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26 January 2024  Amanda J. Brook  Senior Product Manager
 

Summary
Learn how to fix the "Windows cannot find the file gpedit.msc" error when configuring your operating system and user settings by reading our helpful article.



Table of contents

table iconI. Causes for the problem that Windows cannot find the file gpedit.msc
table iconII. How to solve the problem that Windows cannot find the file gpedit.msc?
table iconIII. Recover lost data with Renee Undeleter
Windows cannot find gpedit.msc

I. Causes for the problem that Windows cannot find the file gpedit.msc

The gpedit.msc is the Group Policy Editor that enables users to manage both computer and user settings within an Active Directory environment. It provides administrators with the tools to enforce specific policies across software, computers, and users. Key administrative tasks include controlling user actions such as setting password complexity requirements, managing remote network share access, and restricting permissions to Task Manager, servers, or specific folders.
Usually, when you encounter the problem of “Windows cannot find the file gpedit.msc”, it is often because the gpedit.msc in the system disk is missing or damaged. Therefore, you can try the following methods to solve the current problem.
Windows cannot find the file gpedit

II. How to solve the problem that Windows cannot find the file gpedit.msc?

1. Upgrade the Windows operating system

If your Windows system version is the Home Edition, the Group Policy Editor will not be available as it is only included in the Professional and Enterprise editions. However, you can easily upgrade your system version to access this feature.
Step 1: Run Computer, right-click on (This PC) and select (Properties).
this pc properties
Step 2: After that, you will see the system version of your Windows device. If it is a home edition, then you need to upgrade the home edition to a professional edition or an enterprise edition (for the steps to upgrade the system edition, please continue to read below).
Windows system info
Step 3: Click on the lower left corner (Start) > (Settings). Select (Update & Security) in the settings interface.
Windows update and security
Step 4: Click the (Activation) option on the left, and then click (Change product key) on the right.
Change Product Key
Step 5: Enter the product key for your purchased Windows Professional Edition in the designated field. Once you have finished inputting, click on the “next page” button, and after the system has completed its detection, click on the “upgrade” button.

Allow the system to automatically upgrade, which should take approximately 10 minutes. Once the upgrade is complete, restart your computer and check if the issue has been resolved.

enter a product key windows

2. Retrieve the gpedit.msc file

If your computer is running a professional or enterprise edition and you receive an error message stating that gpedit.msc cannot be found, it is likely that the gpedit.msc file is missing from your system disk. In order to recover this file, you can attempt the following steps.
Step 1: Run the computer, find the (File Explorer) application in the lower left corner, and open it.
Open File Explorer
Step 2: Find the location of the (C:\Windows\SysWOW64) folder in the search box.
syswow64 folder
Step 3: Double-click to open the SysWOW64 folder, find GroupPolicy, GroupPolicyUsers folder and gpedit.msc file respectively. Press the (Ctrl+C) key at the same time to copy these files and folders, and then press the (Ctrl+V) key to paste them to the (C:\Windows\System32) directory. Try accessing the Group Policy Editor again afterward and see if the problem is resolved.
syswow64 folder

3. Modify the registry key value

Modifying registry keys is one of the solutions to “Windows cannot find the file gpedit.msc”. If you are not sure about this method, please operate with caution or use other methods. The specific steps are as follows:
Step 1: Press the (Windows+R) keys simultaneously, type (regedit) and hit (OK) to open the Registry Editor.
open registry editor by running regedit
Step 2: Navigate to (HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\MMC) in the registry, and then set the value of (RestrictToPermittedSnapins) to (0).
Navigate to MMC
Step 3: If you are unable to locate MMC through the designated path, you can generate a new text file on your desktop. Then, copy and paste the following content into the file, save it, and change the file extension to “.reg“. Once executed, the MMC entry will appear in the Registry Editor.

Restart your computer and the issue of “Windows cannot find the file gpedit.msc” should be resolved. You can then enter the gpedit.msc command in the run window and attempt to access the group policy.

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Group Policy Objects\LocalUser\Software\Policies\Microsoft\MMC]
[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Group Policy Objects\LocalUser\Software\Policies\Microsoft\MMC\{8FC0B734-A0E1-11D1-A7D3-0000F87571E3}]
“Restrict_Run”=dword:00000000
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\MMC]
[-HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\MMC\{8FC0B734-A0E1-11D1-A7D3-0000F87571E3}]
“Restrict_Run”=dword:00000000
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\MMC]
“RestrictToPermittedSnapins”=dword:00000000

If you find that there is data loss after solving the problem of “Windows cannot find the file gpedit.msc”, it is recommended to use professional data recovery software, such as Renee Undeleter will retrieve the lost data. The following is the detailed operation.

III. Recover lost data with Renee Undeleter

1. What is Renee Undeleter?

Renee Undeleter is a data recovery software designed to retrieve various data files lost due to accidental deletion, emptied recycle bin, or disk/memory card/USB disk formatting. It features four key modules: file recovery, format recovery, partition recovery, and image creation, offering a comprehensive solution for diverse data loss issues encountered during system use. Its convenience and functionality make it a valuable tool for restoring lost data.
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2. How to recover lost data with Renee Undeleter?

Step 1: Download, install, and run Renee Undeleter. Select the (Fast Partition Scan) option in the main interface.
Note: Avoid installing on the disk from which you intend to recover data to prevent overwriting. For recently deleted files on an internal disk, use Fast Partition Scan. If the disk has been formatted, files are long deleted, or you need to recover data from an external disk, employ Whole Partition Scan or Whole Disk Scan functions.
fast partition scan with Renee Undeleter
Data recovery function introduction:
Fast Partition Scan – Quickly retrieve files lost due to accidental deletion or emptying the recycle bin.
Whole Partition Scan – Quickly recover files lost due to inaccessible or formatted partitions.
Whole Disk Scan – Analyze and get partition information and perform a full scan of the entire partition.
Image Creation – You can create a mirror image for a partition to back up the current partition state.
Step 2: Next, select the partition where the lost data is located and click on (Next).
scan disk with Renee Undeleter
Step 3: Select the (Fast Scan) option and click the (Next) button to scan.

It should be noted that “Fast Scan” only scans the first 30GB of the remaining space of the selected disk. If the desired file is not found after scanning, you can use “Deep Scan” to try to scan the hard disk partition again, but it will take more time and more file data can be scanned.

fast scan lost data
Step 4: Wait for the scan to complete. You can double-click the file to preview, then check the desired files. Finally, click the (Recover) button.
recover files with Renee Undeleter