Define device control policy groups: registry value PolicyGroupsComputerHKLM\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender\Device Control\Policy Groups

Policy ID: DeviceControl_PolicyGroups
Scope: Computer Configuration
Supported on: At least Windows Server 2016, Windows 10 Version 1607
Source: Administrative Templates (.admx) for Windows 11 2026 Update (26H2) (version 1.0)
Category: Windows Components › Microsoft Defender Antivirus › Device Control

Registry

PolicyGroups

REG_SZComputer

HKLM\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender\Device Control\Policy Groups Current key

Enabled value: Depends on the option value
Element: Define the policy groups here
Value type: REG_SZ
Required: true

Apply with .reg · CMD · PowerShell

.reg

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender\Device Control\Policy Groups]

; Value names and types follow the ADMX. Replace <enter value> below with your own data
"PolicyGroups"="<enter value>"

CMD

:: Value names and types follow the ADMX. Replace <enter value> below with your own data

reg add "HKLM\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender\Device Control\Policy Groups" /v "PolicyGroups" /t REG_SZ /d "<enter value>" /f

PowerShell

# Value names and types follow the ADMX. Replace <enter value> below with your own data

New-Item -Path 'HKLM:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender\Device Control\Policy Groups' -Force | Out-Null
New-ItemProperty -Path 'HKLM:\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows Defender\Device Control\Policy Groups' -Name 'PolicyGroups' -PropertyType String -Value '<enter value>' -Force | Out-Null