Turn on BranchCache
Verified with Windows 11 25H2 — updated on July 30, 2026
Supported on: At least Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2*
Path in the GPO console
Computer Configuration\Administrative Templates\Network\BranchCache Description
This policy setting specifies whether BranchCache is enabled on client computers to which this policy is applied. In addition to this policy setting, you must specify whether the client computers are hosted cache mode or distributed cache mode clients. To do so, configure one of the following the policy settings: - Set BranchCache Distributed Cache mode - Set BranchCache Hosted Cache mode - Configure Hosted Cache Servers Policy configuration Select one of the following: - Not Configured. With this selection, BranchCache settings are not applied to client computers by this policy. In the circumstance where client computers are domain members but you do not want to enable BranchCache on all client computers, you can specify Not Configured for this domain Group Policy setting, and then configure local computer policy to enable BranchCache on individual client computers. Because the domain Group Policy setting is not configured, it will not over-write the enabled setting that you use on individual client computers where you want to enable BranchCache. - Enabled. With this selection, BranchCache is turned on for all client computers where the policy is applied. For example, if this policy is enabled in domain Group Policy, BranchCache is turned on for all domain member client computers to which the policy is applied. - Disabled. With this selection, BranchCache is turned off for all client computers where the policy is applied. * This policy setting is supported on computers that are running Windows Vista Business, Enterprise, and Ultimate editions with Background Intelligent Transfer Service (BITS) 4.0 installed.
Registry
SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\PeerDist\Service Value name: Enable
Enabled: Enable = 1
Disabled: Enable = 0
MDM / Intune (CSP)
./Device/Vendor/MSFT/Policy/Config/ADMX_PeerToPeerCaching/EnableWindowsBranchCache 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: Turn on BranchCache
; State: Enabled
; Supported on: At least Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2*
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\PeerDist\Service]
"Enable"=dword:00000001More formats (PowerShell, Intune, SCCM)
PowerShell
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Turn on BranchCache
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: At least Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2*
$path = 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\PeerDist\Service'
New-Item -Path $path -Force | Out-Null
Set-ItemProperty -Path $path -Name 'Enable' -Value 1 -Type DWordIntune XML
OMA-URI: ./Device/Vendor/MSFT/Policy/Config/ADMX_PeerToPeerCaching/EnableWindowsBranchCache
Data type: String
Value:
<enabled/>Intune Remediation
# === Detection script ===
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Turn on BranchCache
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: At least Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2*
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
}
$checks = @(
(Test-RegistryValue -Path 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\PeerDist\Service' -Name 'Enable' -Expected 1 -Kind DWord)
)
if ($checks -notcontains $false) {
Write-Output 'Compliant'
exit 0
}
Write-Output 'Non-compliant'
exit 1
# === Remediation script ===
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Turn on BranchCache
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: At least Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2*
$path = 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\PeerDist\Service'
New-Item -Path $path -Force | Out-Null
Set-ItemProperty -Path $path -Name 'Enable' -Value 1 -Type DWordSCCM scripts
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Turn on BranchCache
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: At least Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2*
# 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: Turn on BranchCache
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: At least Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2*
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
}
$checks = @(
(Test-RegistryValue -Path 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\PeerDist\Service' -Name 'Enable' -Expected 1 -Kind DWord)
)
if ($checks -notcontains $false) {
Write-Output 'Compliant'
exit 0
}
Write-Output 'Non-compliant'
exit 1
# === Remediation script ===
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Turn on BranchCache
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: At least Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2*
$path = 'HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\PeerDist\Service'
New-Item -Path $path -Force | Out-Null
Set-ItemProperty -Path $path -Name 'Enable' -Value 1 -Type DWordBuilding a multi-setting collection? Add this setting and generate combined .reg / PowerShell / GPO scripts.