Microsoft introduced a new update to the latest Windows version that gives users and system administrators more group policy options for better customization.
A bright blue window background on a laptop
Windows 11 feature update 22H2 was released on September 20th, 2022. With substantial changes to the new version, it allowed everyone from administrators to power users to customize the way they desired.
As a company that is committed to providing you with every tool in our arsenal for better digital experiences, we’re delighted to introduce this update. Let’s take a look at what has changed.
Group Policy Editor can be accessed from the administrative tools in PC settings. Say goodbye to lengthy consoles and complicated task bar commands!
The Group Policy Editor (GPE) is a powerful Windows administration tool that allows users to configure many critical settings system-wide.
If you cannot access the Group Policy Editor from the steps below, there are few options to get past this. First, it could mean that you’re not the administrator. If this is the case, you can change this in the settings. There’s also a chance that your operating system is Windows Home, which would require an alternative way to access group policy editor. In either case, you can find alternative methods of editing group policy on Windows Home here.
You can access the Group Policy Editor in various ways, but the two simplest methods are:
-Launch the Group Policy app on your computer
-Access it through Control Panel > System and Security > Administrative Templates.
Use the Start Menu.
The image is in the windows search group policy editor.
Navigate to the Start menu or press the Windows key on your keyboard, then type gpedit.msc. You should see the Best match displayed above; tap or click it to launch immediately.
Use the Run Dialog
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Open the Run dialog with Windows + R, and then enter the same command you used above: gpedit.msc. Press Enter to open the Group Policy Editor.
If you’re new to the Group Policy Editor, we recommend checking out our tutorials about the basics first. We’ll walk through changes to the Group Policy Editor next.
- Startmenu.admx: Remove Recommended Section from Start Menu
The Windows start menu is a mess. There’s about four buttons you can use to organize it. If you go under Settings > Personalization > Start, there’s the Recommends layout, More layouts, and the Default layout which we recommend.
Start personalizing your Windows 10 Start Menu today with images from the Windows Personalization Gallery.
By navigating to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Start Menu and Taskbar and setting the State to Enabled on the Remove Recommended section from Start Menu policy, you can achieve a cleaner interface that does away with the recommended items.
In order to remove recommended items from an image, you first have to upload a blank image that has the same dimensions as the one you want to remove. Then, all you need to do is go into Edit Mode and delete the background, crop out the area of the image where you want to remove the recommended items, and then save it.
When you change to a new operating system, you’ll likely have to restart your computer before entering in the new user settings. Restarting your computer is the easy way to realize all your changes.
Search Highlights allow desktop search engines to highlight the most important parts of your webpages for improved relevance and easier consumption.
Search highlights allow you to choose which words you want to be highlighted on your search results. This allows for a simpler-looking interface that is great for users who are shopping in your shop
Now you can find the latest events, happenings, and trending searches in your local area all via a panel on Windows! Search highlights include holiday celebrations and commemorations such as new years or anniversaries.
When you begin typing in the search box, Search highlights will search your web browser, your machine, and even your enterprise account; if you’re signed in with one of those accounts.
Windows Search is the best way to locate files and locate images on your computer.
You can easy remove or limit any search or categories from view to your team within your Search pane as an administrator.
In order to disable the Allow Search Highlight, go to: Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Search. Set the State to Disabled.
Search Highlights have been disabled.
If you decide to update your blog content with our help, the changes will take effect immediately.
Explore the files you need to change with Quick Access View in explorer.admx
Microsoft continuously tries to improve their applications and the user experience for Windows users through design. For example, Microsoft Edge is a heavily integrated product with other programs like Microsoft Mail. Another integration is with Skype and having your Office documents on your desktop through File Explorer.
With OneDrive Documents in Quick Access you can see nearby local images and documents so you can easily find them when you need them.
There are different ways to work with files in File Explorer. Using this one could be helpful, but it could also cause at least some inconsistency between managing files on your own computer and when File Explorer is open from an external device. With an offline version of Microsoft Office (such as 2016 or 2019) you’ll be able to reduce these inconsistent conditions.
Navigate to the Windows Components policies in Group Policy Editor. Select Administrative Templates > Windows Components > File Explorer and set Turn off files from Office.com in Quick access view policy to Enabled.
Turn off Internet Explorer in file explorer
Disconnect your Internet connection and restart your computer or the Windows Explorer in Task Manager for the changes to take effect.
- lanmanworkstation.admx: Use the SMB Compression protocol by default
Administrators want to minimize the network congestion caused by large data transfers by improving network performance. SMB compression reduces CPU usage but provides a more noticeable performance increase for those transferring large uncompressed files like virtual hard disks.
Do you want to see how it works? Watch this quick demonstration video below.
To enable SMB compression by default, navigate to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Network > Lanman Workstation and set this policy. It should be enabled in Group Policy Editor.
By default, after you award Gemma with your files, Enable-SMB-Compression will compress them which can save up to 100% of your space.
Download the Group Policy Settings Reference Sheet.
Microsoft has published an updated list of changes made to the Group Policy Editor. If you want to see the complete list, download Microsoft’s Excel spreadsheet. You can then examine each change individually or use the spreadsheet as a reference guide if you’re looking for a specific tweak.
More to Come Please Stay Tuned
Microsoft is working on big features for Windows 11 and plans to deliver them not at once but in a regular cadence. They have put together a timeline that shows smaller feature updates coming out monthly and coming from the development team, in line with its new release schedule.
Due to the recent tweaks and updates made to Windows 11, there may yet be more new treasures buried in the Group Policy Editor.
