{"id":4209,"date":"2022-06-23T09:21:13","date_gmt":"2022-06-23T16:21:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/SUMMALAI.COM\/?p=4209"},"modified":"2022-06-23T09:21:16","modified_gmt":"2022-06-23T16:21:16","slug":"how-to-use-group-policy-to-remotely-install-software","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/SUMMALAI.COM\/?p=4209","title":{"rendered":"How to Use Group Policy to Remotely Install Software"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>This article describes how to use Group Policy to automatically distribute programs to client computers or users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Original KB number:<\/em>&nbsp;&nbsp; 816102<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"summary\"><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.microsoft.com\/en-us\/troubleshoot\/windows-server\/group-policy\/use-group-policy-to-install-software#summary\"><\/a>Summary<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You can use Group Policy to distribute computer programs by using the following methods:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Assigning softwareYou can assign a program distribution to users or computers. If you assign the program to a user, it&#8217;s installed when the user logs on to the computer. When the user first runs the program, the installation is completed. If you assign the program to a computer, it&#8217;s installed when the computer starts, and it&#8217;s available to all users who log on to the computer. When a user first runs the program, the installation is completed.<\/li><li>Publishing softwareYou can publish a program distribution to users. When the user logs on to the computer, the published program is displayed in the&nbsp;<strong>Add or Remove Programs<\/strong>&nbsp;dialog box, and it can be installed from there.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>&nbsp;Note<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Windows Server 2003 Group Policy automated-program installation requires client computers that are running Microsoft Windows 2000 or a later version.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"create-a-distribution-point\"><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.microsoft.com\/en-us\/troubleshoot\/windows-server\/group-policy\/use-group-policy-to-install-software#create-a-distribution-point\"><\/a>Create a distribution point<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>To publish or assign a computer program, create a distribution point on the publishing server by following these steps:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Log on to the server as an administrator.<\/li><li>Create a shared network folder where you&#8217;ll put the Windows Installer package (.msi file) that you want to distribute.<\/li><li>Set permissions on the share to allow access to the distribution package.<\/li><li>Copy or install the package to the distribution point. For example, to distribute a .msi file, run the administrative installation (<code>setup.exe \/a<\/code>) to copy the files to the distribution point.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"create-a-group-policy-object\"><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.microsoft.com\/en-us\/troubleshoot\/windows-server\/group-policy\/use-group-policy-to-install-software#create-a-group-policy-object\"><\/a>Create a Group Policy Object<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>To create a Group Policy Object (GPO) to use to distribute the software package, follow these steps:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Start the Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in by clicking&nbsp;<strong>Start<\/strong>, pointing to&nbsp;<strong>Administrative Tools<\/strong>, and then clicking&nbsp;<strong>Active Directory Users and Computers<\/strong>.<\/li><li>In the console tree, right-click your domain, and then click&nbsp;<strong>Properties<\/strong>.<\/li><li>Click the&nbsp;<strong>Group Policy<\/strong>&nbsp;tab, and then click&nbsp;<strong>New<\/strong>.<\/li><li>Type a name for this new policy, and then press Enter.<\/li><li>Click&nbsp;<strong>Properties<\/strong>, and then click the&nbsp;<strong>Security<\/strong>&nbsp;tab.<\/li><li>Clear the&nbsp;<strong>Apply Group Policy<\/strong>&nbsp;check box for the security groups that you don&#8217;t want this policy to apply to.<\/li><li>Select the&nbsp;<strong>Apply Group Policy<\/strong>&nbsp;check box for the groups that you want this policy to apply to.<\/li><li>When you&#8217;re finished, click&nbsp;<strong>OK<\/strong>.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"assign-a-package\"><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.microsoft.com\/en-us\/troubleshoot\/windows-server\/group-policy\/use-group-policy-to-install-software#assign-a-package\"><\/a>Assign a package<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>To assign a program to computers that are running Windows Server 2003, Windows 2000, or Windows XP Professional, or to users who are logging on to one of these workstations, follow these steps:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Start the Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in by clicking&nbsp;<strong>Start<\/strong>, pointing to&nbsp;<strong>Administrative Tools<\/strong>, and then clicking&nbsp;<strong>Active Directory Users and Computers<\/strong>.<\/li><li>In the console tree, right-click your domain, and then click&nbsp;<strong>Properties<\/strong>.<\/li><li>Click the&nbsp;<strong>Group Policy<\/strong>&nbsp;tab, select the policy that you want, and then click&nbsp;<strong>Edit<\/strong>.<\/li><li>Under&nbsp;<strong>Computer Configuration<\/strong>, expand&nbsp;<strong>Software Settings<\/strong>.<\/li><li>Right-click&nbsp;<strong>Software installation<\/strong>, point to&nbsp;<strong>New<\/strong>, and then click&nbsp;<strong>Package<\/strong>.<\/li><li>In the&nbsp;<strong>Open<\/strong>&nbsp;dialog box, type the full Universal Naming Convention (UNC) path of the shared installer package that you want. For example,&nbsp;<code>\\\\&lt;file server&gt;\\&lt;share&gt;\\&lt;file name&gt;.msi<\/code>.&nbsp;ImportantDon&#8217;t use the&nbsp;<strong>Browse<\/strong>&nbsp;button to access the location. Make sure that you use the UNC path of the shared installer package.<\/li><li>Click&nbsp;<strong>Open<\/strong>.<\/li><li>Click&nbsp;<strong>Assigned<\/strong>, and then click&nbsp;<strong>OK<\/strong>. The package is listed in the right-pane of the&nbsp;<strong>Group Policy<\/strong>&nbsp;window.<\/li><li>Close the&nbsp;<strong>Group Policy<\/strong>&nbsp;snap-in, click&nbsp;<strong>OK<\/strong>, and then close the Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in.<\/li><li>When the client computer starts, the managed software package is automatically installed.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"publish-a-package\"><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.microsoft.com\/en-us\/troubleshoot\/windows-server\/group-policy\/use-group-policy-to-install-software#publish-a-package\"><\/a>Publish a package<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>To publish a package to computer users and make it available for installation from the&nbsp;<strong>Add or Remove Programs<\/strong>&nbsp;list in Control Panel, follow these steps:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Start the Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in by clicking&nbsp;<strong>Start<\/strong>, pointing to&nbsp;<strong>Administrative Tools<\/strong>, and then clicking&nbsp;<strong>Active Directory Users and Computers<\/strong>.<\/li><li>In the console tree, right-click your domain, and then click&nbsp;<strong>Properties<\/strong>.<\/li><li>Click the&nbsp;<strong>Group Policy<\/strong>&nbsp;tab, click the policy that you want, and then click&nbsp;<strong>Edit<\/strong>.<\/li><li>Under&nbsp;<strong>User Configuration<\/strong>, expand&nbsp;<strong>Software Settings<\/strong>.<\/li><li>Right-click&nbsp;<strong>Software installation<\/strong>, point to&nbsp;<strong>New<\/strong>, and then click&nbsp;<strong>Package<\/strong>.<\/li><li>In the&nbsp;<strong>Open<\/strong>&nbsp;dialog box, type the full UNC path of the shared installer package that you want. For example,&nbsp;<code>\\\\file server\\share\\file name.msi<\/code>.&nbsp;ImportantDon&#8217;t use the&nbsp;<strong>Browse<\/strong>&nbsp;button to access the location. Make sure that you use the UNC path of the shared installer package.<\/li><li>Click&nbsp;<strong>Open<\/strong>.<\/li><li>Click&nbsp;<strong>Publish<\/strong>, and then click&nbsp;<strong>OK<\/strong>.<\/li><li>The package is listed in the right-pane of the&nbsp;<strong>Group Policy<\/strong>&nbsp;window.<\/li><li>Close the Group Policy snap-in, click&nbsp;<strong>OK<\/strong>, and then close the Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in.<\/li><li>Test the package.&nbsp;NoteBecause there are several versions of Windows, the following steps may be different on your computer. If they are, see your product documentation to complete these steps.<ol><li>Log on to a workstation that is running Windows 2000 Professional or Windows XP Professional by using an account that you published the package to.<\/li><li>In Windows XP, click&nbsp;<strong>Start<\/strong>, and then click&nbsp;<strong>Control Panel<\/strong>.<\/li><li>Double-click&nbsp;<strong>Add or Remove Programs<\/strong>, and then click&nbsp;<strong>Add New Programs<\/strong>.<\/li><li>In the&nbsp;<strong>Add programs from your network<\/strong>&nbsp;list, click the program that you published, and then click&nbsp;<strong>Add<\/strong>. The program is installed.<\/li><li>Click&nbsp;<strong>OK<\/strong>, and then click&nbsp;<strong>Close<\/strong>.<\/li><\/ol><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"redeploy-a-package\"><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.microsoft.com\/en-us\/troubleshoot\/windows-server\/group-policy\/use-group-policy-to-install-software#redeploy-a-package\"><\/a>Redeploy a package<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In some cases, you may want to redeploy a software package (for example, if you upgrade or change the package). To redeploy a package, follow these steps:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Start the Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in by clicking&nbsp;<strong>Start<\/strong>, pointing to&nbsp;<strong>Administrative Tools<\/strong>, and then clicking&nbsp;<strong>Active Directory Users and Computers<\/strong>.<\/li><li>In the console tree, right-click your domain, and then click&nbsp;<strong>Properties<\/strong>.<\/li><li>Click the&nbsp;<strong>Group Policy<\/strong>&nbsp;tab, click the Group Policy Object that you used to deploy the package, and then click&nbsp;<strong>Edit<\/strong>.