Working with ADMX Templates

ADMX files are XML-based administrative template files used by Windows Group Policy to define configurable settings in a standardized, XML-based format.  ADMX files tell the Group Policy Editor (gpedit.msc / GPMC) what policies exist, how to display them, and how to map those policies to registry keys and values.

UPA centralizes the management of ADMXs to help administrators control the adding and updating of ADMX files across the organization.  You can additionally add the ADMXs from your Central Store, third party vendor, or your custom ADMX files.

To Include ADMX Files in UPA:

1. Login to the Web Console as an Administrator.
2. Navigate to the Universal Policies tab.
3. Select a Universal Policy.
4. Click +.
5. In the Add Policies tab, click Include Policy Templates.
6. Select the templates to be included in the Universal Policy.
7. Click Include, to include the ADMX template to the Universal Policy.

UPA includes recent ADMX Templates.  You can add ADMXs and third-party templates from the Central Store in the Administrative Templates/Manage Policy Templates dialog as shown below.

Here’s a video showing how to add ADMX templates to UPA using the Dropbox ADMX as an example.