Automatic Maintenance Random Delay
Verified with Windows 11 25H2 — updated on July 30, 2026
Supported on: At least Windows Server 2012, Windows 8 or Windows RT
Path in the GPO console
Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Maintenance Scheduler Description
This policy setting allows you to configure Automatic Maintenance activation random delay. The maintenance random delay is the amount of time up to which Automatic Maintenance will delay starting from its Activation Boundary. If you enable this policy setting, Automatic Maintenance will delay starting from its Activation Boundary, by upto this time. If you do not configure this policy setting, 4 hour random delay will be applied to Automatic Maintenance. If you disable this policy setting, no random delay will be applied to Automatic Maintenance.
Registry
HKLM
Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Task Scheduler\Maintenance Value name: Randomized
Enabled: Randomized = 1
Disabled: Randomized = 0
MDM / Intune (CSP)
./Device/Vendor/MSFT/Policy/Config/ADMX_msched/RandomDelayPolicy Microsoft Learn documentation Mapping data: Microsoft Learn (CC BY 4.0)
Export Builder
BETAConfigure the state, scope and options, then generate .reg, PowerShell, Intune and SCCM outputs — or add the setting to a multi-setting collection.
These exports write the registry — this is not a managed GPO. ⓘ
.reg file
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
; Exported from gporais.com
; Policy: Automatic Maintenance Random Delay
; State: Enabled
; Supported on: At least Windows Server 2012, Windows 8 or Windows RT
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Task Scheduler\Maintenance]
"Randomized"=dword:00000001
"Random Delay"=""More formats (PowerShell, Intune, SCCM)
PowerShell
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Automatic Maintenance Random Delay
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: At least Windows Server 2012, Windows 8 or Windows RT
$path = 'HKLM:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Task Scheduler\Maintenance'
New-Item -Path $path -Force | Out-Null
Set-ItemProperty -Path $path -Name 'Randomized' -Value 1 -Type DWord
Set-ItemProperty -Path $path -Name 'Random Delay' -Value '' -Type StringIntune XML
OMA-URI: ./Device/Vendor/MSFT/Policy/Config/ADMX_msched/RandomDelayPolicy
Data type: String
Value:
<enabled/>
<data id="RandomDelay" value=""/>Intune Remediation
# === Detection script ===
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Automatic Maintenance Random Delay
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: At least Windows Server 2012, Windows 8 or Windows RT
function Test-RegistryValue {
param(
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string]$Path,
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string]$Name,
[object]$Expected,
[ValidateSet('String', 'DWord', 'MultiString')][string]$Kind = 'String',
[switch]$Absent
)
try {
$item = Get-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $Name -ErrorAction Stop
} catch {
return $Absent.IsPresent
}
if ($Absent.IsPresent) { return $false }
$actual = $item.$Name
if ($Kind -eq 'DWord') { return ([int64]$actual) -eq ([int64]$Expected) }
if ($Kind -eq 'MultiString') {
$actualValues = @($actual)
$expectedValues = @($Expected)
if ($actualValues.Count -ne $expectedValues.Count) { return $false }
for ($i = 0; $i -lt $expectedValues.Count; $i++) {
if ([string]$actualValues[$i] -ne [string]$expectedValues[$i]) { return $false }
}
return $true
}
return [string]$actual -eq [string]$Expected
}
$checks = @(
(Test-RegistryValue -Path 'HKLM:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Task Scheduler\Maintenance' -Name 'Randomized' -Expected 1 -Kind DWord)
(Test-RegistryValue -Path 'HKLM:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Task Scheduler\Maintenance' -Name 'Random Delay' -Expected '' -Kind String)
)
if ($checks -notcontains $false) {
Write-Output 'Compliant'
exit 0
}
Write-Output 'Non-compliant'
exit 1
# === Remediation script ===
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Automatic Maintenance Random Delay
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: At least Windows Server 2012, Windows 8 or Windows RT
$path = 'HKLM:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Task Scheduler\Maintenance'
New-Item -Path $path -Force | Out-Null
Set-ItemProperty -Path $path -Name 'Randomized' -Value 1 -Type DWord
Set-ItemProperty -Path $path -Name 'Random Delay' -Value '' -Type StringSCCM scripts
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Automatic Maintenance Random Delay
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: At least Windows Server 2012, Windows 8 or Windows RT
# SCCM Configuration Item guidance:
# Create a Configuration Item of type "Setting: Script".
# Discovery script: use the Detection script below.
# Remediation script: use the Remediation script below.
# Compliance rule: the Discovery script output equals 'Compliant'.
# === Detection script ===
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Automatic Maintenance Random Delay
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: At least Windows Server 2012, Windows 8 or Windows RT
function Test-RegistryValue {
param(
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string]$Path,
[Parameter(Mandatory = $true)][string]$Name,
[object]$Expected,
[ValidateSet('String', 'DWord', 'MultiString')][string]$Kind = 'String',
[switch]$Absent
)
try {
$item = Get-ItemProperty -LiteralPath $Path -Name $Name -ErrorAction Stop
} catch {
return $Absent.IsPresent
}
if ($Absent.IsPresent) { return $false }
$actual = $item.$Name
if ($Kind -eq 'DWord') { return ([int64]$actual) -eq ([int64]$Expected) }
if ($Kind -eq 'MultiString') {
$actualValues = @($actual)
$expectedValues = @($Expected)
if ($actualValues.Count -ne $expectedValues.Count) { return $false }
for ($i = 0; $i -lt $expectedValues.Count; $i++) {
if ([string]$actualValues[$i] -ne [string]$expectedValues[$i]) { return $false }
}
return $true
}
return [string]$actual -eq [string]$Expected
}
$checks = @(
(Test-RegistryValue -Path 'HKLM:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Task Scheduler\Maintenance' -Name 'Randomized' -Expected 1 -Kind DWord)
(Test-RegistryValue -Path 'HKLM:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Task Scheduler\Maintenance' -Name 'Random Delay' -Expected '' -Kind String)
)
if ($checks -notcontains $false) {
Write-Output 'Compliant'
exit 0
}
Write-Output 'Non-compliant'
exit 1
# === Remediation script ===
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Automatic Maintenance Random Delay
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: At least Windows Server 2012, Windows 8 or Windows RT
$path = 'HKLM:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Task Scheduler\Maintenance'
New-Item -Path $path -Force | Out-Null
Set-ItemProperty -Path $path -Name 'Randomized' -Value 1 -Type DWord
Set-ItemProperty -Path $path -Name 'Random Delay' -Value '' -Type StringBuilding a multi-setting collection? Add this setting and generate combined .reg / PowerShell / GPO scripts.