windows-itpro-docs/browsers/internet-explorer/ie11-deploy-guide/group-policy-preferences-and-ie11.md

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description	ms.assetid	author	ms.prod	ms.mktglfcycl	ms.sitesec	ms.pagetype	title
Info about Group Policy preferences versus Group Policy settings	f2264c97-7f09-4f28-bb5c-58ab80dcc6ee	eross-msft	ie11	deploy	library	security	Group policy preferences and Internet Explorer 11 (Internet Explorer 11 for IT Pros)

Group policy preferences and Internet Explorer 11

Group Policy preferences are less strict than Group Policy settings, based on:

	Group Policy preferences	Group Policy settings
Enforcement	Not enforced Has the user interface turned on Can only be refreshed or applied once	Enforced Has the user interface turned off Can be refreshed multiple times
Flexibility	Lets you create preference items for registry settings, files, and folders.	Requires app support Needs you to create Administrative Templates for new policy settings Won't let you create policy settings to manage files and folders
Local Group Policy	Not available	Available
Awareness	Supports apps that aren't Group Policy-aware	Requires apps to be Group Policy-aware
Storage	Overwrites the original settings Removing the preference doesn't restore the original setting	Doesn't overwrite the original settings Stored in the Policy branches of the registry Removing the setting restores the original setting
Targeting and filtering	Targeting is specific, with a user interface for each type of targeting item Supports targeting at the individual preference item level	Filtering is based on Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI), and requires writing WMI queries Supports filtering at the Group Policy Object (GPO) level

For more information about Group Policy preferences, see the Group Policy Settings Reference for Windows and Windows Server.