How to See What Group Policies Are Applied to Your Windows 11

Group Policy is one of the most powerful tools in Windows — it lets system administrators and even local users manage how Windows behaves, from security settings to software restrictions. But sometimes, you may want to check which Group Policies are currently applied on your Windows 11 PC.

Maybe your system is managed by your organization, or you’ve manually tweaked some policies and want to verify what’s active. Either way, Windows 11 provides multiple ways to view all applied Group Policies — both locally and from your network domain.

In this guide, we’ll show you how to see what Group Policies are applied on Windows 11, using simple built-in tools like Command Prompt, PowerShell, and the Local Group Policy Editor.

What Is Group Policy in Windows?

Group Policy is a Windows feature that controls how your system and user accounts behave. It defines configurations for everything from security permissions and network access to desktop appearance and Windows updates.

There are two main types of policies:

• Local Group Policy (LGPO): Applies directly to your device.
• Domain Group Policy: Applies through Active Directory when your PC is part of a network or organization.

Now, let’s look at the different ways to check which ones are applied to your system.

1. View Applied Group Policies Using Command Prompt

The quickest way to see which Group Policies are applied is through the Command Prompt. Windows includes a built-in tool called Resultant Set of Policy (RSoP) that generates a detailed report of all effective policies.

Here’s how:

1. Press Windows + S, type cmd, and select Run as administrator.
2. In the Command Prompt window, type the following command and press Enter: gpresult /r
3. Wait a few seconds for the report to generate.

You’ll see two main sections:

• Computer Settings: Policies applied to your device.
• User Settings: Policies applied to your account.

Look under Applied Group Policy Objects to see the specific GPOs that are active on your system.

Tip: If you’re on a work or school network, you’ll also see Domain, Logon Server, and Site Name information — useful for checking which domain GPOs are in effect.

2. Generate a Detailed Group Policy Report in HTML Format

If you want a more readable, graphical report of all applied policies, you can export them as an HTML file.

1. Open Command Prompt as administrator.
2. Run this command: gpresult /h "%userprofile%\Desktop\GroupPolicyReport.html"
3. Wait for a few seconds until the command completes.
4. Go to your Desktop and double-click GroupPolicyReport.html to open it in your browser.

This report includes detailed sections for:

• Computer and User policy summaries
• Last time Group Policy was applied
• Scripts, folder redirections, and security settings

It’s a great way to review or share the configuration in an easy-to-read format.

3. Use the Local Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc)

If you prefer a graphical interface, you can view currently configured policies directly in the Local Group Policy Editor.

1. Press Windows + R, type gpedit.msc, and press Enter.
2. In the left panel, navigate through the two main sections:
   • Computer Configuration → policies applied to the device.
   • User Configuration → policies applied to user accounts.
3. Expand folders like Administrative Templates to see configured settings.

Policies that are Enabled or Disabled are the ones that have been explicitly configured — while those marked Not Configured are left at their defaults.

Note: The Local Group Policy Editor is available only on Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions.
If you’re using Windows 11 Home, you can still check policies using Command Prompt or PowerShell.

4. Use PowerShell to List Applied Group Policies

If you prefer command-line flexibility, PowerShell can show applied policies using the same RSoP functionality.

1. Press Windows + X → select Windows PowerShell (Admin) or Terminal (Admin).
2. Run this command: Get-GPResultantSetOfPolicy -ReportType Html -Path "C:\Users\Public\GPOReport.html"
3. Once the command finishes, open C:\Users\Public\GPOReport.html in your browser.

You’ll see a detailed report similar to the one generated via gpresult /h, but with better formatting and export flexibility.

5. Use the Resultant Set of Policy (RSoP) Snap-in

Windows also includes a dedicated RSoP tool that visually displays which policies are applied to your device.

1. Press Windows + R, type rsop.msc, and hit Enter.
2. Wait a few seconds while Windows scans your system for policies.
3. Once complete, you’ll see a structured list similar to the Group Policy Editor.

You can navigate through categories under Computer Configuration and User Configuration to view which policies are enforced, along with their settings and sources.

Pro Tip: The RSoP tool is especially useful in domain environments — it helps identify which specific GPO from the network is enforcing a setting.

6. Check Effective Policies via Registry Editor (Advanced)

Every Group Policy setting ultimately modifies entries in the Windows Registry. If you want to manually inspect where these policies are stored:

1. Press Windows + R, type regedit, and hit Enter.
2. Navigate to the following paths: For Computer Configuration: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies For User Configuration: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Policies
3. Expand subfolders to view individual policy keys.

You’ll see which policies are applied, including values for administrative templates and security settings.

Caution: Avoid editing or deleting these keys unless you know exactly what you’re doing — incorrect changes can break Windows functionality or group policy enforcement.

7. Check Group Policy Application Status

To confirm whether Group Policy changes are being applied correctly, you can force an update manually:

1. Open Command Prompt (Admin).
2. Type: gpupdate /force
3. Press Enter and wait for the process to complete.

Once done, run:

gpresult /r

to confirm which policies were applied during the latest update.

This is especially helpful if recent changes don’t seem to take effect immediately.

Wrapping Up

Checking which Group Policies are applied on Windows 11 can be done in multiple ways — whether you prefer a quick Command Prompt summary, a detailed HTML report, or a visual overview using the Group Policy Editor or RSoP.

For most users, running:

gpresult /h "%userprofile%\Desktop\GroupPolicyReport.html"

is the easiest and most comprehensive way to view all active policies.

If your system is part of a domain, this can also help identify whether settings are coming from your organization or your local configuration.

With this knowledge, you can easily troubleshoot system restrictions, security settings, and configuration behavior on your Windows 11 PC.