A Microsoft Group Policy administrative template is a file that supports the implementation of Microsoft Windows Group Policy and centralized user and machine management in Active Directory environments. Show
Group Policy administrative templates were originally proprietary text markup files with an .adm extension, but Group Policy administration with Windows Vista and Windows Server 2003 and later moved to an XML-based file with an .admx extension. Language-specific administrative templates, such as English or French, are noted with .adml extensions and are placed in language-specific subfolders. Administrators use Group Policy to apply certain security or application settings, or implement IT policies on users and machines. The Group Policy administrative templates define the registry settings that administrators can use to manage specific applications. Group Policy administrative templates can configure the interface and the manner in which those policy settings appear in the Group Policy Object Editor (GPOE) or Group Policy Management Console (GPMC) tools. System administrators use these utilities to create or modify Group Policy Objects (GPOs). Group Policy administrative templates that manage supported versions of Windows can be downloaded from Microsoft's Download Center. Administrators and software developers can create custom template files to support application development and releases. The move to an .admx format supported Microsoft's concept of a central store to hold all .admx templates in one location to simplify template management. All .admx files are kept in the %systemroot%\policyDefinitions folder of each local computer by default, and language-specific .adml files are placed into folders beneath that, such as %systemroot%\policyDefinitions\en-us for U.S. English administrative templates. This was last updated in December 2016 Continue Reading About Microsoft Group Policy administrative template
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Skip to main content This browser is no longer supported. Upgrade to Microsoft Edge to take advantage of the latest features, security updates, and technical support. How to create and manage the Central Store for Group Policy Administrative Templates in Windows
In this articleThis article describes how to use the new .admx and .adml files to create and administer registry-based policy settings in Windows. This article also explains how the Central Store is used to store and to replicate Windows-based policy files in a domain environment. Applies to: Windows 11, Windows 10 - all editions, Windows Server 2019, Windows
Server 2012 R2, Windows 7 Service Pack 1 Links to download the Administrative Templates files based on the operating system version
To view ADMX spreadsheets of the new settings that are available in later operating system versions, see Group Policy Settings Reference Spreadsheet for Windows 10 November 2021 Update (21H2). OverviewAdministrative Templates files are divided into .admx files and language-specific .adml files for use by Group Policy administrators. The changes that are implemented in these files let administrators configure the same set of policies by using two languages. Administrators can configure policies by using the language-specific .adml files and the language-neutral .admx files. Administrative Templates file storageWindows uses a Central Store to store Administrative Templates files. The ADM folder is not created in a Group Policy Object (GPO) as it is done in earlier versions of Windows. Therefore, Windows domain controllers do not store or replicate redundant copies of .adm files. The Central StoreTo take advantage of the benefits of .admx files, you must create a Central Store in the sysvol folder on a Windows domain controller. The Central Store is a file location that is checked by the Group Policy tools by default. The Group Policy tools use all .admx files that are in the Central Store. The files that are in the Central Store are replicated to all domain controllers in the domain. We suggest keeping a repository of any ADMX/L files that you have for applications that you may want to use. For example, operating system extensions like Microsoft Desktop optimization Pack (MDOP), Microsoft Office, and also third-party applications that offer Group Policy support. To create a Central Store for .admx and .adml files, create a new folder named PolicyDefinitions in the following location (for example) on the domain controller: \\contoso.com\SYSVOL\contoso.com\policies\PolicyDefinitions When you already have such a folder that has a previously built Central Store, use a new folder describing the current version such as: \\contoso.com\SYSVOL\contoso.com\policies\PolicyDefinitions-1803 Copy all files from the PolicyDefinitions folder on a source computer to the new PolicyDefinitions folder on the domain controller. The source location can be either of the following ones:
The PolicyDefinitions folder on the Windows domain controller stores all .admx files and .adml files for all languages that are enabled on the client computer. The .adml files are stored in a language-specific folder. For example, English (United States).adml files are stored in a folder that is named en-US. Korean .adml files are stored in a folder that is named ko_KR, and so on. If .adml files for additional languages are required, you must copy the folder that contains the .adml files for that language to the Central Store. When you have copied all .admx and .adml files, the PolicyDefinitions folder on the domain controller should contain the .admx files and one or more folders that contain language-specific .adml files. Note When you copy the .admx and .adml files from a Windows 8.1-based or Windows 10-based computer, verify that the most recent updates to these files are installed. Also, make sure that the most recent Administrative Templates files are replicated. This advice also applies to service packs, as applicable. When the operating system collection is completed, merge any OS extension or application ADMX/ADML files into the new PolicyDefinitions folder. When this is finished, rename the current PolicyDefinitions folder to reflect that it's the previous version, such as PolicyDefinitions-1709. Then, rename the new folder (such as PolicyDefinitions-1803) to the production name. We suggest this approach as you can revert to the old folder in case you experience a severe problem with the new set of files. When you don't experience any problems with the new set of files, you can move the older PolicyDefinitions folder to an archive location outside sysvol folder. Group Policy administrationWindows 8.1 and Windows 10 do not include Administrative Templates that have an .adm extension. We recommend that you use computers that are running Windows 8.1 or later versions of Windows to perform Group Policy administration. Updating the Administrative Templates filesIn Group Policy for Windows Vista and later version of Windows, if you change Administrative Templates policy settings on local computers, sysvol folder isn't automatically updated to include the new .admx or .adml files. This behavior is implemented to reduce network load and disk storage requirements, and to prevent conflicts between .admx and .adml files when changes are made to Administrative Templates policy settings across different locations. To ensure that any local updates are reflected in sysvol folder, you must manually copy the updated .admx or .adml files from the PolicyDefinitions file on the local computer to the Sysvol\PolicyDefinitions folder on the appropriate domain controller. The following update enables you to configure the Local Group Policy editor to use Local .admx files instead of the Central Store: An update is available to enable the use of Local ADMX files for Group Policy Editor. You can also use this setting to:
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What are the two types of Group Policy configuration policies?Policy Sets Within GPOs
Within Group Policy, two distinct sets of policies are defined: Computer policies. These apply to computers and are stored under Computer Configuration in a Group Policy object. User policies.
Where are Group Policy files stored?Local Group Policy is stored in the “%windir%\system32\grouppolicy directory (usually, C:\windows\system32\grouppolicy). Each policy you create gets its own folder, named with the security ID (SID) of the corresponding user object.
Where are the Group Policy files and Group Policy object settings stored?The GPOs are stored in the SYSVOL folder. The SYSVOL folder is automatically replicated to other domain controllers in the same domain.
Which of the following best describes the central store?Which of the following best describes the Central Store? The Central Store is a repository for Administrative Templates.
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