How to Add Group Policy to Control Panel

Before going further, this can't be done on the Home Editions of Vista and XP. If you have either of those versions, then you may want to just stop reading from here. If you have a more professional edition, then proceed and keep reading.

Group Policy is a collection of configurations for different users on a computer and a kind of administrative tool that allows the administrator to control these different configurations for different users on a computer. Group policy is basically a collection of different user profiles, application settings and other user data or settings.

However, if you are interested and curious enough about group policy, then this might be for you. I can't tell you that for sure, that's your own decision. Anyhow, there is a way to do on the Professional Editions of both Vista and XP.

There is a catch however. It can't be modified manually. At this moment in time, there's no way to add a default item to this right here at REG_SWORD_SZ. Just keep reading on.

Windows Vista

Again, this is for the professional edition of Vista; so do not bother trying this with the Home Edition. After it is installed, go into Additional Options in the Control Panel.

If you have the other versions outside the Home Edition, you'll see it. If not, do not go on a witch-hunt because it's not an option. If you look under there and the screenshot below, there should be the option of the Group Policy Editor. If not, do not worry about it. Keep in mind that the key being emphasized the most is that it can't be the Home Edition of Vista.

Windows XP

Like Vista before, this has to be the Professional Edition. The only comforting factor is that it actually doesn't have a lot of versions of XP. To proceed further and for you XP users, make sure you put it on Classic View.

You should see Group Policy Editor but if you don't, then you probably either installed it wrong or you got the Home Edition. There is no way to find out with the Home Edition.

Installation

If you have the file, then download and extract, finally double-click on AddGroupPolicyToControlPanel.reg to add the icon and that should do the trick.

Uninstalling

Like many programs, there is a way to uninstall it. There is a script to get rid of it in the registry edit hack. As far as should it be done, only if you don't want it anymore. Otherwise, don't bother with it.