Removing Group Policy Editor from Windows 11 Home and upgrading to Pro


G

GosHawK2

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Windows 11 Pro 24H2
Couple months ago I enabled Group Policy Editor in my Windows 11 Home laptop. I now want to upgrade to Pro and want to make sure there are no issues, so I'd like to remove the policy editor before the upgrade. Not really familiar with Command Prompt or DISM commands but this is what I entered in command prompt as admin to enable group policy:
FOR %F IN ("%SystemRoot%\servicing\Packages\Microsoft-Windows-GroupPolicy-ClientTools-Package~*.mum") DO (DISM /Online /NoRestart /Add-Package:"%F")
Hit Enter
FOR %F IN ("%SystemRoot%\servicing\Packages\Microsoft-Windows-GroupPolicy-ClientExtensions-Package~*.mum") DO (DISM /Online /NoRestart /Add-Package:"%F")
Hit Enter
Can I simply replace "Add-Package" with "Remove-Package" to accomplish this? Or will this cause more issues and I should leave this alone and just do the upgrade?
Thanks in advance!
 
Windows Build/Version
24H2

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11 Pro 24H2
OS
Windows 11 Pro 24H2
You don't need to do that. The manifest hack you used to enable GPE depends on the same set of Windows components that are shared between Home and Pro. They're just not enabled when you install Home.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 7
OS
Windows 7
Yes I know but I was wondering if, when I upgrade, and it tries to enable it when its already enabled, it may cause an issue. I could be overthinking this.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11 Pro 24H2
OS
Windows 11 Pro 24H2
Yes. You're overthinking this. A Windows edition upgrade will install anything's that's missing (from the new version), keep everything that's the same, and leave anything that doesn't overlap alone.
 

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Windows 7
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Windows 7
Methinks the upgrade would replace the files anyway, so it's worth trying first without going through extra cleanup and contortions. FWIW, Copilot agrees:

homr3pto-gpedit.webp
HTH,
--Ed--
 

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  • At a glance

    Windows 11i7-8650U (8th Gen/Kaby Lake)16 GBIntel UHD Graphics 620
    OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo X380 Yoga
    CPU
    i7-8650U (8th Gen/Kaby Lake)
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    20LH000MUS (U3E1)
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    FlexView Display
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    Toshiba 1 TB PCIe x3 NVMe SSD
    external 5TB Seagate USB-C attached HDD
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    Lenovo integrated 65W power brick
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    Integrated Lenovo ThinkPad keyboard
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    touchscreen, touchpad
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    GbE (Spectrum/Charter)
    Browser
    all of em
    Antivirus
    Defender
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    Purchased early 2019 as Windows Insider test PC

  • At a glance

    Windows 11Ryzen 5800X128 GB (4x32 DDR5-5600)NVIDIA 3070Ti
    Operating System
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    DIY
    CPU
    Ryzen 5800X
    Motherboard
    Asrock B550 Extreme4
    Memory
    128 GB (4x32 DDR5-5600)
    Graphics card(s)
    NVIDIA 3070Ti
    Sound Card
    built-in
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2xDell 2707
    Screen Resolution
    1980x1200
    Hard Drives
    2XNVMe, multiple HDDs from 3 to 12 TB
    PSU
    Seasonic 650
    Case
    NZXT Flo 6
    Cooling
    dual-fan air cooler
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wave
    Mouse
    Logitech Logi
    Internet Speed
    GbE
    Browser
    all of 'em
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    temperamental UEFI
Ok thanks everyone for your help!
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11 Pro 24H2
OS
Windows 11 Pro 24H2
Copilot is garbage.

Home and Pro share the same Group Policy Editor servicing packages across the two Windows editions. You can use 7-Zip to extract the same files from image index 1 (Home) and index 6 (Pro) on the 24H2 ISO.

