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You can manage Windows 11 with traditional Group Policy, cloud-based Microsoft Intune, or both during a gradual transition. The right choice depends on how devices are joined and connected, which settings you need, and whether Configuration Manager is part of your environment. Neither Intune nor Group Policy covers every setting the other supports, so assess and pilot policies before changing management.
Choose the management approach that fits your devices
| Situation | Approach to consider | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Devices are centrally managed through Active Directory and depend on existing domain policy workflows. | Keep Group Policy for the settings that still apply. | Review whether each setting remains necessary, especially for newer or cloud-managed endpoints. |
| Devices need centrally managed configuration over the cloud. | Use Intune configuration profiles, including the Settings Catalog and relevant device configuration options. | Confirm that each setting supports the target Windows edition and the intended user or device scope. |
| Configuration Manager remains important, but you want to adopt cloud management. | Consider co-management. | Supported workloads can be moved individually to Intune; workloads not switched remain with Configuration Manager. |
| The existing GPO estate is large, old, or poorly documented. | Inventory and analyze it, then migrate a selected subset or configure policies afresh. | Some settings may be obsolete, unsupported by MDM, or irrelevant to cloud-native devices. |
This is a choice based on your device estate, identity, application dependencies, connectivity, and policy requirements—not a rule that every organization should move to Intune. Microsoft describes Windows device-management options and co-management.
How Group Policy and Intune differ
Group Policy
Group Policy is the established approach for applying domain-oriented policies in an Active Directory environment. Windows applies policy through its Group Policy mechanisms, which administrators commonly organize around domain structure and policy processing.
Intune and MDM
Intune manages Windows devices through mobile device management (MDM). Windows includes enrollment and management clients that communicate with an MDM server, and many settings are exposed through configuration service providers (CSPs). Intune presents supported settings through options such as the Settings Catalog. A CSP setting is not automatically equivalent to a similarly named Group Policy setting.
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Microsoft’s Windows 11 device-management guidance, last updated November 18, 2025, documents default refresh intervals of sign-in and every 90 minutes for Group Policy, and sign-in and every eight hours for MDM policy. It also documents Config Refresh, which resets Policy CSP settings to the administrator’s configured value every 90 minutes by default and can be configured for a 30-minute interval. These are documented defaults, not promises of instant delivery or effect; check actual sync and policy status when troubleshooting. See Microsoft’s device-management guidance.
Check whether a GPO setting can move to Intune
Do not assume that each GPO has a one-to-one Intune replacement. Microsoft’s Group Policy analytics can identify settings that are available through MDM, deprecated policies, and settings without a supported match. Treat the report as an assessment aid: it does not establish that every existing setting should be retained.
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Imported GPOs can help seed Settings Catalog policies, but migration is best effort. Microsoft notes that translation can suggest a similar rather than identical setting, and can fail because of formatting or missing child settings. Review the mapped setting and value, and resolve conflicts before deployment. See Microsoft’s Group Policy analytics documentation.
A practical workflow for evaluating or moving to Intune
- Inventory applied GPOs. Export relevant policies and record their purpose, scope, and dependencies. Check organizational-unit placement, filtering, loopback processing, and legacy application requirements before changing management.
- Run Group Policy analytics. Import the GPOs into Intune and review migration readiness, supported and deprecated settings, and settings with no matching MDM setting.
- Decide what to keep, replace, or retire. Migrate only settings that remain necessary and are supported. Where appropriate, configure current settings directly in the Settings Catalog or another suitable Intune policy type.
- Resolve duplicate or conflicting values. Review conflicts surfaced during migration, choose the intended value, and check it against security and user requirements.
- Assign at the right scope. Separate user and device policies. Use device targeting when a setting should follow a shared or userless endpoint regardless of who signs in. Check the setting’s CSP scope and Windows edition applicability; use filters or applicability rules as needed.
- Pilot the configuration. Assign policies to a small test group first. Verify that devices receive them and that settings have the intended effect before broad deployment. Explain restrictive changes to affected users.
- Plan management authority and cleanup. If co-managing, decide deliberately which workloads remain in Configuration Manager and which move to Intune. Before retiring assignments, check how each CSP handles removal; an unassigned policy may leave its previous value in place.
Microsoft’s guidance on analyzing and migrating GPOs and co-management provides further detail.
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Should you assign policies to user groups or device groups?
Use a user group when the setting should follow the person across devices; use a device group when it should follow the endpoint regardless of its current user. Shared and kiosk devices are common cases for device-targeted configuration. Confirm the policy’s supported scope in the relevant CSP documentation, since settings can be user-scoped or device-scoped and may have edition restrictions.
Windows supports kiosk configurations set up locally or through Intune, including single-app, multi-app, and full-screen browser experiences. Microsoft’s assignment guidance answers when to use user groups versus device groups; check the CSP reference for the specific setting before assigning it.
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Can I keep Group Policy and use Intune at the same time?
Yes. Co-management allows Configuration Manager and Intune to manage a device concurrently, with supported workloads switched individually. Workloads not moved remain under Configuration Manager. Microsoft’s co-management FAQ states that both Microsoft Entra joined and hybrid joined devices are supported. Decide which tool owns each workload and address overlapping policy assignments so devices do not receive conflicting values. See the co-management overview and FAQ.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Check the exact setting for Windows Update and security policies
Windows Update
Windows Update client policies control which updates are offered, their timing, and staged rollout. Microsoft supports managing them through Group Policy or MDM such as Intune, but availability is not identical across CSP, Group Policy, and Cloud Policy formats. Identify the precise update behavior you need and confirm that the matching policy is supported in your management method. See Microsoft’s Windows Update policy settings.
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Security settings
A single feature may have multiple configuration routes. Microsoft’s UAC guidance, for example, documents configuration through Intune Settings Catalog, CSP, Group Policy, or registry. Prefer a supported, centrally managed route appropriate to your environment, and verify the documented scope and edition before rollout. See Microsoft’s User Account Control guidance.
Quick Recap
Troubleshoot policy delivery and removal
- A setting does not appear to apply: Check device enrollment and recent MDM sync or Group Policy processing, then review the device’s policy status and the setting’s supported Windows edition and scope.
- The reported setting differs from the intended value: Look for conflicting assignments, duplicate imported GPO values, or a mismatch between user and device targeting.
- A value remains after unassignment: Check the specific CSP’s removal behavior. Removing an assignment does not necessarily restore the prior setting or its default.
- Migration reports no match or an error: Determine whether the setting is unsupported, deprecated, or affected by formatting or missing child settings. Retain it in an appropriate management path only if it is still needed and supported.
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