Group Policy Editor is where I make most of my changes to Windows 11 and 10. Lately, I’ve gotten the error message “Failed to open the Group Policy Object on this computer. You might not have the appropriate rights.” whenever I try to access it using the Run prompt or Control Panel. This error can be caused by a variety of reasons, including corrupt system files, permissions issues, or misconfigured settings. One of the most common reasons for this error is a corrupt or damaged Group Policy Object (GPO) on the local computer. This can occur due to a malware infection, software installation, or system crash. If you have the same problem, follow these steps below to resolve it and re-open the Group Policy Editor.

Warning: The Local Group Policy Editor is a powerful tool, and it's easy to do irreparable damage by making unintended modifications to the system's rules. Hence, only experienced system administrators should use the editor, and any modifications should be rigorously tested before being introduced into a windows environment.

Steps to Fix Failed to open the Group Policy Object on this Computer

Renaming the Machine folder in Group Policy folder will solve the issue. To do this see the steps below.

Launch the Run prompt by pressing Windows key + R, type “system32” and hit Enter.

Failed to open the Group Policy Object: 1_Run_system32 — *Run utility*

When the System32 folder opens up, click on “View”, and then choose the “Options” settings.

Failed to open the Group Policy Object: 2_System32_viewTab — *Systems32 View tab*

Under the Folder Options, click the “View” tab and select the option “Show hidden files, folders and drives“.

Failed to open the Group Policy Object: 3_Folder-Options-view-tab-settings — *Folder Options settings*

Finally, click on “Apply” and then click on “OK“.

Scroll down and double click on the “Group Policy” to access it.

Failed to open the Group Policy Object: 4_Group-policy-folder — *Group Policy folder*

In the Group Policy folder, right-click on the “Machine” folder and click on “Rename” to rename the folder.

5_Rename-Machine-folder — *Rename Machine folder*

Set the name of the folder as “Machine.old” and Close File Explorer window.

6_Renamed-Machine-folder — *Renamed Machine folder*

Restart your computer. After restarting your computer, try to modify any policy from the Local Group Policy Editor. The error message won’t pop up on your computer.

Conclusion

Overall, the “Failed to open the Group Policy Object on this computer” error can be fixed by simply following the steps outlined in this article and regain access to the Local Group Policy Editor.