GPOs are processed in a specific order, often remembered by the acronym . The policy processing happens in this exact sequence:
ocal → S ite → D omain → OU (Last written wins if settings conflict) gpo hierarchy
These are the "folders" within Active Directory where you place users and computers (e.g., HR , IT , Sales ). GPOs are processed in a specific order, often
: Finally, GPOs linked to OUs are applied. If there are nested OUs (an OU within an OU), they are processed from the highest level down to the most specific child OU. Precedence Local Single machine Lowest (overwritten by all others) Site Physical location/Subnet Domain Entire AD Domain OU Specific group of users/computers Highest (overwritten only by child OUs) How Precedence Works If there are nested OUs (an OU within
| Feature | Priority Level | Description | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | | Lowest | Baseline settings on the PC itself. Easily overwritten. | | Site GPO | Low | Geographical settings. Rarely used for policy. | | Domain GPO | Medium | Company-wide standards (Passwords, Updates). | | OU GPO | High | Specific department settings. Wins over Domain. | | Enforced | Highest | Overrides everything below it, including Block Inheritance. | | Block Inheritance | Special | Ignores parents, unless the parent is "Enforced." |
