Specify Work Folders settings
Verified with Windows 11 25H2 — updated on July 10, 2026
Supported on: At least Windows Server 2008 R2 or Windows 7
Path in the GPO console
User Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Work Folders Description
This policy setting specifies the Work Folders server for affected users, as well as whether or not users are allowed to change settings when setting up Work Folders on a domain-joined computer. If you enable this policy setting, affected users receive Work Folders settings when they sign in to a domain-joined PC. If this policy setting is disabled or not configured, no Work Folders settings are specified for the affected users, though users can manually set up Work Folders by using the Work Folders Control Panel item. The "Work Folders URL" can specify either the URL used by the organization for Work Folders discovery, or the specific URL of the file server that stores the affected users' data. The "Work Folders Local Path" specifies the local folder used on the client machine to sync files. This path may contain environment variables. Note: In order for this configuration to take effect, a valid 'Work Folders URL' must also be specified. The “On-demand file access preference” option controls whether to enable on-demand file access. When enabled, the user controls which files in Work Folders are available offline on a given PC. The rest of the files in Work Folders are always visible and don’t take up any space on the PC, but the user must be connected to the Internet to access them. If you enable this policy setting, on-demand file access is enabled. If you disable this policy setting, on-demand file access is disabled, and enough storage space to store all the user’s files is required on each of their PCs. If you specify User choice or do not configure this policy setting, the user decides whether to enable on-demand file access. However, if the Force automatic setup policy setting is enabled, Work Folders is set up automatically with on-demand file access enabled. The "Force automatic setup" option specifies that Work Folders should be set up automatically without prompting users. This prevents users from choosing not to use Work Folders on the computer; it also prevents them from manually specifying the local folder in which Work Folders stores files. By default, Work Folders is stored in the "%USERPROFILE%\Work Folders" folder. If this option is not specified, users must use the Work Folders Control Panel item on their computers to set up Work Folders.
Registry
Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WorkFolders 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: Specify Work Folders settings
; State: Enabled
; Supported on: At least Windows Server 2008 R2 or Windows 7
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WorkFolders]
"SyncUrl"=""
"LocalFolderPath"=""
"GhostingPreference"=dword:00000001
"AutoProvision"=dword:00000000More formats (PowerShell, Intune, SCCM)
PowerShell
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Specify Work Folders settings
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: At least Windows Server 2008 R2 or Windows 7
# Warning: In SYSTEM context (the Intune default), HKCU targets the SYSTEM profile. Run this script using the logged-on credentials.
$path = 'HKCU:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WorkFolders'
New-Item -Path $path -Force | Out-Null
Set-ItemProperty -Path $path -Name 'SyncUrl' -Value '' -Type String
Set-ItemProperty -Path $path -Name 'LocalFolderPath' -Value '' -Type String
Set-ItemProperty -Path $path -Name 'GhostingPreference' -Value 1 -Type DWord
Set-ItemProperty -Path $path -Name 'AutoProvision' -Value 0 -Type DWordIntune XML
No direct Policy CSP / OMA-URI mapping for this policy. Use the Intune Remediation tab, or ingest the ADMX in Intune.Intune Remediation
# === Detection script ===
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Specify Work Folders settings
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: At least Windows Server 2008 R2 or Windows 7
# Warning: In SYSTEM context (the Intune default), HKCU targets the SYSTEM profile. Run this script using the logged-on credentials.
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
}
$checks = @(
(Test-RegistryValue -Path 'HKCU:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WorkFolders' -Name 'SyncUrl' -Expected '' -Kind String)
(Test-RegistryValue -Path 'HKCU:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WorkFolders' -Name 'LocalFolderPath' -Expected '' -Kind String)
(Test-RegistryValue -Path 'HKCU:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WorkFolders' -Name 'GhostingPreference' -Expected 1 -Kind DWord)
(Test-RegistryValue -Path 'HKCU:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WorkFolders' -Name 'AutoProvision' -Expected 0 -Kind DWord)
)
if ($checks -notcontains $false) {
Write-Output 'Compliant'
exit 0
}
Write-Output 'Non-compliant'
exit 1
# === Remediation script ===
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Specify Work Folders settings
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: At least Windows Server 2008 R2 or Windows 7
# Warning: In SYSTEM context (the Intune default), HKCU targets the SYSTEM profile. Run this script using the logged-on credentials.
$path = 'HKCU:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WorkFolders'
New-Item -Path $path -Force | Out-Null
Set-ItemProperty -Path $path -Name 'SyncUrl' -Value '' -Type String
Set-ItemProperty -Path $path -Name 'LocalFolderPath' -Value '' -Type String
Set-ItemProperty -Path $path -Name 'GhostingPreference' -Value 1 -Type DWord
Set-ItemProperty -Path $path -Name 'AutoProvision' -Value 0 -Type DWordSCCM scripts
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Specify Work Folders settings
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: At least Windows Server 2008 R2 or Windows 7
# 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: Specify Work Folders settings
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: At least Windows Server 2008 R2 or Windows 7
# Warning: In SYSTEM context (the Intune default), HKCU targets the SYSTEM profile. Run this script using the logged-on credentials.
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
}
$checks = @(
(Test-RegistryValue -Path 'HKCU:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WorkFolders' -Name 'SyncUrl' -Expected '' -Kind String)
(Test-RegistryValue -Path 'HKCU:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WorkFolders' -Name 'LocalFolderPath' -Expected '' -Kind String)
(Test-RegistryValue -Path 'HKCU:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WorkFolders' -Name 'GhostingPreference' -Expected 1 -Kind DWord)
(Test-RegistryValue -Path 'HKCU:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WorkFolders' -Name 'AutoProvision' -Expected 0 -Kind DWord)
)
if ($checks -notcontains $false) {
Write-Output 'Compliant'
exit 0
}
Write-Output 'Non-compliant'
exit 1
# === Remediation script ===
# Exported from gporais.com
# Policy: Specify Work Folders settings
# State: Enabled
# Supported on: At least Windows Server 2008 R2 or Windows 7
# Warning: In SYSTEM context (the Intune default), HKCU targets the SYSTEM profile. Run this script using the logged-on credentials.
$path = 'HKCU:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WorkFolders'
New-Item -Path $path -Force | Out-Null
Set-ItemProperty -Path $path -Name 'SyncUrl' -Value '' -Type String
Set-ItemProperty -Path $path -Name 'LocalFolderPath' -Value '' -Type String
Set-ItemProperty -Path $path -Name 'GhostingPreference' -Value 1 -Type DWord
Set-ItemProperty -Path $path -Name 'AutoProvision' -Value 0 -Type DWordBuilding a multi-setting collection? Add this setting and generate combined .reg / PowerShell / GPO scripts.