How to Import or Export Group Policy settings in Windows 10

If you plan to apply the same Group Policy settings on multiple computers, you can use the export and import feature. In this article, we will show you how to import or export group policy settings in Windows 10.

The Local Group Policy Editor is a handy utility, available on Windows 10 Pro, Education, and Enterprise editions. It is possible to change your system settings, create restrictions for users and do more with the help of this integrated tool. Now suppose you are considering a new installation of Windows 10 or you need to install it on multiple computers and want to apply the same Group Policy settings on each one.

Instead of opening the Local Group Policy Editor on each computer and making the changes manually, you can use this procedure. This will save you a lot of precious time, and you don’t have to go through all of the options to find all of the settings you want to change. However, the problem starts when you try to find a direct option to save the Group Policy Editor. Unlike the Registry Editor, there is no import / export option in the Group Policy Editor. This is where this guide can help you.

Import or export Group Policy settings in Windows 10

To back up / restore or import / export Group Policy settings in Windows 10, follow these steps:

1. Open File Explorer on your source computer.
2. Open the Group Policy subfolder in the System32 folder.
3. Copy all of the content and move it to the target computer.
4. Paste all content in the same folder on the target computer.
5. Force update Group Policy or restart the computer.

Let’s explore the steps to find out more.

First, you should know that your Windows computer saves all Group Policy changes to files and stores them on your hard drive. You must move these files.

To start, open the file explorer on your source computer and navigate to this folder:

C:WindowsSystem32GroupPolicy

You can also open the Run prompt by pressing the key. Win + R, paste this path and press the Enter button:

%SystemRoot%System32GroupPolicy

You may need to show hidden files and folders to see the GroupPolicy subfolder in the System32 folder.

Here you will find folders named Machine, User, gpt.ini, etc. A standard machine only displays these two folders, but there may be more if you have made special settings for a specific user.

You must make a copy of these records and all of the contents. Then move them to the target PC, open the same GroupPolicy folder and paste them respectively. If you have some Access denied , you must select the Do this for all current items and check the box Continue button.

You must now force update of group policy or restart your PC.

You should now find all of the Group Policy changes on your target system.

Read more: How to reset default Group Policy settings in Windows 10.