1

We're inheriting a Windows Server 2008 R2 server on a network full of Windows 7 machines. There are already Group Polices in place, and they work.

How can we back them up and restore them in case we make changes and something goes wrong? Can they be stored in git or some version control system that can store different versions and so we can record what we changed?

leeand00
  • 4,807
  • 13
  • 64
  • 106

2 Answers2

8

To backup your GPO's:

  1. In the GPMC select the Group Policy Objects node.

  2. Right click and select "Backup All".

  3. Browse for a backup destination.

  4. Click "Back Up".

  5. Done.

To restore a GPO:

  1. In the GPMC select the Group Policy Objects node.

  2. Right click and select "Manage Backups".

  3. Find and select the GPO you want to restore.

  4. Click "Restore".

  5. Click "OK".

  6. Done.

joeqwerty
  • 108,377
  • 6
  • 80
  • 171
  • Damn. Beat me to it. [Well, here's the Technet linky anyhow.](http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc782589%28v=ws.10%29.aspx) – HopelessN00b Mar 14 '14 at 18:00
7

You can perform GPO backups two ways, one with the Group Policy snap-in as described by joeqwerty, or with Powershell.

You'll need RSAT installed for the Group Policy Powershell cmdlets. Then just do a simple Backup-GPO:

Import-Module GroupPolicy
Backup-GPO -All -Path C:\somepath

That's it for backup. For restore, you'll do a Restore-GPO, with the appropriate parameters for your needs. You can restore a single GPO or all GPOs.

Microsoft publishes the Advanced Group Policy Management (AGPM) for managing GPO versioning and deployment.

jscott
  • 24,204
  • 8
  • 77
  • 99