Code: 
F:\Windows24H2>dir HOME PRO

 Directory of F:\Windows24H2\HOME

03/31/2024  04:37 PM            12,417 Microsoft-Windows-GroupPolicy-ClientExtensions-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~en-US~10.0.26100.1.cat
03/31/2024  03:24 PM             1,172 Microsoft-Windows-GroupPolicy-ClientExtensions-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~en-US~10.0.26100.1.mum
09/05/2024  08:58 PM            22,619 Microsoft-Windows-GroupPolicy-ClientExtensions-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~10.0.26100.1591.cat
09/05/2024  08:58 PM               896 Microsoft-Windows-GroupPolicy-ClientExtensions-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~10.0.26100.1591.mum
03/31/2024  04:37 PM            11,540 Microsoft-Windows-GroupPolicy-ClientExtensions-WOW64-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~en-US~10.0.26100.1.cat
03/31/2024  03:24 PM             1,196 Microsoft-Windows-GroupPolicy-ClientExtensions-WOW64-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~en-US~10.0.26100.1.mum
09/05/2024  08:58 PM            20,827 Microsoft-Windows-GroupPolicy-ClientExtensions-WOW64-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~10.0.26100.1591.cat
09/05/2024  08:58 PM               914 Microsoft-Windows-GroupPolicy-ClientExtensions-WOW64-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~10.0.26100.1591.mum
09/05/2024  08:59 PM            83,719 Microsoft-Windows-GroupPolicy-ClientTools-merged-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~en-US~10.0.26100.1591.cat
09/05/2024  08:59 PM             1,189 Microsoft-Windows-GroupPolicy-ClientTools-merged-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~en-US~10.0.26100.1591.mum
09/05/2024  08:58 PM            90,455 Microsoft-Windows-GroupPolicy-ClientTools-merged-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~10.0.26100.1591.cat
09/05/2024  08:58 PM               902 Microsoft-Windows-GroupPolicy-ClientTools-merged-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~10.0.26100.1591.mum
09/05/2024  08:59 PM            10,065 Microsoft-Windows-GroupPolicy-ClientTools-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~en-US~10.0.26100.1591.cat
09/05/2024  08:59 PM             2,893 Microsoft-Windows-GroupPolicy-ClientTools-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~en-US~10.0.26100.1591.mum
09/05/2024  08:58 PM            10,090 Microsoft-Windows-GroupPolicy-ClientTools-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~10.0.26100.1591.cat
09/05/2024  08:58 PM             2,636 Microsoft-Windows-GroupPolicy-ClientTools-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~10.0.26100.1591.mum
03/31/2024  04:37 PM            13,708 Microsoft-Windows-GroupPolicy-ClientTools-WOW64-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~en-US~10.0.26100.1.cat
03/31/2024  03:25 PM             1,176 Microsoft-Windows-GroupPolicy-ClientTools-WOW64-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~en-US~10.0.26100.1.mum
04/01/2024  12:20 AM            20,647 Microsoft-Windows-GroupPolicy-ClientTools-WOW64-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~10.0.26100.1.cat
04/01/2024  12:20 AM               893 Microsoft-Windows-GroupPolicy-ClientTools-WOW64-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~10.0.26100.1.mum
              20 File(s)        309,954 bytes

