Skip to content
Follow
Windows 🟡 Intermediate

How to Reset Group Policy Windows 11 to Default

Richard
Written by
Richard
Jul 19, 2021 Updated Oct 7, 2026 5 min read
How to Reset Local Group Policy in Windows 11
How to Reset Local Group Policy in Windows 11

Resetting the local security policy in Windows 11 puts the security settings back to the defaults Windows ships with. It undoes changes made in Local Security Policy, such as password rules, account lockout rules and user rights assignments. This guide uses one built-in command, run from an elevated Windows Terminal, followed by a restart.

Advertisement

Know what this does and doesn’t cover. The command re-applies the default security template. It does not clear everything in Group Policy Editor. Settings under Administrative Templates are stored separately, and this command doesn’t touch them. If a restriction you set there is still in place afterwards, you have to switch it back to Not Configured by hand.

The Local Security Policy and Group Policy Editor consoles come with Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise and Education. Windows 11 Home doesn’t include them, so you won’t find those settings on a Home PC. Before you start, write down any custom settings you want to keep. The reset overwrites them and there is no undo button.

⚡ Quick Answer

Open Command Prompt as administrator and run the commands RD /S /Q “📂%windir%\System32\GroupPolicyUsers”, RD /S /Q “📂%windir%\System32\GroupPolicy”, and gpupdate /force. Then, delete specific registry keys and restart your computer to complete the reset.

Advertisement

Step 1Open Windows Terminal as an Administrator

Windows Terminal is a tabbed command-line app. It must run as administrator, because changing security settings needs elevated rights. A regular window will fail with an access error.

  1. Click the Start button or press the Win.
  2. Type Windows Terminal in the search box.
  3. Right-click Windows Terminal in the results. Don’t just click it.
  4. Choose Run as administrator.
  5. When the prompt asks “Do you want to allow this app to make changes to your device?”, click Yes. A Windows Terminal window opens.

As a shortcut, you can right-click the Start button and choose Terminal (Admin). On some builds of Windows 11 this entry is labeled Windows Terminal (Admin).

Windows Terminal normally opens to PowerShell, and that works fine. To confirm you have admin rights, look at the title bar. It should read “Administrator: Windows Terminal.” If it doesn’t, close the window and start again. The command will not work without elevation.

Advertisement
💡TipRunning a program as administrator lets it change system settings that regular accounts can't.

That is why this step can't be skipped.

Step 2Enter the Command to Reset Security Policies

The built-in secedit tool re-applies the default security template to your PC. The full command is secedit /configure /cfg $Env:WINDIR\inf\defltbase.inf /db defltbase.sdb /verbose. Which version you use depends on whether your terminal tab is PowerShell or Command Prompt. Both do the same job.

Option A: If Windows Terminal is set to PowerShell (this is the default):

💻Code
secedit /configure /cfg $Env:WINDIR\inf\defltbase.inf /db defltbase.sdb /verbose​

Option B: If you switched Windows Terminal to Command Prompt:

Advertisement

You can type or copy and paste one of the provided commands into the Windows Terminal window to reset Local Security Policy settings. Ensure the command you enter is exact to avoid errors during the reset process for your Windows 11 system.

Use the version that matches your tab. The tab name is shown at the top of the window. The two shells write the Windows folder variable differently, so the PowerShell version may not work in Command Prompt, and the other way round.

  1. Copy the command for your shell from the block above and paste it at the blinking cursor in Windows Terminal. Pasting is safer than typing, because one wrong character can stop the command or apply the wrong settings.
  2. Read the line once to check that nothing was cut off or changed.
  3. Press Enter. The tool starts and text begins to scroll.

Here is what each part of the command does:

  • secedit: This is the tool used to manage security settings.
  • /configure: This tells secedit that you want to configure security.
  • /db %windir%\security\local.sdb: This tells the tool which template file holds the security settings to apply. %windir% stands for your Windows folder (usually C:\Windows), and local.sdb is the template with the default settings.
  • /cfg %windir%\inf\defltbase.inf: This names the database file the tool uses while it applies the template.
  • /quiet: This makes the tool print detailed progress as it works, so you can see what it is doing.

There are no graphics or progress bar. You will see lines of text as each security area is processed. This can take a minute or two, so wait until the prompt returns. A successful run ends with a message that the task completed successfully. If you see a message about completing with warnings, that usually means a few items couldn't be changed. If you see an error or "access denied", the window probably isn't elevated, so reopen Windows Terminal as administrator and run the command again.

Advertisement

Step 3Close Windows Terminal

Once the command has finished and the prompt is back, you can close Windows Terminal.

  1. Find the X button in the top-right corner of the Windows Terminal window.
  2. Click X. The window closes.
💡TipThe reset is not fully in effect until you restart.

Don't test any settings before then.

Step 4Restart Your Computer

A restart finishes the process and makes Windows load the restored settings.

  1. Save your work and close your apps.
  2. Click the Start button.
  3. Click the Power icon.
  4. Choose Restart. The PC shuts down and starts again.

Warning: Save any open work before restarting. Unsaved files will be lost.

Advertisement

After you sign back in, your Local Security Policy settings are back to their defaults. This is a good fix when changed security settings are causing problems, or when you want to return to a known configuration. To check, open Local Security Policy on Pro, Enterprise or Education and review the settings you had changed. If you want any of them back, you will need to set them again by hand.

Summary

To reset your Local Security Policy settings in Windows 11, open Windows Terminal as administrator. Run the full command, secedit /configure /cfg $Env:WINDIR\inf\defltbase.inf /db defltbase.sdb /verbose, in PowerShell, or the Command Prompt version from Option B. Wait for it to finish, close the window, then restart your computer so the changes take effect. Remember that Administrative Templates settings are separate and need to be reset manually.

Have a question about this guide?

Answered by AI from this guide. Good questions may be added to this page — please don't include personal details.

Advertisement
Tags: #Windows 11

Did this guide fix your problem?

Richard

About the Author

Richard

Tech Writer, IT Professional

Richard is a writer at Geek Rewind who turns complex IT tasks into clear, step-by-step guides. He draws on years of hands-on experience in system administration and enterprise IT operations, focusing on Windows, Linux and WordPress: the problems people actually run into, and the fixes that work. His server and WordPress guides come from systems he runs himself. Richard builds and maintains the platform behind Geek Rewind, from its Ubuntu servers and Nginx configuration to its custom WordPress plugins. Many new tutorials start with readers' questions, and he's always glad to answer them in the comments.

Advertisement

65 Comments

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *