The Internet Explorer home page setting can be configured under:

Computer Configuration
  → Policies
    → Administrative Templates
      → Windows Components
        → Internet Explorer
          → "Disable changing home page settings"
          → "Set a default home page"

To enforce the home page setting across all domain computers:

1. Open Group Policy Management Console (gpmc.msc)
2. Right-click the target OU → Create a GPO in this domain
3. Name the policy (e.g., "IE_Global_Homepage")
4. Right-click the new policy → Edit
5. Navigate to: User Configuration → Policies → Administrative Templates → Windows Components → Internet Explorer
6. Enable "Set a default home page"
7. Enter the URL (e.g., https://intranet.company.com)
8. Optionally enable "Disable changing home page settings"

For automation scenarios, use this PowerShell script to modify GPO:

# Import GroupPolicy module
Import-Module GroupPolicy

# Create or modify GPO
$gpoName = "IE_Global_Homepage"
$gpo = Get-GPO -Name $gpoName -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue
if (-not $gpo) {
    $gpo = New-GPO -Name $gpoName
}

# Set registry-based policy
Set-GPRegistryValue -Name $gpoName -Key "HKCU\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main" 
    -ValueName "Start Page" -Value "https://intranet.company.com" -Type String

# Disable home page modification
Set-GPRegistryValue -Name $gpoName -Key "HKCU\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Control Panel" 
    -ValueName "HomePage" -Value 1 -Type DWord

The policy affects these registry locations:

User Configuration:
HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main
  "Start Page" = "https://yourdomain.com"

Machine Configuration (when enforced):
HKLM\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main
  "Start Page" = "https://yourdomain.com"

• Policy not applying? Run gpupdate /force on client machines
• Check GPO inheritance and precedence in complex AD structures
• Verify DNS resolution for the homepage URL
• Confirm IE Enterprise Mode compatibility if using intranet sites

• Use HTTPS URLs to prevent mixed-content warnings
• Test in pilot OU before domain-wide deployment
• Combine with "Disable changing home page settings" for enforcement
• Document the change in your IT policy registry

To enforce a standardized home page across your domain, navigate to:

Computer Configuration
  → Policies
    → Administrative Templates
      → Windows Components
        → Internet Explorer
          → "Set a default home page"

Here's how to implement this through PowerShell for automation:

# Create GPO backup (recommended)
Backup-GPO -Name "IE_Settings" -Path "C:\GPO_Backups"

# Configure home page via PowerShell
$homePageValue = "https://intranet.company.com"
Set-GPRegistryValue -Name "IE_Home_Page_Policy" -Key "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main" -ValueName "Start Page" -Value $homePageValue -Type String

# Optional: Force policy update
gpupdate /force

For complex scenarios with multiple URLs:

$xmlTemplate = @"
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
    <key>URL1</key>
    <string>https://portal.company.com</string>
    <key>URL2</key>
    <string>https://helpdesk.company.com</string>
</dict>
</plist>
"@

Set-Content -Path "\\domain\sysvol\IE_HomePages.xml" -Value $xmlTemplate

Check effective settings with this registry query:

reg query "HKLM\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main" /v "Start Page"

Common issues to check:

• GPO inheritance conflicts
• User-specific home page overrides
• Internet Explorer compatibility mode settings