 Directory of F:\Windows24H2\PRO

03/31/2024  04:37 PM            12,417 Microsoft-Windows-GroupPolicy-ClientExtensions-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~en-US~10.0.26100.1.cat
03/31/2024  03:24 PM             1,172 Microsoft-Windows-GroupPolicy-ClientExtensions-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~en-US~10.0.26100.1.mum
09/05/2024  08:59 PM            22,619 Microsoft-Windows-GroupPolicy-ClientExtensions-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~10.0.26100.1591.cat
09/05/2024  08:59 PM               896 Microsoft-Windows-GroupPolicy-ClientExtensions-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~10.0.26100.1591.mum
03/31/2024  04:37 PM            11,540 Microsoft-Windows-GroupPolicy-ClientExtensions-WOW64-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~en-US~10.0.26100.1.cat
03/31/2024  03:24 PM             1,196 Microsoft-Windows-GroupPolicy-ClientExtensions-WOW64-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~en-US~10.0.26100.1.mum
09/05/2024  08:59 PM            20,827 Microsoft-Windows-GroupPolicy-ClientExtensions-WOW64-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~10.0.26100.1591.cat
09/05/2024  08:59 PM               914 Microsoft-Windows-GroupPolicy-ClientExtensions-WOW64-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~10.0.26100.1591.mum
09/05/2024  08:59 PM            83,719 Microsoft-Windows-GroupPolicy-ClientTools-merged-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~en-US~10.0.26100.1591.cat
09/05/2024  08:59 PM             1,189 Microsoft-Windows-GroupPolicy-ClientTools-merged-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~en-US~10.0.26100.1591.mum
09/05/2024  08:59 PM            90,455 Microsoft-Windows-GroupPolicy-ClientTools-merged-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~10.0.26100.1591.cat
09/05/2024  08:59 PM               902 Microsoft-Windows-GroupPolicy-ClientTools-merged-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~10.0.26100.1591.mum
09/05/2024  08:59 PM            10,065 Microsoft-Windows-GroupPolicy-ClientTools-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~en-US~10.0.26100.1591.cat
09/05/2024  08:59 PM             2,893 Microsoft-Windows-GroupPolicy-ClientTools-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~en-US~10.0.26100.1591.mum
09/05/2024  08:59 PM            10,090 Microsoft-Windows-GroupPolicy-ClientTools-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~10.0.26100.1591.cat
09/05/2024  08:59 PM             2,636 Microsoft-Windows-GroupPolicy-ClientTools-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~10.0.26100.1591.mum
03/31/2024  04:37 PM            13,708 Microsoft-Windows-GroupPolicy-ClientTools-WOW64-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~en-US~10.0.26100.1.cat
03/31/2024  03:25 PM             1,176 Microsoft-Windows-GroupPolicy-ClientTools-WOW64-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~en-US~10.0.26100.1.mum
04/01/2024  12:20 AM            20,647 Microsoft-Windows-GroupPolicy-ClientTools-WOW64-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~10.0.26100.1.cat
04/01/2024  12:20 AM               893 Microsoft-Windows-GroupPolicy-ClientTools-WOW64-Package~31bf3856ad364e35~amd64~~10.0.26100.1.mum
              20 File(s)        309,954 bytes
 

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Windows 7
OS
Windows 7
Good to know, thanks for sharing. Would you therefore recommend a clean install of Pro instead of an upgrade?
Inquiring minds still want to know.
--Ed--
 

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two

  • At a glance

    Windows 11i7-8650U (8th Gen/Kaby Lake)16 GBIntel UHD Graphics 620
    OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo X380 Yoga
    CPU
    i7-8650U (8th Gen/Kaby Lake)
    Motherboard
    20LH000MUS (U3E1)
    Memory
    16 GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel UHD Graphics 620
    Sound Card
    Integrated Conexant SmartAudio HD
    Monitor(s) Displays
    FlexView Display
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Toshiba 1 TB PCIe x3 NVMe SSD
    external 5TB Seagate USB-C attached HDD
    PSU
    Lenovo integrated 65W power brick
    Case
    Laptop
    Cooling
    Laptop
    Keyboard
    Integrated Lenovo ThinkPad keyboard
    Mouse
    touchscreen, touchpad
    Internet Speed
    GbE (Spectrum/Charter)
    Browser
    all of em
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    Purchased early 2019 as Windows Insider test PC

  • At a glance

    Windows 11Ryzen 5800X128 GB (4x32 DDR5-5600)NVIDIA 3070Ti
    Operating System
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    DIY
    CPU
    Ryzen 5800X
    Motherboard
    Asrock B550 Extreme4
    Memory
    128 GB (4x32 DDR5-5600)
    Graphics card(s)
    NVIDIA 3070Ti
    Sound Card
    built-in
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2xDell 2707
    Screen Resolution
    1980x1200
    Hard Drives
    2XNVMe, multiple HDDs from 3 to 12 TB
    PSU
    Seasonic 650
    Case
    NZXT Flo 6
    Cooling
    dual-fan air cooler
    Keyboard
    Logitech Wave
    Mouse
    Logitech Logi
    Internet Speed
    GbE
    Browser
    all of 'em
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    temperamental UEFI
Most people will want to do any upgrade simply because they have existing user accounts and files.

Home -> Pro for the same Windows release is an additive process (Pro has a few extra component packages and settings than Home). It's not a drastic operation for Windows to do the upgrade.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 7
OS
Windows 7
How to keep your programs, files, settings, browser history, etc while doing a clean install.
1) Never install any program to the system drive (or windows partition if you only have one drive)
2) Keep the installers for hardware drivers on a separate partition (or better yet, a separate drive)
3) Copy the Users folder, the hidden Program Data folder and the registry to a separate partition. This will preserve all your photos, documents, music, desktop shortcuts, and almost all of the saved data from your applications.
4) Clean install windows. Make sure you use the same name on your account
5) Reinstall hardware drivers before allowing windows to update.. (this saves a lot of time on the setup)
6) Take ownership of the files you copied and paste them into their respective folders in the new windows install.