<\/li><li>Expand the&nbsp;<strong>Software Settings<\/strong>&nbsp;container that contains the software installation item that you used to deploy the package.<\/li><li>Click the software installation container that contains the package.<\/li><li>In the right-pane of the&nbsp;<strong>Group Policy<\/strong>&nbsp;window, right-click the program, point to&nbsp;<strong>All Tasks<\/strong>, and then click&nbsp;<strong>Redeploy application<\/strong>. You will receive the following message:Redeploying this application will reinstall the application everywhere it is already installed. Do you want to continue?<\/li><li>Click&nbsp;<strong>Yes<\/strong>.<\/li><li>Quit the Group Policy snap-in, click&nbsp;<strong>OK<\/strong>, and then close the Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"remove-a-package\"><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.microsoft.com\/en-us\/troubleshoot\/windows-server\/group-policy\/use-group-policy-to-install-software#remove-a-package\"><\/a>Remove a package<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>To remove a published or assigned package, follow these steps:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Start the Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in by clicking&nbsp;<strong>Start<\/strong>, pointing to&nbsp;<strong>Administrative Tools<\/strong>, and then clicking&nbsp;<strong>Active Directory Users and Computers<\/strong>.<\/li><li>In the console tree, right-click your domain, and then click&nbsp;<strong>Properties<\/strong>.<\/li><li>Click the&nbsp;<strong>Group Policy<\/strong>&nbsp;tab, click the Group Policy Object that you used to deploy the package, and then click&nbsp;<strong>Edit<\/strong>.<\/li><li>Expand the&nbsp;<strong>Software Settings<\/strong>&nbsp;container that contains the software installation item that you used to deploy the package.<\/li><li>Click the software installation container that contains the package.<\/li><li>In the right-pane of the&nbsp;<strong>Group Policy<\/strong>&nbsp;window, right-click the program, point to&nbsp;<strong>All Tasks<\/strong>, and then click&nbsp;<strong>Remove<\/strong>.<\/li><li>Perform one of the following actions:<ul><li>Click&nbsp;<strong>Immediately uninstall the software from users and computers<\/strong>, and then click&nbsp;<strong>OK<\/strong>.<\/li><li>Click&nbsp;<strong>Allow users to continue to use the software but prevent new installations<\/strong>, and then click&nbsp;<strong>OK<\/strong>.<\/li><\/ul><\/li><li>Close the Group Policy snap-in, click&nbsp;<strong>OK<\/strong>, and then closet the Active Directory Users and Computers snap-in.<\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"troubleshoot\"><a href=\"https:\/\/docs.microsoft.com\/en-us\/troubleshoot\/windows-server\/group-policy\/use-group-policy-to-install-software#troubleshoot\"><\/a>Troubleshoot<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Published packages are displayed on a client computer after you use a Group Policy to remove them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This situation can occur when a user has installed the program but hasn&#8217;t used it. When the user first starts the published program, the installation is finished. Group Policy then removes the program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ref: https:\/\/docs.microsoft.com\/en-us\/troubleshoot\/windows-server\/group-policy\/use-group-policy-to-install-software<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This article describes how to use Group Policy to automatically distribute programs to client computers or users. Original KB number:&nbsp;&nbsp; 816102 Summary You can use Group Policy to distribute computer programs by using the following methods: Assigning softwareYou can assign a program distribution to users or computers. If you assign the program to a user, <a class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/SUMMALAI.COM\/?p=4209\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10,14,15],"tags":[1219,1218],"class_list":["post-4209","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-microsoft","category-windows-7-8-10","category-windows-servers","tag-use-group-policy-to-install-software","tag-use-group-policy-to-remotely-install-software"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/SUMMALAI.COM\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4209","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/SUMMALAI.COM\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/SUMMALAI.COM\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/SUMMALAI.COM\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/SUMMALAI.COM\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4209"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/SUMMALAI.COM\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4209\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4213,"href":"https:\/\/SUMMALAI.COM\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4209\/revisions\/4213"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/SUMMALAI.COM\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4209"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/SUMMALAI.COM\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4209"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/SUMMALAI.COM\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4209"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}