How to Add Windows Group Policy Objects and Editor to Windows 10 and 11

Just don't tell Micro$oft about this... Shh...

Many people are fed up with Windows Updates. They can't be turned off, and they're a serious nuisance. In an earlier post I covered how to effectively turn Windows Updates off through Group Policy. However, If you don't have Windows 10 or 11 Pro, you don't have access to the Group Policy objects, or even the Group Policy Editor.

Never fear, there is a way to install the Group Policy objects and editor in Windows 10 and 11 Home edition.

Before we get into it, it I have put up the usual disclaimers:

1. Backup your computer before starting.

2. Backup the Windows Registry before starting.

3. Ask your doctor if Windows Group Policy is right for you.

4. Siegbarste Newsletter may contain testimonials by users of our products and/or services. These testimonials reflect the real-life experiences and opinions of such users. However, the experiences are personal to those particular users, and may not necessarily be representative of all users of our products and/or services. We do not claim, and you should not assume, that all users will have the same experiences. YOUR INDIVIDUAL RESULTS MAY VARY.

5. Void were prohibited.

Now that we have that out of the way we can start. If you've attempted to correct issues on a corrupted Windows 7 and up installation you might be familiar with DISM. DISM (Deployment Imaging Servicing Management [tool]) is used to repair corrupted Windows Images, pulling files either from some local repository or an online Microsoft repository.

DISM is often used in conjunction with the SFC (System File Checker) command.

The sfc /scannow command will scan all protected system files, and replace corrupted files with a cached copy that is located in a compressed folder at %WinDir%\System32\dllcache.
The %WinDir% placeholder represents the Windows operating system folder. For example, C:\Windows.

DISM is how you add the Group Policy Objects and Editor to your Windows Home installation.

I found the instructions below on Microsoft TechNet, somebody must have flown under the RADAR, or it was their last day working for M$. I would credit the author, but I only copied the text. I was in the middle of migrating my VMs from VMWare ESXi 6.0 to Proxmox 8.2.2 (but that's a story for another day). I came across this tutorial while looking for something completely different -- but I new it was worth saving.

I haven't personally done this but I have no reason to believe that it wouldn't work.

Fortunately, Windows 10 Home has the undocumented option to install the gpedit.msc editor from the Windows image packages and manifests repository (\Windows\servicing\packages).

How to Enable the GPEdit.msc on Windows 10 and 11 Home?

To install the Local Group Policy Editor in Windows 10 Home edition, open a command prompt as administrator and run two one-line commands in sequence:

FOR %F IN ("%SystemRoot%\servicing\Packages\Microsoft-Windows-GroupPolicy-ClientTools-Package~*.mum") DO (DISM /Online /NoRestart /Add-Package:"%F")

FOR %F IN ("%SystemRoot%\servicing\Packages\Microsoft-Windows-GroupPolicy-ClientExtensions-Package~*.mum") DO (DISM /Online /NoRestart /Add-Package:"%F")

Also these commands can be used to install gpedit.msc console in Windows 11 Home.

For convenience, you can save this code to a text file gpedit-install.bat and run it as administrator. Wait a while until DISM installs the packages from the Windows 10 component store.

In my case, the ClientTools and ClientExtensions packages were installed in Windows 10 Home:

Microsoft-Windows-GroupPolicy-ClientTools-Package~…~amd64~~….mum
Microsoft-Windows-GroupPolicy-ClientTools-Package~…~amd64~en-US~….mum
Microsoft-Windows-GroupPolicy-ClientExtensions-Package~…~amd64~~….mum
Microsoft-Windows-GroupPolicy-ClientExtensions-Package~…~amd64~en-US~….mum

Now try to run the gpedit.msc console. The Local Group Policy Editor interface should open (no reboot required). The GPO editor is fully functional even in the Home edition of Windows 10 or Windows 11, and contains all the necessary policy sections that are available in the Pro/Enterprise editions."

Once this completes, you'll be able to use the information in my previous post How To Stop Constant Windows Updates (Windows 10 and 11).

I would test this in a VM, but I don't have a copy of Windows Home.

If you use this method, let me know in the comments.

Buy me a Ko-Fi 😉👉

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