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How can I modify Group Policy's refresh interval?
John Savill
November 3, 2003
1 Min Read
A. By default, Group Policy refreshes every 90 minutes for typical machines and users and every 5 minutes for domain controllers (DCs). To change these intervals, perform the following steps:
Open the relevant Group Policy Object (GPO). For example, open the Microsoft Management Console (MMC) Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in, right-click the organizational unit (OU) or domain, select Properties, select the Group Policy tab, select the GPO, then click Edit.
Expand Computer Configuration, Administrative Templates, System, Group Policy.
Double-click "Group Policy refresh interval for computers," then select Enabled. Enter the new refresh rate and the maximum random time to wait for the refresh (to avoid all machines updating at the same time), then click OK.
If required, double-click "Group Policy refresh interval for domain controllers," then select Enabled. Enter the new refresh rate, which should be significantly less than the average computer policy refresh rate, and the maximum random time to wait for the refresh (to avoid all machines updating at the same time), then click OK.
Click here to view imageExpand User Configuration, Administrative Templates, System, Group Policy.
Double-click "Group Policy refresh interval for users."
Again, select Enabled, set the necessary values, then click OK.
Close the Group Policy Editor (GPE).
You don't have to configure both the user and computer value--you can modify just one of them. You shouldn't set these values too low: Every update requires processing and adds to the network traffic, and short refresh rates can quickly cause larger network problems. For example, setting the update frequency to 0 would result in Group Policy attempting a refresh every 7 seconds, which probably isn't good for anyone.
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