What Does Gpupdate Do
When the scan is finished, locate GpUpdate.exe in the scan result and tick the checkbox next to the GpUpdate.exe file. Do not check any other file for removal unless you are 100% sure you want to delete it. Tip: Press CTRL-F to open up FreeFixer's search dialog to quickly locate GpUpdate.exe in the scan result. Yup, the Group Policy service on all domain-joined client computers regularly checks with Active Directory to see if anything has changed. If new or changed policies exist, they are applied to the computer. By default, Group Policy updates every 60 to 120 minutes, as well as during system startup. This command will force the client to check with the domain controller to apply the most recent GPOs available that are assigned to the workstation. Specops Gpupdate is a free tool that enables remote administration of any number of computers. Specops Gpupdate integrates directly with Active Directory Users and Computers. Simply right-click on any computer or organizational unit, and issue commands such as Gpupdate, Start computer, Windows update, and more!
When I first started learning about Active Directory, Group Policy always seemed very fickle. Sometimes I could run GPUpdate, other times I had to run /force.
As it turned out, Group Policy was always working – I just didn’t understand it. So what’s the difference between GPUpdate and GPUpdate /force? Well –
GPUpdate: Applies any policies that is new or modified
GPUpdate /force: Reapplies every policy, new and old.
So which one should I use? 99% of the time, you should only run gpupdate. If you just edited a GPO and want to see results immediately, running gpupdate will do the trick. In fact, running GPUPdate /force on a large number of computers can be damaging to your career. This is because these machines will hit a domain controller and reevaluate every GPO applicable to them.
Note: If you are looking for the remote version of GPUpdate in Active Directory Users and Computers, see this guide.
Anything else?
Since you asked, why yes there is! GPUpdate has a few other options for you to use.
/LogOff: Certain GPOS, such as Folder Redirection, can’t apply in the background. If a logoff is required, this switch will initiate it.
/Boot: If a policy, such as software installation, needs to be applied – the boot command will reboot the machine.
/Sync: Useful for changing the foreground (startup/logon) processing to synchronous.
…Enlightening…
Sarcasm aside, yes it is! You probably noticed a lack of remote support with GPUpdate. To address this, Microsoft introduced the Invoke-GPUpdate cmdlet. Here is an example:
Invoke-GPUpdate -Computer COMPUTERNAME -Force
or
$Computers = Get-AdComputer -SearchBase “OU=Brunswick, DC=Test,DC=local” -Filter *
Foreach ($Computer in $Computers) {invoke-gpupdate -Computer $Computers.Name}
Got an easier way to GPUpdate?
The example above might not be the most practical way of initiating a GPUpdate. Knowing this, Microsoft included the ability to start a GPUpdate remotely in the Server 2012/Windows 8 version of Group Policy Management Console.
As you can see in the picture above, right clicking on any OU will allow you to trigger a remote GPUpdate. Microsoft provided a little security with this tool by not allowing a GPUpdate at the domain level. However, this only works within Group Policy Management. Because a good bit of my work is done within Active Directory Users and Computer, I prefer this method of running a remote GPUpdate.
What Is Gpupdate Force Do
GPUpdate seemed like such a simple tool. As you now know, it is very powerful and completely customizable to your situation and environment. So the next time you see an administrator running an unwarranted gpupdate /force, explain the differences and let your domain controllers take a breather! And now that GPUpdate has been straightened out, have you been running GPResult remotely?
Gpupdate Vs Gpupdate Force
Finally, if you want to learn more about Group Policy and how it will make your life easier, then subscribe to DeployHappiness and get great weekly tips (plus your free guide to the Windows 8 Administrative Start Menu)!