Windows 11 26H2 ADMX Templates and Policy Spreadsheet: Central Store Deployment Guide

The files appeared at the same time as the feature update. On AskWoody, Susan Bradley wrote on September 29, 2026 that Windows 11 26H2 was being offered, and when she scanned for updates it offered to download and install. In the same post, she noted that for business users, Abbodii had found links to the Windows 11 26H2 Administrative Templates, a separate ADMX package for Windows Server 2025 (September 2026 release), and Group Policy Settings Reference Spreadsheets.

What Microsoft published​

The Download Center listing for the templates shows version 1.0, published 9/29/2026. The file is "Administrative Templates (.admx) for Windows 11 Sep 2026 Update.msi" and it's 14.6 MB. Microsoft's description is short: Group Policy tools use Administrative template files to populate policy settings in the user interface, which allows administrators to manage registry-based policy settings.

The companion spreadsheet is also version 1.0, dated September 29. It's an English (United States) Excel workbook called Windows11andWindowsServer2019PolicySettings--26H2.xlsx, and it's 787.6 KB. Yes, a 26H2 workbook still has "WindowsServer2019" in its filename. Microsoft's naming habits are older than some of your help desk staff. According to Microsoft, the workbook lists the computer and user configuration policy settings in the 26H2 template files. You can filter it by one or more column values, including custom filters. You'll need Excel or Excel Viewer to open it.

Some housekeeping details for the ADMX package:

• Languages: It covers 22 locales, from cs-CZ Czech to zh-TW Chinese (Taiwan), including de-DE, fr-FR, ja-JP, ko-KR, pt-BR and en-US. Check that your required ADML language folders are included before you build a Central Store.
• Rights: Microsoft says you need user rights to run the Group Policy Management Editor (gpme.msc) or the Group Policy Object Editor (gpedit.msc).
• Odd OS list: Both listings name Windows Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, 10 and 11 as supported systems. That's boilerplate from earlier template pages. It doesn't mean anyone should run 26H2 policy administration from a Vista box.

Section summary: You get two version-1.0 files, both dated September 29: a 14.6 MB MSI with templates in 22 languages and a 787.6 KB Excel index of the policies.

What these files do and don't do​

These files don't change your devices. The ADMX package contains editor definitions. Language-neutral .admx files describe registry-based policies, and language-specific .adml files supply the display text. With them, Group Policy Management Editor can show 26H2 settings. Your PCs don't change until you configure a GPO and it applies.

The spreadsheet is a reference tool. You can filter it to find the settings you care about, then make the change in a GPO. One caution: Microsoft's listing doesn't say how many settings are new or changed in 26H2. This article doesn't claim a count, and you shouldn't trust anyone who does until they've diffed the workbook against the 25H2 version. The 25H2 V3.0 spreadsheet and templates are still listed as related resources on the Download Center, so you can do that comparison yourself.

Why 26H2 admins should care​

Microsoft's IT-pro "What's new" page calls 26H2 an annual feature update that shares a servicing foundation with 25H2 and 24H2. Eligible 25H2 and 24H2 devices move up through a small enablement package, usually with a single restart. Microsoft also says many features you might associate with 26H2 may already have arrived through monthly servicing. Version 26H2 turns on selected features and resets the support lifecycle.

Several items on that page are worth checking against your policy baseline:

• Administrator protection: It gives just-in-time admin privileges with profile separation instead of standing admin rights. It's off by default, and you can enable it with Intune or Group Policy.
• Built-in Sysmon: It's off by default. It supports custom configuration files and writes events to the Windows Event Log.
• Smart App Control: You can now turn it on or off without a clean install of Windows.
• Commercial defaults flipping on: Windows settings backup, app-specific taskbar actions and some File Explorer enhancements are now enabled by default on eligible commercial devices. Microsoft says existing admin-configured policies for settings backup are still honoured.
• New Group Policy-configurable items: Microsoft says you can configure Multi-App Camera and Basic Camera modes through Group Policy. You can also list extra MSIX or APPX packaged Microsoft apps for removal by package family name through Group Policy.
• Removal: WMIC is gone from 24H2 and later and isn't available as a Feature on Demand. Scripts that still call it need to be rewritten.

