Unable to bulk change lock screen image.

Question

At my workplace, approximately 100 computers need to have the same lock screen changed.

The Active Directory is set up on Windows Server 2012.

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However, because almost all of the computers are running Windows 11 Professional, I cannot use GPO to make the changes.

I have been unable to find any other way to bulk change the lock screen and don't want to change each computer individually.

I am seeking advice from experts!

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I have tried following a tutorial video but it didn't work since GPO doesn't support Windows 11 Professional.

How to force change Windows lock screen and logon image (GPO) - Windows Server 2022 | Windows 11

https://youtu.be/t6hCWXml7Tw

Answer 1

Hello Nanachi,

Thank you for your question and for reaching out with your question today.

To force change the lock screen and logon image on Windows 11 desktops using Group Policy on Windows Server 2012, you can follow these steps:

1. Ensure that you have the necessary administrative permissions to create and edit Group Policy objects (GPOs) on the Windows Server 2012.

2. Open the Group Policy Management Console: On the Windows Server 2012, open the Group Policy Management console by searching for "Group Policy Management" in the Start menu.

3. Create or select a Group Policy Object (GPO): Right-click on the desired organizational unit (OU) or domain, and choose "Create a GPO in this domain, and Link it here" or select an existing GPO to edit.

4. Edit the GPO: Right-click on the GPO and choose "Edit" to open the Group Policy Management Editor.

5. Navigate to the appropriate policy setting: In the Group Policy Management Editor, navigate to the following policy setting:

Computer Configuration -> Policies -> Administrative Templates -> Control Panel -> Personalization

6. Configure the lock screen and logon image settings: Look for the policy settings related to lock screen and logon images. The specific settings may vary depending on the Windows version, but common options include:

   - "Force a specific default lock screen and logon image"
   - "Prevent changing lock screen and logon image"
   - "Do not display the lock screen"

   Double-click on the desired policy setting to modify it.

7. Enable the policy setting: In the policy setting window, select the "Enabled" option to enforce the desired behavior.

8. Specify the image path: If applicable, provide the path to the image file you want to use for the lock screen or logon image. This can be a local or network path.

9. Apply the GPO: Close the Group Policy Management Editor and ensure that the GPO is applied to the appropriate users or computers. You can link the GPO to an OU or use security filtering to target specific users or computers.

10. Update Group Policy: On the Windows 11 desktops, run the following command in Command Prompt or PowerShell to force an immediate update of Group Policy:

    ```
    gpupdate /force
    ```

    This will apply the new GPO settings to the Windows 11 desktops.

After applying the GPO and updating Group Policy on the Windows 11 desktops, the lock screen and logon image settings should be enforced according to your configured policy.

I used AI provided by ChatGPT to formulate part of this response. I have verified that the information is accurate before sharing it with you.

If the reply was helpful, please don’t forget to upvote or accept as answer.

Best regards.