Policy
Configure Group Policy domain controller selection
Microsoft Windows
Policy overview
Key metadata and intent for this policy.
Supported OS tags: Windows10, Windows10RT, Windows11, Windows2000, Windows7, Windows8, Windows81, WindowsRT, WindowsRT81, WindowsServer2003, WindowsServer2008, WindowsServer2012, WindowsServer2012R2, WindowsServer2016, WindowsVista, WindowsXP
This policy setting determines which domain controller the Group Policy Object Editor snap-in uses. If you enable this setting, you can which domain controller is used according to these options: "Use the Primary Domain Controller" indicates that the Group Policy Object Editor snap-in reads and writes changes to the domain controller designated as the PDC Operations Master for the domain. "Inherit from Active Directory Snap-ins" indicates that the Group Policy Object Editor snap-in reads and writes changes to the domain controller that Active Directory Users and Computers or Active Directory Sites and Services snap-ins use. "Use any available domain controller" indicates that the Group Policy Object Editor snap-in can read and write changes to any available domain controller. If you disable this setting or do not configure it, the Group Policy Object Editor snap-in uses the domain controller designated as the PDC Operations Master for the domain. Note: To change the PDC Operations Master for a domain, in Active Directory Users and Computers, right-click a domain, and then click "Operations Masters."
Registry values
How enabled and disabled states update the registry.
No explicit registry values are set for enabled or disabled states.
Policy elements
Inputs and configuration options exposed by this policy.
| Scope | Element | Type | Registry mapping | Constraints & behavior | Copy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| User | When Group Policy Object Editor is selecting a domain controller to use, it should: ID GPDCOptionsDesc | enum | Path Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Group Policy Editor Value name DCOption Type REG_DWORD | Options: Use the Primary Domain Controller (1), Inherit from Active Directory Snap-ins (2), Use any available domain controller (3) |