Install Administrative Template Files for Microsoft Office

This step-by-step guide explains how to install administrative template files for Microsoft Office. We’ll download the latest version of Office ADMX/ADML files and import them into Active Directory.

Microsoft frequently updates policy templates with new configurations for managing Office application settings. Administrators must first manually import these ADMX/ADML files into the Active Directory. Once that is done, you can use the Group Policy Management administrative tool to configure the Group Policy settings for Office.

If you’ve already imported ADMX template files for Edge at your workplace, you’ll notice that the procedure is identical for importing templates for Office applications. Be sure to download the most recent policy template files by verifying their release version and date. Let’s get started.

Step 1: Download ADMX Template Files for Office

To begin with, open the browser and visit the Download Administrative Template files (ADMX/ADML) for Microsoft Office. Select the desired language and click on the Download button.

Note: This download includes the Group Policy Administrative Template files (ADMX/ADML) for Microsoft 365 Apps for enterprise, Office LTSC 2024, Office LTSC 2021, Office 2019, and Office 2016 and also includes the OPAX/OPAL files for the Office Customization Tool (OCT) for Office 2016.

Next, you’ll be asked if you want to download the 64-bit or 32-bit installer of admin templates. Based on business requirements, choose the one that you would like to download. In the below example, I am downloading the Office admin templates 64-bit installer.

Step 2: Extract Office Policy Template Files

Administrative Template files consist of .admx files and language-specific .adml files, designed for use by Group Policy administrators. To view the Office ADMX template files, right-click on the downloaded file and select Run as administrator. Accept the license terms for using these templates. Click Continue.

Select a folder on your Windows Server and click OK to extract the Office policy templates. In the below example, the template files are extracted to a separate folder named ‘Office Templates‘.

Browse to the folder where you extracted the template files for Office. Here you’ll find two important folders, admin and admx. The template files (ADMX/ADML) for Microsoft Office contain several settings that can be configured using Group Policy.

Step 3: Import Office Administrative Template Files in Active Directory

This section details the steps to add or import the office templates to Active Directory, and this process involves two steps:

1. Copy .ADMX files to the Windows\PolicyDefinitions folder.
2. Copy .ADML files to the Windows\PolicyDefinitions language folder.

The ‘PolicyDefinitions‘ folder (also known as Group Policy central store) is used in Windows domain controllers to store .admx files and .adml files for all languages enabled on client computers.

The below procedure should be performed either by domain administrator or enterprise administrator on the domain controller.

Step 3.1: Copy Office ADMX Files to PolicyDefinitions folder

Go to the folder where you have extracted the Office templates. Browse the admx folder, and here you will find the .admx file for each Microsoft Office app. Select these files, right-click and select Copy.

Paste the copied .admx files to %systemroot%\PolicyDefinitions folder. The C:\Windows\PolicyDefinitions folder now shows the latest .admx files that you just copied.

Note: Some administrators may encounter the message “destination folder access denied”. To bypass that message, select Do this for all current items and click Continue.

Step 3.2: Copy Office ADML Files to PolicyDefinitions folder

Go back to the folder where you have extracted the Office policy templates. Open the admx folder, and here you’ll find separate folders for each language. This language is what you chose while installing the Microsoft Office apps for users. In most cases, it would be either en-us or en-gb.

Each folder contains .adml files that need to be copied to the corresponding language folder within the respective PolicyDefinitions directory. In the below example, I am copying all the .adml files from the en-US folder.

Paste the ADML files to “%systemroot%\PolicyDefinitions\en-US” folder as shown in the below screenshot.

Step 4: Verify Imported Office Policy Settings in GPME

After importing the Office ADMX files, let’s check to see if the new policy settings for Office applications appear in the Group Policy Management Editor.

Launch the Group Policy Management console on the domain controller. Edit an existing GPO or right-click your domain entry and select Create a GPO in this domain, and Link it here. In the Group Policy Management Editor, expand Computer Configuration and User Configuration. Here, we see a new folder “Administrative Templates: Policy definitions (ADMX files) retrieved from the local computer.”

The sub-folders contain the latest policy definitions for Office apps. Administrators can create a GPO, configure individual policy settings for Office apps and apply them to Windows devices or users.