How to audit GPO changes. Group Policy Objects let you apply policies at scale, but this also means small errors can have far-reaching consequences. Knowing how to audit GPO changes protects your infrastructure. In this video, we discuss how to track GPO changes using built-in tools, versioned backups, and continuous monitoring alerts. Before we begin, be sure to subscribe to NinjaOne's YouTube channel and IT Video Hub for more tech content like this. Enable native auditing. Start by tracking changes to GPOs and organizational units using built-in directory service auditing on domain controllers. To do so, follow these steps. Press Win plus R, type gpmc.msc, and press Enter to open the Group Policy Management Console, GPMC. Create or edit a GPO linked to the domain controller's OU. Navigate to Computer Configuration, then Windows Settings, then Security Settings, then Advanced Audit Policy Configuration, then Audit Policies, and finally to DS Access. Enable Audit Directory Service Changes, Audit Policy Change, and Audit Account Management for success and failure. Apply the GPO so the settings replicate to all domain controllers. Finally, use adsiedit.msc to configure object-level auditing for the target containers and permissions you want to audit. Know the events that matter. Some events, such as GPO changes, OU changes, and security filter and delegation alerts matter more than others. So prioritize impactful signals to reduce alert fatigue. You can use the following key event IDs shown on-screen to filter out critical events and simplify your audit. Centralize and protect the logs. Centralizing logs across domain controllers with Windows Event Forwarding makes evidence easier to query and bolsters compliance. Run wecutil qc to set up the Windows Event Collector service. Then create a subscription in Event Viewer with the destination set to forwarded events. Source-initiated mode is recommended for most domain environments. Standardize fields like the editor account, target object's distinguished name, change type, and originating domain controller. Backup, version, and diff GPOs. Prepare contingencies for safe rollbacks with these steps. In the Group Policy Management Console, right-click Group Policy Objects and select Backup All. Choose a secure, access-controlled location. Form a GPO change register tracking GPO name, version, editor, reason, and ticket ID. Compare current settings to previous versions using GPMC for quick analysis. Alert on high-risk changes and extend to OUs. Monitor event ID 5136 for GPO modifications and use PowerShell or SIEM tools to correlate GUIDs to readable GPO names. Set thresholds for unusual activity like after-hours edits, and automate ticket creation with event details and GPO backup references. Finally, extend auditing to OU creation, movement, and removal events to uncover permission sprawl and enforce least-privilege practices. Auditing GPO changes ensures compliance, operational resilience, and traceability. Use native logging, set alerts, back up and version your GPOs, and include OU activity for full context. For more information, check out our official blog post on how to audit GPO changes linked in the description below.