Microsoft's documentation doesn't say which of these features have a matching policy in this particular 26H2 template package. Use the spreadsheet as your checklist and confirm in the editor.

How to roll the templates into a Central Store safely​

Microsoft's long-standing Central Store guidance (originally KB 3087759) is the procedure to follow. The main rule is: don't overwrite your live PolicyDefinitions folder. Microsoft also cautions that the downloaded ADMX packages are meant for the Central Store scenario, and that replacing files in C:\Windows\PolicyDefinitions isn't supported.

• Download and install the MSI on an admin workstation. Microsoft's guidance says separately downloaded templates are extracted to a version-specific folder under C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Group Policy\.
• Create a new, versioned folder next to your current Central Store, for example \\contoso.com\SYSVOL\contoso.com\policies\PolicyDefinitions-26H2. Microsoft's own example uses the 24H2 name, but the pattern is the same.
• Copy in the full OS template set, including the .admx files and the ADML language folders you need, such as en-US.
• Merge your extra templates. Microsoft suggests keeping a repository of ADMX/ADML files for things like Microsoft Office, MDOP and third-party apps. Add those to the new folder too.
• Test before go-live. Microsoft documents an update that lets the Group Policy editor use local ADMX files instead of the Central Store. You can use it to test the new folder on an admin workstation against your domain policies.
• Swap the folders. Rename the current PolicyDefinitions to something like PolicyDefinitions-25H2, then rename the new folder to PolicyDefinitions. The Central Store replicates to all domain controllers in the domain.
• Keep the old folder for rollback. Once things are stable, archive it outside SYSVOL.

What success looks like: The editor opens Computer Configuration and User Configuration > Policies without namespace or resource errors, and 26H2 settings listed in the spreadsheet appear in the tree.

Common failure points: Microsoft has documented two errors caused by overwriting a Central Store with mismatched files:

• A "namespace … is already defined" error involving Microsoft.Policies.Sensors.WindowsLocationProvider.
• A missing-resource error caused by a mismatched SearchOCR ADMX/ADML pair.

Microsoft's fix for both is the same: build a clean PolicyDefinitions folder from a base OS release instead of stacking new files on old ones. Older Office templates can cause a related problem. Microsoft notes that Office ships separate ADMX/ADML sets for each release, so policies for an older version may need an older definitions folder to stay editable.

Intune and other MDM tools​

Some ADMX-backed settings can also be delivered through the Policy Configuration Service Provider (Policy CSP), so you don't have to rely only on domain Group Policy. That doesn't mean every setting in this package is available in every MDM product. Microsoft's Policy CSP documentation says ADMX-backed policies need a special SyncML format with a chr data type. Each CSP entry defines its own scope, device or user, and its applicability. Check the documentation for each policy before you assume you can push it through MDM.

The verdict​

This isn't a flashy release. But if you skip it, you can end up with policies your editor can't display. Microsoft hasn't said what changed between the 25H2 and 26H2 templates, so do the comparison yourself. Build a clean folder, check it against your GPOs, and keep the old one for rollback. Pay closest attention to administrator protection, Sysmon, Smart App Control and the commercial defaults that are now switched on.

Update: Petri reports 28 new Group Policy settings in Windows 11 26H2 (October 6, 2026)​

Windows 11 26H2 introduces 28 new Group Policy settings, according to Petri IT Knowledgebase’s October 6 report. That adds a reported count to the earlier coverage, which left the number of additions unconfirmed. Petri’s figure should not be treated as a Microsoft-published comparison of the template packages.

According to Petri, the additions let administrators restrict taskbar changes, suppress Copilot and Get Started onboarding experiences, and limit how long users can pause updates. The outlet also reports controls for File Explorer prelaunching, Print Screen key behavior, mounting ReFS volumes on external drives, and printer-driver selection for Windows Ready Print-compatible devices.

For deployment planning, Petri flags printer compatibility and resource use as areas needing attention: the reported preference for Microsoft’s IPP Class Driver could affect vendor-specific printing capabilities, while File Explorer prelaunching may consume additional resources. These reported additions provide a more focused checklist for template validation and pilot testing, rather than a reason to enable every restriction. Administrators should verify each setting’s availability and behavior before incorporating it into production GPOs.