I've been doing it this way for years. Replacing a WIndows install takes less than 5 minutes because the OS is isolated.
 

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Windows 11 22H2 Pro (X-lite Micro 11 version)i7 13850HX (20 cores, 28 threads)32GB DDR5Intel UHD/ RTX 1000 ADA
OS
Windows 11 22H2 Pro (X-lite Micro 11 version)
Computer type
Laptop
Manufacturer/Model
Dell/ Precision 7680
CPU
i7 13850HX (20 cores, 28 threads)
Motherboard
Dell
Memory
32GB DDR5
Graphics Card(s)
Intel UHD/ RTX 1000 ADA
Sound Card
Realtek
Monitor(s) Displays
4K UHD Touchscreen
Screen Resolution
3840 x 2400
Hard Drives
Samsung 512GB system drive
WD Blue 1TB game drive
PSU
240W AC adapter, 1800W when docked
Internet Speed
1 gigabit symmetrical
Browser
Firefox, Librewolf
Antivirus
None. Manully configured so nobody except me can change any critical system files. (Don't ask how, it's probably against some rule somewhere)
I did a Home to Pro upgrade for my laptop that I just got, it was pretty seamless and actually quite rapid. I've seen no issues at all, and now I can use RDC to manage the laptop when doing updates/maintenance on it.
 

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  • At a glance

    Win 11 Pro 25H2, Build 26200.8737Intel Core i5 1450064GB DDR4GeForce RTX 4060
    OS
    Win 11 Pro 25H2, Build 26200.8737
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Home Brew
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 14500
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte B760M G P WIFI
    Memory
    64GB DDR4
    Graphics Card(s)
    GeForce RTX 4060
    Sound Card
    Chipset Realtek
    Monitor(s) Displays
    LG 45" Ultragear, Acer 24" 1080p
    Screen Resolution
    5120x1440, 1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Crucial P310 2TB 2280 PCIe Gen4 3D NAND NVMe M.2 SSD (O/S)
    Silicon Power 2TB US75 NVMe PCIe Gen4 M.2 2280 SSD (backup)
    Crucial BX500 2TB 3D NAND (2nd backup)
    Seagate 4TB Ironwolf, rotating HDD archive files
    External off-line backup Drives: 2 NVMe 4TB drives in external enclosures
    PSU
    Thermaltake Toughpower GF3 750W
    Case
    LIAN LI LANCOOL 216 E-ATX PC Case
    Cooling
    Lots of fans!
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Comfort Curve 2000
    Mouse
    Logitech G305
    Internet Speed
    Verizon FiOS 1GB
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Malware Bytes & Windows Defender Security

  • At a glance

    Win 11 Pro 25H2, Build 26200.8655Intel Core i5 1440032GB DDR5Intel 700 Embedded GPU
    Operating System
    Win 11 Pro 25H2, Build 26200.8655
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Home Brew
    CPU
    Intel Core i5 14400
    Motherboard
    Gigabyte B760M DS3H AX
    Memory
    32GB DDR5
    Graphics card(s)
    Intel 700 Embedded GPU
    Sound Card
    Realtek Embedded
    Monitor(s) Displays
    27" HP 1080p
    Screen Resolution
    1920x1080
    Hard Drives
    Crucial P310 2TB 2280 PCIe Gen4 eD NAND PCIe SSD
    Samsung EVO 990 2TB NVMe Gen4 SSD
    Samsung 2TB SATA SSD
    PSU
    Thermaltake Smart BM3 650W
    Case
    Okinos Micro ATX Case
    Cooling
    Fans
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Comfort Curve 2000
    Mouse
    Logitech G305
    Internet Speed
    Verizon FiOS 1GB
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    Malware Bytes & Windows Defender Security
  • Nimo N171 17" Laptop, (Intel i3-1215U, 16GB RAM, 2TB NVMe, Win11 Pro)
    Acemagic Vista Mini PC V1 (Intel N150, 16GB RAM, 1TB NVMe, Win11 Pro)
    HP ENVY h8-1540t, (24GB RAM, 2TB SSD, 2TB HDD, Win11 Pro)
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