Mass Deploy the Whatfix Extension Using GPMC

Read this article to learn how you can deploy a Whatfix extension across all domain-joined Windows machines using an MSI file.

Overview

The Group Policy Management Console (GPMC) is a Microsoft administrative tool used to manage Group Policy Objects (GPOs) across Active Directory environments. Using GPMC, administrators can deploy software packages (such as a Whatfix extension), enforce security settings, and configure user or computer-based policies across domain-joined devices.

Note:

Prerequisites:

1. You need to download the MSI file from the Whatfix Guidance dashboard and host it in a shared network folder. To generate a single extension file (.msi), see Single Installer for Whatfix Extensions.

2. You must use a shared network folder accessible by all target machines with read permissions.

3. You must have access to the Group Policy Management Console (GPMC) on a Windows Server or admin machine.

Deploy the Whatfix Extension

Use the following steps to deploy the Whatfix extension using GPMC:

1. Add the .msi installer file to a shared network folder (for example, \\YourServer\Share\whatfix-extension.msi).

2. Open the GPMC tool and create or edit an existing Group Policy Object (GPO).

3. Click Computer Configuration.

4. Click Software Settings, and then click Software installation.

5. Right-click Software Installation and choose New, and then click Package…
   

6. Go to the shared network path and select the Whatfix .msi file.

   Note:

   Use the full path to the MSI file (for example, \\YourServer\Share\whatfix-extension.msi). Do not use local paths.

7. Choose Assigned as the deployment method.

   Note:

   Once you’ve created or edited a Group Policy Object (GPO) in GPMC, you need to apply it to a specific group of computers in your Active Directory. This is called an Organizational Unit (OU).

8. Link the GPO to the appropriate Organizational Unit (OU) containing the target machines.

For more information, refer to Use Group Policy to remotely install software.