarily for network administrators to configure the Group Policy settings. This essentially means configuring what one can access and use on a computer. Also, for many computers on a network, the network administrator can disable access to certain parts of the computer for others or restrict access to certain web pages or apps amongst other things.

Besides, Group Policy Editor also has many other options that would come in handy for any user. The Editor is not as complex as it sounds – an hour or two of thorough research will provide valuable insights into effectively using the Group Policy Editor.

Now that you have a fair understanding of the concept of Group Policy Editor, it’s time we walk you through the various ways to open it.

1. Open Group Policy Editor From the Search Menu

The Start menu is probably the easiest way to launch the Group Policy Editor. Here’s how you do it.

To open the Group Policy Editor, first press WINDOWS + S to launch the ‘Search’ menu. Enter ‘Edit group policy’ in the text field at the top, and select the relevant search result to launch it.

The Group Policy Editor window should launch right away.

2. Open Group Policy Editor Using Run Command

You can use the Run command to open applications or execute tasks amongst other of its uses. It is also another quick way to launch the Group Policy Editor.

To open Group Policy Editor via Run, hold WINDOWS + R to launch the Run command. Then, enter ‘gpedit.msc’ in the text field and click ‘OK’ below, or hit ENTER to launch it.

The Group Policy Editor will now launch and you can make the required changes to it.

3. Open Group Policy Editor from Settings

To open Group Policy Editor via Settings, right-click on the ‘Start’ icon in the Taskbar or press WINDOWS + X to launch the Quick Access menu. Then select ‘Settings’ from the list of options. Alternatively, you can also hold WINDOWS + I to launch the Settings app.

Enter ‘Edit Group Policy’ in the search box to the top-left corner of the ‘Settings’ app. Select the relevant search result to launch the Group Policy Editor.

You will now launch the Groupe Policy Editor.

4. Open Group Policy Editor From Control Panel

To open Group Policy Editor from the control panel, first press WINDOWS + S to launch the ‘Search’ menu. Enter ‘Control Panel’ in the search box at the top, and click the relevant search result.

Enter ‘Edit Group Policy’ in the search box to the top-right end of the Control Panel.

Now, click ‘Edit group policy’ under ‘Windows Tools’ to launch the Group Policy Editor.

5. Open Group Policy Editor From Command Prompt

If you prefer Command Prompt over the conventional GUI methods to execute commands, here’s how you can launch the Group Policy Editor by executing a simple command.

To open Group Policy Editor via the Command Prompt, hold WINDOWS + S to launch the Search menu. Then, enter ‘Windows Terminal’ in the text field at the top, and click on the relevant search result to launch it.

If you haven’t changed the default profile, the Windows PowerShell tab will open when you launch Windows Terminal. To launch the Command Prompt tab, click the downward-facing arrow at the top and select ‘Command Prompt’ from the list of options. You can also hold CTRL + SHIFT + 2 to launch the Command Prompt tab.

Next, type or copy and paste the following command and hit ENTER to launch the Group Policy Editor.

gpedit.msc

Note: The same command also launches the Group Policy Editor from Windows PowerShell as well.

6. Open Group Policy Editor Using Task Manager

The Task Manager is an app that provides an overview of the various apps and background processes running on the system. It also provides the option to terminate ongoing apps/processes and create new ones.

To open Group Policy Editor via the task manager, right-click on the ‘Start’ icon to launch the Quick Access menu. Then select Task Manager from the list of options. Alternatively, you can hold CTRL + SHIFT + ESC to directly launch the Task Manager.

Click the ‘File’ menu at the top-left corner in the Task Manager. Then select ‘Run new task’ from the options.

Enter ‘gpedit.msc’ in the text field of the ‘Create new task’ box that pops up. Then click ‘OK’ to launch the Group Policy Editor.

7. Open Group Policy Editor via File Explorer

To open Group Policy Editor via the File Explorer, click on the ‘File Explorer’ icon in the Taskbar, or press WINDOWS + E; the keyboard shortcut to launch File Explorer.

Next, type ‘gpedit.msc’ in the ‘Address Bar’ at the top, and hit ENTER.

The Group Policy Editor will launch right away.

8. Open Group Policy Editor From its Executable File in File Explorer

Another way to open Group Policy Editor is to locate its executable file in File Explorer. Although a slightly time-consuming approach, this may sometimes come in handy.

Launch the ‘File Explorer’ as discussed earlier, and enter the following path in the ‘Address Bar’ at the top. 

C:\Windows\System32

Next, locate the ‘gpedit.msc’ file or search for it using the ‘Search’ box at the top-right corner. Then, double-click the file (gpedit.msc) to launch the Group Policy Editor.

9. Open Group Policy Editor Using a Desktop Shortcut

If you need to often access the Group Policy Editor, the best way is to create a Desktop shortcut for it. It will save some time during subsequent Group Policy Editor launches.

Right-click on an empty space on the Desktop. Hover the cursor over ‘New’, and select ‘Shortcut’ from the secondary context menu.

Enter ‘gpedit.msc’ in the text field under ‘Type the location of the item’ in the ‘Create Shortcut’ window that appears. Then click ‘Next’ at the bottom.

Now, enter a name for the shortcut in the text field. You can go with the default name already mentioned in the text field as well. But it is recommended to have a name that offers clarity. Once done, click ‘Finish’ at the bottom to create the shortcut.

Now, simply double-click on the Desktop shortcut to launch the Group Policy Editor. Many users prefer having a customized icon for different shortcuts for enhanced visibility and clarity.

These are all the ways you can launch Group Policy Editor on a Windows 11 PC. Although you wouldn’t be needing them all, a rough idea of each will help quickly launch the Group Policy Editor from anywhere in the system.