Local Group Policy

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

Local Group Policy

Each computer running Windows 2000, Windows XP Professional, Windows XP 64-bit Edition (Itanium), or a Windows Server 2003 operating system has exactly one local Group Policy object. In these objects, Group Policy settings are stored on individual computers, whether or not they are part of an Active Directory environment or a networked environment. For more information, see Security Settings extension to Group Policy, Folder Redirection, and Group Policy Software Installation overview.

Local Group Policy objects contain fewer settings than nonlocal Group Policy objects, particularly under Security Settings. Local Group Policy objects do not support Folder Redirection or Group Policy Software Installation.

Because its settings can be overwritten by Group Policy objects that are associated with sites, domains, and organizational units, the local Group Policy object is the least influential object in an Active Directory environment. In a non-networked environment (or in a networked environment that does not have a domain controller), the local Group Policy object's settings are more important, because they are not overwritten by other Group Policy objects.

To edit the local Group Policy object that is stored on your local computer, use the Group Policy Object Editor snap-in. For more information, see Edit the local Group Policy object.

If you want to edit the local Group Policy object that is stored on another computer on the network, open Group Policy as a stand-alone Microsoft Management Console (MMC) snap-in and browse to the Group Policy object that you want. For more information, see Open Group Policy as an MMC snap-in.

The local Group Policy object resides in systemroot\System32\GroupPolicy.

Computers that run Windows NT 4.0 or earlier do not have a local Group Policy object, and they do not recognize nonlocal Group Policy. For more information, see Migration Issues.