Dependencies of a setting

What it does

Every setting with dependencies is shown as a small map: the setting in the centre, what it needs first on the left, what it unlocks on the right. You see at a glance what to configure before it, what becomes available after it, and you can walk from setting to setting by clicking.

Where you find it

• In Settings Library → Explore by Task: click any setting in the results and the results make way for its map. Back to results returns you to your search.
• On a setting's own page, in the How this fits card, whenever the setting has dependencies.

What you'll see

• Needs first (left) — settings that must be configured before this one has any effect. A thicker line means Microsoft marks it as required.
• Unlocks (right) — settings that only apply once this one is set, and the members of a group setting.
• Stronger together (above) — the Microsoft security baselines and endpoint-security templates that ship this setting, with the value a baseline recommends. Click one to see everything in that template.
• Nearby (below) — settings in the same area and settings the library links to this one.
• On the card — how many of your policies configure it (after a tenant usage harvest), and warnings: deprecated with a Use instead button, minimum Windows build, user scope, Entra join, edition limits.
• Legend (under the map) — the line colour is the kind of dependency: depends on, one option depends on, group member, lives inside or reusable setting. Only the kinds on screen are listed. A thicker line is a required prerequisite, and ✓ n means the setting is in n of your policies. Hover a card for the exact reason.

Tips

• Click anything around the setting to walk there. In the explorer the walked trail keeps your last steps.
• A side with more than seven settings scrolls inside its own column. The lines follow the settings you can see, and a small note says how many are above and below.
• Every map has its own link, so you can share exactly what you are looking at.