Refreshing GPO Settings on a Computer

Problem

You've made some changes to a GPO and want to apply them to a computer by refreshing the group policies for the computer.

Solution

Using a command-line interface

On Windows Server 2003 or Windows XP, use this command:

> gpupdate [/target:{Computer User}]

On Windows 2000, use this command:

> secedit /refreshpolicy [machine_policy user_policy]

Discussion

The new gpupdate command is a much-needed improvement over the older secedit utility. With gpupdate you can force all settings to be applied with the /force option (the default is only changed settings). You can apply the computer or user settings of GPOs using the /target option, and you can force a logoff or reboot after the settings have been applied using the /logoff and /boot options.