Group Policy Loopback Processing on Windows Server 2012

Every now and then (especially in a VDI situation), I need to enable Group Policy Loopback Processing.  This Group Policy setting can do a lot of things; I usually use it to allow me to create Group Policy Objects that contain User Configuration settings that only apply when the users log into a certain subset of computers (such as my VDI desktops).  When that setting is enabled, it basically instructs windows to process its computer GPOs again at user logon, so as to catch any User Configurations that are specified.

This is a setting that I configure once for each VDI deployment that I do, and I always need to look up where it is (who bothers to memorize where specific settings are amongst the thousands of options!?).  No problem, that's literally what google was made for.  So, a quick search for Group Policy Loopback Processing is in order, which brings me to a technet article about Windows Server 2003 that calls the setting simply Loopback processing.  Well, Loopback Processing has obviously been around for quite a while, so that's fine... except that the setting isn't where the article says that it is any more.

So, back to google.  The next result is for Windows Server 2008, where the setting was renamed to User Group Policy loopback processing mode.  Ok, so Microsoft decided to give it a more verbose name back at Server 2008, no problem... except that it's still not there on my Windows 2012 Domain Controller.

Back to google, once again.  The third result is finally Windows Server 2012 specific, although it doesn't specifically say so.  What it does reveal (in addition to an excellent description of the details of what Loopback Processing is doing and how to configure it for various use cases), is the name of the setting in Windows 2012: Configure user Group Policy loopback processing mode.

So, the full path to configure that setting on a Windows 2012 domain is Computer Configuration\Policies\Administrative Templates\System\Group Policy\Configure user Group Policy loopback processing mode

 Next time that I have to turn this setting on, hopefully I'll remember to look here rather than digging through the top three results of a google search.  Hopefully.

Comments

  1. Jeff GJune 13, 2017 at 8:42 AM

    Server 2016 has it in the same place as 2012, FYI.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jason ColemanJune 13, 2017 at 8:48 AM

      Thanks - I was wondering about that but didn't have a 2016 server available to look at and a cursory search didn't reveal anything definitive.

      Delete

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