In this post, I will demonstrate different methods to configure the refresh interval for Server Manager. The default refresh interval for Server Manager is 10 minutes in Windows Server 2022 or later and it can be modified to a custom value.

The Server Manager is a management console that monitors the status of roles and features installed on managed servers, including the services that fail to start. It launches automatically by default on servers that are running Windows Server 2016 or later.

Install and Update Third Party Applications with Patch My PC
Install and Update Third Party Applications with Patch My PC

Every time the Server Manager refreshes, it is updated with the information about the roles and features that are installed on servers that you are managing by using Server Manager. However, if you don’t use Server Manager regularly apart from installing roles and features, you can change the Server Manager data refresh period from 10 minutes to a higher value.

Note: Setting the refresh interval too low will result in very frequent refreshes, which can affect the performance of your server and the network environment. The accepted Server Manager data refresh period values range from 1 minute (minimum) to 34560 minutes (maximum).

In one of my guides, I covered how to prevent Server Manager from starting automatically. The guide is useful for anyone who does not want to see the Server Manager immediately after signing in to Windows Server.

Manually Configure the Refresh Interval for Server Manager

If you have a handful of servers in your setup, you can manually modify the refresh time interval in the Server Manager console.

  1. On the Manage menu in the Server Manager console, click Server Manager Properties.
  2. In the Server Manager Properties dialog box, specify a time period (in minutes) for the amount of elapsed time you want between refreshes of the data that is displayed in Server Manager.

Click OK. Close the Server Manager console and relaunch it to see the changes take effect.

Manually Configure the Refresh Interval for Server Manager
Manually Configure the Refresh Interval for Server Manager

Configure Server Manager Refresh Interval using Group Policy

In this method, I will create a GPO to configure the Server Manager data refresh period. This GPO can be linked to an OU of Windows Servers to ensure that the policy settings are applied.

Log in to a domain controller and launch the Group Policy Management console. Right-click on Group Policy Objects and select New. Enter the new GPO name as “Configure Server Manager Refresh Interval” and click OK.

Create a GPO to modify Server Manager data refresh period
Create a GPO to modify Server Manager data refresh period

Right-click the GPO you created and select edit. In the group policy management editor, navigate to Computer Configuration > Policies > Administrative Templates > System > Server Manager. Right-click Configure the refresh interval for Server Manager setting and select Edit.

Configure Server Manager Refresh Interval using Group Policy
Configure Server Manager Refresh Interval using Group Policy

The policy setting supports three options:

  • Enabled: If you enable this policy setting, Server Manager uses the refresh interval specified in the policy setting instead of the “Refresh the data shown in Server Manager every [x] [minutes/hours/days]” setting that is configured in the Server Manager console.
  • Disabled: If you disable this policy setting, Server Manager does not refresh automatically.
  • Not Configured: If you do not configure this policy setting, Server Manager uses the refresh interval settings that are specified in the Server Manager console.

Select Enabled and then specify the time period for updating the server manager data. The time that you specify here is in minutes. In the below example, I have specified 60 minutes as the refresh interval. Click Apply and OK.

Configure Server Manager Refresh Interval using Group Policy
Configure Server Manager Refresh Interval using Group Policy

After the above GPO is configured, you must link it to the OU that contains the Windows Servers to which you want to apply these settings.

To confirm if the refresh interval value is applied to the servers, launch the Server Manager and select Manage > Server Manager Properties. Here you’ll notice that the setting Specify the Server Manager data refresh period (in minutes) value is configured to 60 minutes as per the group policy and the user cannot modify it now as it is greyed out.

Configure Server Manager Refresh Interval using Group Policy
Configure Server Manager Refresh Interval using Group Policy

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Prajwal Desai

Prajwal Desai is a technology expert and 10 time Dual Microsoft MVP (Most Valuable Professional) with a strong focus on Microsoft Intune, SCCM, Windows 365, Enterprise Mobility, and Windows. He is a renowned author, speaker, & community leader, known for sharing his expertise & knowledge through his blog, YouTube, conferences, webinars etc.