Backup and restore Group Policy Objects in Windows Server will help you to protect GPOs configuration. It is easy to create and edit group policy object from Group Policy Management on Windows Server. But takes to much time to completely configure the settings of each GPOs.
How to Backup and Restore Group Policy Objects?
For backing up the created GPOs in Windows Server, go to Group Policy Management console from server dashboard or type ‘gpmc.msc‘ in windows run and then press enter to open the Group Policy Management Console.
In Group Policy Management expand the domain name and group policy objects in order to see all created objects.
To create a backup from all GOPs, right click the Group Policy Objects and click Back up all.
Remember, this will backup all modified and non-modified GPOs which you have created for domain. The other configuration like linked objects, Enforced, and Block Inheritance to domain organizational units will not backing up. The full configuration back up just don by full system back up with Windows backup services.
Now in Back Up Group Policy Object page, click Brows and choose wherever to want to save backups and type some description in the description box, then click Back Up button.
So, the back up task has accomplished successfully. Lets check how do we can restore the deleted GPO from backup data.
How to Restore Group Policy Objects?
In order to restore GPO, right click the Group Policy Objects and click Manage Backups. In the Manage Backups page brows to the backup directory or location in the hard disk.
You see backup contents in GPO backup folder. But if you want to restore a policy object, select GPO and click Restore button.
Click OK, if ask you ‘Do you want to restore the selected backup? and selected backup will restore to the Group Policy Objects.
Now you can link and apply it to your OUs in your domain.