Power Settings GPO - users should have the option to modify their settings afterwards

Question

I'm building a GPO that modifies the power settings. It creates a brand new power plan with specific settings that I want to apply through Computer>Preferences> Control Panel> Settings> Power options> Power plan > Create power plan and the options I want. Including the button behaviour.

I'm also setting the behaviour of the buttons through Administrative Templates > System / Power Settings.

In both scenarios (battery and plugged in)

Power button = Sleep

Sleep button = Sleep

Lid switch = Sleep

However if I set it like that, the settings will be grayed out for my users and they will not be able to change them if they want.

If button behaviour is not configured or set as disabled. The users will be able to select their settings, but the default is shown is Hibernate. I would want to have them as Sleep through the GPO but still allowing the user to change it.

Is there a way to do this?

Answer 1

Hello,

Thank you for posting in Q&A forum.

You want to set the default power settings to 'Sleep' for the power button, sleep button, and lid switch, but also want to allow users to change these settings if they wish.

Unfortunately, Group Policy Objects (GPO) are designed to enforce specific settings and do not inherently allow for user modification of those settings. If you set a policy, it will be enforced and users will not be able to change it. If you do not configure the policy or set it as disabled, then users will be able to change the settings, but you cannot control the default setting.

I hope the information above is helpful.

Best Regards,

Yanhong Liu

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Answer 2

Hi Alan,

Better later than never right! You have 2 main GPO types. Preferences and Policies that behave a little differently. A Preference sets a setting to what you would like and allows the user to change it later. A policy sets a setting as you would like it and does not allow the user to make a change.

Look at the "Power Options" settings under Computer Configuration\Preferences\Power Options to accomplish what you're looking to do.