How to Apply Group Policy to a Security Group

Group Policy Objects (GPOs) are a powerful tool within the Windows Active Directory environment for centrally managing and enforcing various settings across computers and users. By default, GPOs are applied to all objects within a specific organizational unit (OU). However, administrators can refine the scope of a GPO by applying it to a specific security group. This targeted approach ensures that only the intended users or computers receive the defined policy settings.

Steps to Apply Group Policy to a Security Group

Step 1: Create or Identify the Security Group

1. Open Active Directory Users and Computers (ADUC).
2. Create a new security group or use an existing one.
3. Add the relevant users or computers to the security group.

Step 2: Open Group Policy Management Console (GPMC)

1. Press Win + R, type gpmc.msc, and press Enter.
2. Navigate to the GPO you want to apply or create a new one:
   • Right-click the domain or OU, select Create a GPO, and name it appropriately.

Step 3: Edit the GPO

1. Right-click the GPO and select Edit.
2. Configure the policies you wish to enforce under User Configuration or Computer Configuration.

Step 4: Apply Security Filtering

1. In GPMC, select the GPO.
2. Under the Scope tab, locate the Security Filtering section.
3. Click Add, and type the name of the security group you created earlier.
4. Remove Authenticated Users from the Security Filtering list if you want to limit the GPO to the security group only.

Step 5: Verify Permissions

1. Click Delegation in the GPO properties.
2. Ensure the security group has Read and Apply Group Policy permissions:
   • Select the group, click Advanced, and verify or update the permissions.

Step 6: Test the Policy

1. Use a test user or computer from the security group.

2. Run the following command on the client system to refresh the group policy:

   gpupdate /force
   

3. Check if the policy settings are applied correctly:

   gpresult /r
   

Best Practices

• Use security filtering judiciously to avoid unintended policy application.
• Document all GPO assignments, including the purpose, target groups, and applied settings.
• Regularly review group memberships and update the security filtering accordingly.
• Consider using WMI filtering for more advanced and granular policy control.
• Thoroughly test and validate the applied policies to ensure they function as expected.

By applying GPOs to specific security groups, administrators can effectively target policy settings to the intended recipients, enhancing security, improving efficiency, and streamlining the management of complex IT environments.

Relevant Articles

• How to Track Group Policy Changes
• Best Group Policy Settings for Effective Administration
• How to Change Group Policy Settings
• How to Use the GPUpdate Command?
• What is a security group in AD? and How it works