How to Run gpupdate /force in Windows 10

To run gpupdate /force in Windows 10, open Command Prompt as an administrator, type gpupdate /force, and press Enter. Windows reapplies every Group Policy setting and tells you when the computer and user policies are updated.

Applies to: Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise and Education. Microsoft ended Windows 10 support on October 14, 2025, so a PC without Extended Security Updates no longer receives security fixes; that program runs until October 12, 2027.

What gpupdate does

Group Policy is a set of rules for how Windows works, set by you in the Local Group Policy Editor or by an IT team on a work network. Windows checks for changes every 90 minutes or so. gpupdate applies changes right away. The /force part reapplies every setting, not just the ones that changed.

Run gpupdate /force

1. Select Start, type cmd, right-click Command Prompt, and select Run as administrator. If you haven’t done this before, read running a program as administrator.
2. Type gpupdate /force and press Enter.
3. Wait for Computer Policy update has completed successfully and User Policy update has completed successfully.

If it asks to sign out or restart, some settings need that to finish. Type Y and press Enter, or do it later yourself.

You can also run it in PowerShell. Only update the computer or user part with gpupdate /target:computer /force or gpupdate /target:user /force.

When to use gpupdate /force

• You changed a setting in the Local Group Policy Editor and want to test it now.
• Your IT team asked you to run it after changing a policy.
• A setting that should apply, such as a mapped drive or a security rule, isn’t showing up.
• A computer was just joined to a domain or moved to a different group (OU) on the network.

Check which policies are applied

1. In Command Prompt, run:

gpresult /r

2. Look under COMPUTER SETTINGS and USER SETTINGS for Applied Group Policy Objects.

On a home PC, you’ll usually only see Local Group Policy.

gpupdate vs. gpupdate /force

Plain gpupdate only applies policies that have changed since the last refresh. Adding /force reapplies every policy, changed or not. Use /force when a setting doesn’t seem to take effect; otherwise plain gpupdate is quicker.

You often don’t need either. Windows refreshes Group Policy in the background about every 90 minutes, plus a random delay of up to 30 minutes, and again at every restart and sign-in.

Other gpupdate options

• /logoff signs you out after the update if a user setting needs it, such as folder redirection.
• /boot restarts the PC after the update if a computer setting needs it, such as installing software.
• /wait:0 returns to the prompt straight away instead of waiting for the update to finish. The default wait is 600 seconds.
• /sync makes the next restart or sign-in apply policies before you can use the desktop, so nothing loads half-configured.

Type gpupdate /? to see the full list on your PC.

Get a detailed report

For more detail than gpresult /r, create a web page report. In an administrator Command Prompt, run:

gpresult /h "%USERPROFILE%\Desktop\gpreport.html"

Open gpreport.html from your desktop. It lists every applied setting, which policy set it, and any errors.

Update another computer remotely

IT admins with the Group Policy tools installed can refresh a domain PC from their own machine in PowerShell with Invoke-GPUpdate -Computer "PC-NAME" -Force. The remote PC must be on the network and allow remote management.

Update many computers at once

In Group Policy Management on a domain controller or admin PC, right-click an organizational unit (OU) and select Group Policy Update, then Yes. Every computer in that OU, and the users signed in to them, refresh within about 10 minutes. A short random delay keeps them from all hitting the domain controller at the same moment.

Both this and Invoke-GPUpdate work by creating a scheduled task on each remote PC, so the PCs need these Windows Defender Firewall rules allowed:

• Remote Scheduled Tasks Management (RPC)
• Remote Scheduled Tasks Management (RPC-EPMAP)
• Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI-In)

Microsoft provides a ready-made starter GPO called Group Policy Remote Update Firewall Ports that turns these on. The results window lists any PCs that failed, usually because they were off or the firewall blocked them.

Avoid forcing an update on hundreds of PCs at once unless you need to. Each one downloads and reapplies every policy, which adds load on the network and the domain controller.

If gpupdate reports an error

• “Windows could not resolve the computer name” or “could not determine the domain controller”: the PC can’t reach your organization’s network. Connect to the office network or VPN and run it again.
• “User Policy could not be updated successfully”: look for the reason in Event Viewer under Applications and Services Logs > Microsoft > Windows > GroupPolicy > Operational.
• “Access is denied”: you’re not running Command Prompt as an administrator. Some computer policies need it.

Frequently asked questions

Does gpupdate work on Windows 10 Home?

Windows 10 Home doesn’t include the Group Policy Editor, so there’s usually nothing for gpupdate to apply.

Where do I change Group Policy settings?

In the Local Group Policy Editor. To get there, follow opening the Group Policy Editor in Windows 10.

gpupdate reports that it failed. What should I do?

Match the message to the list in “If gpupdate reports an error” above. If it keeps failing on a work PC, contact your IT team.

How do I open Command Prompt?

Step 1 above shows the quickest way. Other ways are in opening Command Prompt in Windows 10.

Does gpupdate need a restart?

Most policies apply immediately. A few, such as software installation or folder redirection, only take effect at the next restart or sign-in, and gpupdate tells you when that’s the case.

Does gpupdate /force slow down the PC?

Only for the few seconds to a minute it takes to run. You can keep working while it finishes.

Can I run gpupdate without being an administrator?

Yes for the user part. Standard users can run gpupdate /target:user. Updating computer policies needs an administrator Command Prompt.

Every switch is documented in Microsoft’s command reference for gpupdate.